I'm gonna be going on a road trip pretty soon, but i'm not takin' my car. I'd like to use the Empeg in my buddies car using a casette adaptor which i think is possible. I searched the forums and found one person who did it, but didn't really show details.

Radio Shack sells cig-lighter adaptors that have interchangeable plugs, i'm pretty sure one would fit into the Empeg for power. As for using the casette adaptor, i'm not sure on how to do this. Would i use some sort of adaptor that converts the 1/8'' mini headphone type plug to left/right rca's? I dunno. Will sound quality be ass?

Thanks.

Yeah, radio shack should sell all the adapters you need. Most tape adapters do have a mini-plug for a portable cd player, but converters are easy enough to come by. Write down exactly what plugs you need and make sure you come out with them. (It seems simple until you get there. I just realized tonight that the last adapter i picked up at radioshack has a mono plug, yet comes out to two RCAs. I wonder if they'll take it back without a recipt).

The sound quality won't be great, but it won't be too bad. Your other option is of course an FM transmiter, which they make for the same purposes. I beleive the tape adapter will sound better?

I've often wondered how small a box I could make that would include a mounting sled and an FM transmitter. It'd be nice to be able to grab my empeg and just plug it into the cigarete lighter of some different car. If i switched cars more often than I do, I'd definitly look into this.

Matthew

I wonder if they'll take it back without a recipt

If you can't get them to take it back, send it to me. There's a woman at my local Radio Shack that is very accommodating and always makes passes at me. The unfortunate part about that is she has a mustache.

That's a great idea: empeg via cassette adapter. I can testify to cassette adapters not being great in quality - but assuming your friend has a stock stereo and you aren't too much of an audiophile then you will be ok

I'd be interested to know how the ciggy adapter works in powering the empeg?

Ahh, the ongoing dilemma so many folks face-

I get good service so I should be friendly/flirty, but...
He/she is hairy/ugly/troglodyte etc

What a fine line you need to tread

Ive tried it on a recent Fishing trip in my 4WD, The Cassette Adapter quality was rubbish and it drove us Nutts. Gazz.

I've spent a lot of time listening to an empeg through a casette adapter and on a stock stereo, it sounds ok. Not great, not awful. Just ok.

Range is much the same as a tape - everything sounds flat. But at least you don't have the movement and speed variation problems associated with tape.

Range is much the same as a tape - everything sounds flat.

Hmm, wonder if the Empeg's EQ could be set up to be the inverse of the cassette EQ curve (which IIRC used to be printed on the back of cassette wrappers)... Tony?

Peter

I have had bad luck with these in the past, they are loud sometimes and I have trashed two head units using them. I got sick of burning tape heads etc on those units so... I went out and bought a "inexpensive" pioneer head unit with rca in using an adapter that hooks up to the cd changer plug in the back of the unit.

I've got a Universal Auto/Air Power Adapter from Targus. These puppies cost about $86, but it's powered every laptop I've ever tried on it (Dell, Toshiba, Compaq, Fujitsu, IBM) including the one that functioned as my in-car mp3 player before I got my empeg. I now keep it in my empeg carrying case and take my empeg with me when I travel with friends or on a flight. I also keep both a tape adapter and a FM transmitter in there, as well as an assortment of adapters to go to 1/8th male or female and RCA male or female. That way, if I get to a party, I'm always ready to whip out my empeg and provide tunage for the masses. The tape adapter isn't bad if you get a decent quality adapter. The FM transmitters plain out suck and should only be used as a last alternative.

Hmm, wonder if the Empeg's EQ could be set up to be the inverse of the cassette EQ curve (which IIRC used to be printed on the back of cassette wrappers)... Tony?

And you need my help to try this out on your own?

And you need my help to try this out on your own?

Well, I don't have the back of a cassette wrapper, or a cassette adapter, or a car handy... although now you mention it, I don't know why I thought you would either, except possibly for the last of those...

Peter

I've used a cassette adapter at times and it works fine but with usual signal degradation and sometimes a slight alternator whine. I have a cig lighter plug to power the empeg, and a cassette adapter, F-F barrel 1/8 inch gender changer, Male 1/8 inch to stereo RCA plugs into the empeg.

I rolled my own. Took a cassette adapter and a 3' rca and spliced 'em together. Add a little shrink tubing, and viola, no more adapters. With the added bonus of an extra-long cable. And yes, the FM adapters suck. The only thing they're good for is interfering with your sister's radio listening at home. (Added an adjustable cap so I could tune it to whatever she was listening to at the time. Drove her nuts.)

BTW...the tip to use with the Targus power adapter is tip #3

Yes I also use a cassette adapter in my CRX with the stock stereo. Until I mounted the empeg sled I also used the cigarette lighter as my power source. Both worked fine.
For my "Old Fart" ears the sound is passable.

I forgot to ask when this thread was current, but i have a question about using one of the cig. lighter power adapter things.

The one i'm gonna get for the empeg comes w/ multiple plugs and switchable power. It goes from like, 2.5, 3...11.5 etc. (i may be wrong about the numbers). The empeg says
11 - 16VDC. Does this mean that it can take any voltage in between this range? i don't wanna blow up my toy.

Does this mean that it can take any voltage in between this range?

Yes. The higher the better. 11 volts would give you problems with spontaneous reboots. 14--15 volts would be ideal.

tanstaafl.

Great. Thanks. Hopefully this one that i'm getting goes higher than 11V.

Hi.

Well, actually, you don't need a cig. lighter adapter in the sense that that adapter turns the (somewhat variable) voltage of the cig. lighter into a defined (fixed) voltage. All you need is an adapter cable that has the cig. lighter plug on one end and a power plug that fits into the empeg on the other end.
The empeg runs perfectly well in that setup.

cu,
sven

Many of the cheaper ones don't give you a fixed voltage anyway. They often contain nothing more than a chain of diodes (for instance 1N400x) and the switch just allows more or less of the diodes to be inserted in the positive line. Each diode drops apprx 0.7 - 1V, depending on current draw. Not exactly stabilized voltage, but it tends to work since most things meant to be powered by batteries have a fair bit of tolerance to variations in input voltage so that they can handle both fresh batteries and almost fully discharged ones.

In the 12V setting, assuming there is one, the diodes might be bypassed entirely - effectively giving you a cig. plug connector, a piece of wire and a barrel connector.

/Michael