The audio plug didn't make good connection on mine. I re-soldered it (there was a cold solder joint), and it still was flaky. The springs inside the socket don't have enough "spring" to grab the outside of the audio plug well. I bought a connector with pins like the one the had the power for the HCB-300, and connected the speaker output in the two unused pin locations. All better now, and that audio jack deal is gone, so one less connector to bury with the wiring.

Mike, I'd look to a different plug for that audio connection.

Matt

 

Of course nobody knows if the current kit actually works with the new buttons or if a new kit is coming that hasn't been released yet...

 

It is possible to fit an aftermarket bluetooth kit that is linked to the new buttons, send, end & voice dial so you dont hve to fit the control panel that comes with the kit.

It is also possible to fit some older type car kits e.g. nokia cark91, & have the phone book come up in the radio/nav displays with full control from the 6 wheel buttons (phone book up down volume up down send & end)

 

Mikey,

I know I just got my HCB-300 installed, but can you give us more info about BT kits that integrate with the MFSW? My kit is working great, but I had no idea that I could get those buttons or my Nav display to work without the $$$ factory kit.

Steve

 

I'm interested also. I just got a Moto V600 and am leaning towards the Sony HCB-300 kit. If I could use the MFSW's famous "dead" button that would seal the deal.

 

I don't believe any of the kits can be tied into the dead button on the two spoke wheel... But Mikey, can the Sony kit be tied into the new wheel?

 

I just installed the HCB-300 and tried to hook it up to the stereo speakers, but to do that, you need a special accessorie (something soething 16) but that product is not even shown on the SE website, so I'm not sure.

I had them install the speaker between the seats (so when the handbrake is down it almost touches it) and mounted the mic on the stearing column, like the CustomAV, and people have told me that they could hear an echo when they spoke, and they could really hear the car...

CutomAV, have you since changed the location of your mic, or are you happy with it?

MB, how about you? Are you 100% satisfied? Locations?

Thanks,

Louay

 

Need to order the cable from newministuff.com that'll mute the radio and output the sound through the car speakers.

I expect to finally instal this kit in the MINI Monday or Tuesday. I've had it in the Subaru for almost two months now with no complaints. That microphone is on the headliner bethind the rear view mirror. It sounds like your average speakerphone. No background noise at all, even if the A/C is cranked up. I've never heard anybody I've called tell me that there is an echo, and I've never heard one when my wife has called me with it...

 

The kit to use the buttons is a new development.

At the moment it just works with parrot 3000.
We are hoping to get it working with the nokia & ericsson kits.
Samawil - the **16 sony ericsson music mute does not fit the Mini.

 

samawil,

I have the hcb-300 installed with Mikey's wonderful kit. It works great. I have my mic mounted on top of the steering column
(I have Nav so it's centered between the rev counter and the speedo) and have had no complaints from my callers.

Mike,

keep up the good work and let us know if you get the buttons working with the S-E interface (I know you can do it if anyone can!). Hopefully I'll be able to upgrade my harness!

Steve

 

Some pics of stereo & sat nav screen.

This was using an old nokia 6110 phone & cark91 car kit

 

So Mike,

Does your kit also work if it's an Alpine head unit? I have the IVA D300...

L

 

I don't know, maybe I'm a moron or something... but yesterday's attempt at installation didn't go to well. (many four letter words shouted very loudly throughout the afternoon).

I was actually installing 3 things, only one of which actually works...

Item #1, Aux Jack (plugged into the the car kit harness from NewMINIstuff). That worked fine.

Item #2, HCB-300 (FINALLY!) I get it all connected and it works... briefly. Try it again 10 minutes later and it's dead. No lights on the controller... no beeps nothing... Pull out the trusty multimeter to discover that was dead too... (can't you just hear those 4 letter words?) Changed the batter in the multimeter to discover that power was in fact going to the HCB's black box, but the HCB didn't appear to be working. I had to wait until much later when my wife came home with the Subaru to swap boxes... That problem appears to be a dead black box. It seemed to work ok, but there's little to no incoming audio. I've been told that outgoing sounds loud and clear. Which connectors do I need to be checking? The connector from the harness to the SE adapter is tight, is there another connector I need to be checking? (Please tell me I don't have to pull the radio again, URGHH what a bear!)

Item #3 12v outlet in the parcel shelf, it's drilled, it's there, it just doesn't work! I didn't have this problem with the Cooper, Littlefuse Add-A-Circuit and 15 minutes I was done. In the S, I can't seem to find a bolt I can get to and loosen to provide a sufficient ground. Tried, tapping into the cigarette lighter and that didn't work for me either. I don't know if I'm an idiot or what...

My hope is to have the Bluetooth problem resolved SOON... Then corner an electrical guru at the Dragon for the outlet...

 

On my first attempt to install the HCB-300, the 1/8"mini jack/plug connection in the NewMiniStuff harness kept coming apart when I stuffed all the wires into the dash. Taping that plug together solved the problem.

