iPod MIDI file server?

Wurlitzer

Have any of the brain trust, working with the Propeller, entertained using an iPod as a file server (MIDI in my case)?

Love them or hate them, they have a nice operator interface and a bunch of storage in a compact package. Rather than scrolling through MP3 files I would need to just treat the iPod as a hard drive with MIDI files (way smaller than MP3s) and use the operator interface to simply select the file to be sent to the Propeller.

I am using· MIDI to drive my pipe organ (if I ever get past the one bug in another thread). The Propeller would need to receive the MIDI data and generate the appropriate output. That part I can handle. I did a search for iPod using the Google/Parallax search and only hit a single thread relating to USB. Recording to the iPod in MIDI would be phase II.

Clemens

Wouldn't it be easier to use an SD-Card? There are some well documented objects for that.

Wurlitzer

Clemens wrote: "Wouldn't it be easier to use an SD-Card? There are some well documented objects for that."

Yes, if it were just for the actual file storage (although the iPod would have much more). I was interested in using the file scroll and select features of the iPod operator interface. One neat package providing the code to extract the data is not prohibitive. It could also be use to quickly download MIDI files from another PC or Internet via a PC.

If nobody has or will be creating code to communicate with an iPod then certainly the SD-Card will be my backup plan.

Thanks!

stevenmess2004

I believe that iPods have a serial port on the dock connector. You may be able to use this to connect to whatever is running on them. It may be easier if you install linux on it and then just login to it using the serial port. Good luck Do I see a 160 GB harddrive for props? You could also look at using one of the serial to ethernet adaptors that are around and then connecting to a network drive.

Wurlitzer

stevenmess2004 wrote: "I believe that iPods have a serial port on the dock connector.
"

Yes, and I believe that a USB cable is available for them. Looking at some of the iPod hack sites, I see that text and pdf files can be loaded so certainly other file formats can be loaded and retrieved.
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It is just such a nice package of large storage and slick user interface that would seem to be a natural to combine with a Propeller for numerous projects. My application may be of limited appeal on this forum but the concept of a Propeller-iPod would seem to stir the creative juices of those on this forum with a greater skill set than my own to begin hacking. (LEGAL of course)

stevenmess2004

If you want to use USB you will need a usb host. There are a couple of companies (ftdi is one) that make usb host chips that you can connect to a propeller. I think that most people will probably just stick to SD cards as they are cheaper and will therefore cost less to fix is something goes horribly wrong. For something along these lines have a look at the 4D OLED modules. These could be made into a similar package to an iPod.