I'm building an ipod dock and the amplifier i'm using will run off of 12V. Like real docks, mine will charge as it plays music.

What is the charging voltage range? I've seen a few chargers that have a 12v @ 1A max output but I've heard of a few people messing up their ipods from supplying too much power.

 

You should probably measure what your original ipod charger puts out and shoot for that.

 

I agree with retched, but another tip is that iPods can charge through USB connection and this is 5V, so you shouldn't need to exceed this.

 

I, in turn, agree with swinch. That is a good reason for the 12v burning up your friends ipods. So, the Ipod contains its own charging circuit. If you supply 5v to the correct pins (Follow USB standards) the I pod will charge and play at the same time. All you need to do is send the 5v. Now if you want it to play an amplified signal through speakers, You may want to plug into the earphone jack. I'm not sure, but I believe the ipod will send the mp3 through the usb. Meaning you will need to incorporate a mp3 decoder into your dock, then amplify it. If you use the earphone jack, you can skip the mp3 decoding.

 

As far as I remember, Ipod or Iphone can be charged off two sources, FireWire and USB. FireWire has standard voltage 12V, USB has 5V. You should check if your device supports FireWire charging, and decide based on that. Also look for the pinout of the docking connector, it should be clear there.

 

Hi
Try this, it might help
http://pinouts.ru/PortableDevices/ipod_pinout.shtml

 

Well that lays it all out for ya.

 

ok thanks. that's a lot of help.