When I did my install, I also installed a Belkin iPod adapter (cigarette lighter plug with a dock cable and line amp). So as to not use the cig lighter and have a clean install, I hard wired the Belkin electronics (to power and my AUX input jack - which I never mounted, just used an 1/8" stereo mini plug-to-plug cable between the Belkin jack and the loose AUX jack) and ran just the iPod Dock cable out through one of the slots in the panel under the toggles. For power to the Belkin, I used the Littlefuse part for power (are any of the positions in the fuse panel switched by the ignition? - I couldn't find one - and am using the cig-lighter position) and grounded to a screw that is behind the knee panel to the right of the steering column as you look at the wheel head on. I was prepared to need an in-line noise filter to avoid alternator whine - but all seems good.

Steve

 

Okay, I'm lazy, I don't know if someone already covered this in the thread but from all the responses I have read, I've only seen posts concerning installation. :P

Do you have to pair the phone to the car? Does it accept multiple pairings so it can route calls from a specific phone if multiple paired phones to the system are in the car at the same time?

Basically the car gets used by two main drivers and I'm looking for a solution that can accept bluetooth calls from both phones, ideally even with both phones are present in the car at the same time.

Anyone have an answer?

 

The HCB-300 will pair with multiple phones, BUT it will only connect to one phone at a time. Also it doesn't receive the calls so there's no call routing to be done. All it does is take the incoming call on the phone and dump it to a speaker, and through an external microphone dump your conversation to the phone.

Switching between paired phones is simply a matter of pushing a button.

 

Ahah, thanks for the clarification. So when you have both phones in the car at the same time, do you just push the button to switch to whatever phone that's ringing to activate the in-car usage?

I have the NAV unit, does it allow you to name the phones so you can see it displayed or do you have to go by the default horribly long alpha-numeric bluetooth IDs?

 

The HCB 300 identifies the phones by colors...so when you pair up your phone, you chose one of 5 colors, and chose another one for another phone, etc... and the color of the light in the middle of the device is the one that's paired at the time

L

 

When you pair the phone to the kit you assign it a color. Each unique phone gets a different color. I have two phones paired with the kit, mine is blue and my wife's is red. There's a light on the little controler that displays the color of the phone it's connected to.

When you get in the car and start the car, the kit automajically goes searching for the phone/color that it last connected to. If it finds it the kit beeps twice and your connected. If the red phone was the one it was connected to last, that's the phone it will look for first when you start the car. If it can't find phone red, it then looks for the next color that's paired to it and tries to connect to it. The kit continues this process until it either finds a phone that it has a paired relationship, or searches for and fails to find any of the phones it's paired to.

This kit does not interface with the NAV, there are no kits right now available that interface with the NAV using Bluetooth.

As for the update on my kit... Dr Frankenstein was running around my cul-de-sac this evening screaming "IT'S ALIVE!!!!!" That audio connector seems to have been the culprit. Despite looking like it was well seated, unplugging it and re-seating the connector appears to have worked.

Initial reports: The sound appears to come exclusively through the front left speaker, but it's crystal clear. I've been told that the outgoing sound quality is MUCH better than the kit in the Subaru, I mounted the microphone on the headliner near the mirror. The radio doesn't display PHONE like I thought it did, but it does mute the sound and that combined with pumping the audio through the car's speakers was the goal of this evolution so I'm happy.

My one real gripe is tied once again into my own personal stupidity... I placed the controler on the dash on the drivers said, and didn't look to make sure that this was a good spot from an ergonomic standpoint... And ended up choosing a location where it's virtually impossible to see the controller without having to move, as it's completely blocked by the steering wheel!

 

Ok I admit that Mb's disription is better than mine :blush:

 

I started working on it 5 minutes before your post

 

I didn't like any place on the dash because it's curved and felt the device needed a flat surface...I have the gauge cluster that is offered by bmp which goes under the center console, right begind the cig lighter, and that has a flat surface between the 2 gauges, so I put it there...I have 2 issues with that...one bigger than the other. The first it that I can't actually see the pick up and hang up buttons ( but I know where they are) and the second is that I stuck it at an angle

Update: The only person to tell me they couldn't hear me well was the wife...and she knew I was testing the device and doesn't share my love of technology

 

Sooooo, do you need to use this little controller that displays the light of the phone it's paired to or is that interface replaced by NAV screen menus like what mikeythemini posted?

Specifically I would be installing this in a 2005 with NAV and the latest steering wheel that has the phone buttons.

TIA

 

Again, there is NO interface with the Nav.

As it stands right now Mike's kit does not work with the Sony Ericsson kits, those of use with the new wheel are eagerly awaiting a kit that works with the new buttons. But right now there is none

 

Got it... guess I'll be waiting for a more integrated solution! Thanks for all the help.