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Help wanted re PCMCIA Adapter

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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 12:45 PM
  #1  
Giles Young's Avatar
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From: Stockton on Tees, UK
Mercedes C320 CDI Sport
Help wanted re PCMCIA Adapter

Help! This appeal is from a technical ignoramus - I can just about work an IPod! I've got a C320 CDI with COMAND fitted. I also have the Harmon Kardon sound system option and DAB radio. There is a PCMIA slot on the COMAND unit and I understand that music can be input using an adapter enabling it to be stored on the hard drive. This is where I am completely stuck and regretfully, my local MB dealer is about as much use as an ash tray on a motorbike! There has been much scratching of heads and that's about it. One chap told me not to bother with it as nobody uses it anyway!

I bought a PCMCIA adapter from my local computer shop and an SD memory card. How do I get music onto the SD card in the first place? I have a PC but not a lap top with a PCMCIA slot.

I've got the IPod interface fitted and play my IPod through the system - the display comes up on the speedometer display.

I would like to store selected tracks on the hard drive as the IPod is a bit difficult to use 'on the go'. I would appreciate some help please.
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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 01:16 PM
  #2  
Robbio204's Avatar
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What are you saying? What is your point?

Your post seems as if one needs a laptop with a PCMCIA slot. Any PCMCIA slot will work, as long as that is where your music is.
-Or-
You can put the SD card in your PC or Laptop and connect the drive that way.
Once you do this...
drag the music right to the drive, it is very simple
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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 01:44 PM
  #3  
Giles Young's Avatar
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From: Stockton on Tees, UK
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Dear Sir

Thank you for your rather terse and extremely unhelpful reply. I started my thread (incidentally, my first and probably the last on the MB Forum if you are anything to go by!) by trying to explain that I needed help as nobody here in this backward country called England could help me. Regretfully, it seems we are not as advanced as the USA but I think we are a lot more polite.

If if I had not needed help, I would not have written in the first place! I am nearly 65 years of age, a lawyer and extremely good at defending criminals which is what I do. I am regarded as an expert in my field of operation. What I cannot do is operate the said 'slot' on my COMAND which was why I asked for help. If I had been able to work the damn thing, I would not have had to waste time and valuable effort in asking for help. In other words, to each his own!

As I explained with my obviously poor grasp of the Queen's English, my local garage have been unable to help me because nobody there knew the answer.

A few days ago, I found the MB Forum on the internet the other day and (foolishly) thought I had 'connected' with friendly MB owners who could help. Obviously a mistake.

Incidentally; if you look at another thread regarding whether it is possible to fit a different steering wheel to a W204, you will see that I have already answered the inquirer and given him the details he required. No terse reply; no (perceived by me) sarcasm and a detailed answer.

Might I suggest to you that in future, if a person writes and requests help and you can't be bothered to do it, why take the effort to write? It seems such a total waste of everybodody's time.

Incidentally; why do people hide behind annonymous types of signatures? If you are called Bill Bloggs or whatever, why not use your real name? I did!
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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 02:44 PM
  #4  
Peabody's Avatar
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\
I love the PCMCIA adapter, and there's an entire thread devoted to it that's like 20 pages long, use search!
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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 03:49 PM
  #5  
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Originally Posted by Robbio204
-Or-
You can put the SD card in your PC or Laptop and connect the drive that way.
Once you do this...
drag the music right to the drive, it is very simple
I understood the OP did have a desktop and if it isn't very new, it probably does not have a slot for an SD card. If it had, I don't think he would have asked.

The desktop would very likely have a USB port, it is easy to find adapters that accept an SD card and attach to the USB port.

I assume the iPod music is stored at the desktop computer. If iTunes is using default settings, the titles are coded with AAC format. Comand would not play AAC. You can tick iTunes settings to make it convert CDs to MP3 format, that would be good for Comand (the above advice, just drag and drop titles, including folders from iTunes store to the memory card with the computer).

I'm not sure if the Euro C-class comand can store MP3 titles from a memory card to the Comand hard drive, some only allow music CDs stored to the hard drive but the Comand user manual would explain how the hard drive music register can be used.

The behaviour of your MB dealer is outrageous, unfortunately not rare.
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Old Jan 1, 2010 | 03:58 PM
  #6  
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As for getting songs onto your SD card from your computer, you could try to order something like this (http://www.google.com/products/catal...wAg#ps-sellers). It's an adapter to USB and it basically accepts most formats of flash memory cards. Hope this helps.
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Old Jan 2, 2010 | 04:05 AM
  #7  
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Originally Posted by snarlingchicken
As for getting songs onto your SD card from your computer, you could try to order something like this (http://www.google.com/products/catal...wAg#ps-sellers). It's an adapter to USB and it basically accepts most formats of flash memory cards. Hope this helps.
This example must be useful for the OP. There is just one thing that needs to be taken into account with SD cards and adapters. The OP did not mention if his SD card was actually an SD HC card (what size is it?), at least I interpreted that the USB adapter from the link did not support SD HC cards. The same can be the case with the PCMCIA card but that has been covered several times by earlier threads on the PCMCIA adapter topic.
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Old Jan 2, 2010 | 04:12 AM
  #8  
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http://www.google.com/products/catal...255&sa=title#p

There's a newer one. SDHC compatible. Problem resolved? Also. As I recall, his PCMCIA card needs to be a 16-bit card to work as well (I think). I don't recall the OP mentioning that though.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 08:36 AM
  #9  
hdoolabh's Avatar
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I think why bother with the pcmcia card - why not just add your mp3 files to dvd and add to your cd changer
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 11:22 AM
  #10  
Diesel Benz's Avatar
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Originally Posted by hdoolabh
I think why bother with the pcmcia card - why not just add your mp3 files to dvd and add to your cd changer
Because DVD is a slower interface, it makes a bit of noise when used. But if you like it, I have no problem with that. I hope you accept others preferring the PCMCIA slot.

Anyway always good to remind about all available options.
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 03:24 PM
  #11  
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Thumbs down

Originally Posted by hdoolabh
I think why bother with the pcmcia card - why not just add your mp3 files to dvd and add to your cd changer
Two words:

Disc Unreadable
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Old Jan 3, 2010 | 03:47 PM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by Peabody
Two words:

Disc Unreadable
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Old Jan 5, 2010 | 05:32 PM
  #13  
Robbio204's Avatar
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From: NJ
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Originally Posted by Giles Young
Dear Sir

Thank you for your rather terse and extremely unhelpful reply. I started my thread (incidentally, my first and probably the last on the MB Forum if you are anything to go by!) by trying to explain that I needed help as nobody here in this backward country called England could help me. Regretfully, it seems we are not as advanced as the USA but I think we are a lot more polite.

If if I had not needed help, I would not have written in the first place! I am nearly 65 years of age, a lawyer and extremely good at defending criminals which is what I do. I am regarded as an expert in my field of operation. What I cannot do is operate the said 'slot' on my COMAND which was why I asked for help. If I had been able to work the damn thing, I would not have had to waste time and valuable effort in asking for help. In other words, to each his own!

As I explained with my obviously poor grasp of the Queen's English, my local garage have been unable to help me because nobody there knew the answer.

A few days ago, I found the MB Forum on the internet the other day and (foolishly) thought I had 'connected' with friendly MB owners who could help. Obviously a mistake.

Incidentally; if you look at another thread regarding whether it is possible to fit a different steering wheel to a W204, you will see that I have already answered the inquirer and given him the details he required. No terse reply; no (perceived by me) sarcasm and a detailed answer.

Might I suggest to you that in future, if a person writes and requests help and you can't be bothered to do it, why take the effort to write? It seems such a total waste of everybodody's time.

Incidentally; why do people hide behind annonymous types of signatures? If you are called Bill Bloggs or whatever, why not use your real name? I did!

My bad, I didn't want to read your long, prolix post.

Maybe this will help:

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...-w-photos.html

There is also a "search" function...
Go to "Search," "Advanced Search," be sure to specify "C Class 204," or which ever vehicle you please, and enter whatever you are searching for...
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Old Jan 5, 2010 | 05:35 PM
  #14  
Robbio204's Avatar
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From: NJ
C350
Did not mean to offend
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Old Jan 5, 2010 | 08:38 PM
  #15  
snarlingchicken's Avatar
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Counter sass +1 Lol. Sorry. Just playing. Both parties here are correct in their responses. I'm just the jester that also acts as the arbiter.
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Old Jan 6, 2010 | 03:29 AM
  #16  
Diesel Benz's Avatar
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Originally Posted by Robbio204
Did not mean to offend
I did read your first reply again and concluded it must have been a misunderstanding from the OP when he did not like it. When I first saw this thread and read the first three posts I thought your reply could have been "more constructive" but reading it again, I don't find any real issues with it. It is easy to write a response which is not intended to be impolite but the one the response is for, feels it is offensive. I know because I'm an expert on this.

In any case, my opinion is that if someone asks help, he should not start defining rules how others have to reply. There may be real jerks and insults but one should simply pass those and remain on the topic until the actual problem is solved.

The reason I started replying is that I just read a thread at the UK forum where a US car owner complained how impolite people are there while members at the US forums are polite and provide real help. Now a UK person complains about the US forum, how should I conclude between the two. Funny that car owners cross the border if they don't actually like the grass at the other side of the fence.

Another point I don't like is when a person asks something and then does not bother to come back to acknowledge that he has read the feedback, irrespectively if he agrees or not.

But I think we should be polite towards the OP, he is an elderly person and everyone here should be polite towards elderly people (in case someone did not know, I should be considered an elderly person but there is absolutely no bias in this recommendation ).
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