Year: 2016

United States Custom House at Dusk

us-custom-house

Wandering around Charleston, South Carolina looking for just the right restaurant to buy a $100 dinner for two in to celebrate our 40th Anniversary.

GROM Update

Didn’t exactly get a total brush of just yet, but I did get sort of a shoulder shrug:

Them – Thu, Sep 22 2016 9:13am
Track Firmware version 49 does not sound correct for GROM-AND2 unit.

What I recommend is seeing if you can flash firmware version 40 which is the latest for your vehicle type and see if it helps. This is all I can suggest. Other than that, I am stumped.

http://gromaudio.com/software-usb2.html
http://gromaudio.com/downloads/firmware/gromusb2_mazda_40.hex

Me – Thu, Sep 22 2016 11:37pm
OK, I’ve downgraded my firmware to 40 even though when I went to
http://gromaudio.com/software-usb2.html the photo at the top of the page says, “Top Part Has No Lip” and my unit clearly has a top lip (see attached photos.)

Is my unit some sort of USB3, USB2P variation so that firmware 49 would be right for something purchased last summer?
Is this my serial number? 03-18-031314? Those numbers match nothing like shown on either page…confused.

I doubt I’ll hear back.

If my theory of this all being heat related is correct, it probably doesn’t matter what my firmware version is. GROM has no real competitors in this arena, so the only options if this thing keeps messing up is to buy another box from them or swap out the head unit. I loathe the new head unit option on several counts, but I don’t relish the thought of spending $150 on something that might only last a little more than a year either.

But now that the weather is cooling off we may be in for some trouble-free listening ahead. Might be able to put off what to do until mid-spring.

25 Years Ago – Fall 1991

HOW ABOUT A LITTLE WINE…?

– by Barbara Beach

Any Miata history buff knows the story! There were thousands of different exhaust sounds, listened to over and over again until the Miata hum was born.

There is, however, another sound less publicized that any Miata spouse or partner can identify. That is… the Miata “whine.” Beginning prior to the car’s purchase, when visions of little red sports cars still dance in our heads, the words, “I WAAANAH MEEEAHTA” are formed. Often accompanied by promises, bribes, and offers way too personal for us to describe, the Miata-stricken partner drags the other for a test drive. Husbands promise wives that a Miata will return him to that newlywed turbo-charged guy she once knew. Wives convince husbands that a two-seat car is the best form of family planning imaginable. The test drive does the rest.

So there it is, in the driveway, grinning its Miata grin. Do we drive it or put it in the garage until it’s a classic? Top down, boot in place, baseball caps on, buckles buckled, let’s go!!! And that’s when you notice it again. It’s faint at first…he comments, “I wonder what it would be like with a little extra power.” She muses, “A tonneau cover would be nice.” The sound grows louder. He says, “I think new wheels and tires would really be the ticket.” She says, “Leather on sheepskin, mmmmmm!” Finally, the sound is deafening…He proclaims, “A roll bar, 5-point harness turbo conversion.” She shrieks, “CD player with changer, wood dash kit, mirror bras, sill plates…!”

Well, you get the picture. The Miata whine, “I wanna…” is every after-market manufacturer’s dream. We are obsessed with buying our little car presents and pampering it with wax jobs and orthodontics (You did pull its front “teeth”, didn’t you?).

What then does one do when you have purchased every accessory available? I don’t know about your household, but my new husband Phil has the perfect answer…”I wanna British Racing Green.” Here we go again!

Copyright 1991, Miata Magazine. Reprinted without permission.

 

Another Tale of Woe

Before the Emperor went into exile I removed several bits that I wanted to transfer over to the CTBNL. One of them was a aftermarket little box that allowed music playback from a USB stick (among other things.) Ever since it has been in the silver car it would randomly stop working. After paying attention to when it wasn’t working it seemed to only be after the spent several hours out in the hot sun.

The unit is past its 1 year warranty period, but the manufacturer’s site has a support area where you can fill out a form and start an email conversation with one of their techs. Let’s give it a go:

Me – Sun, Sep 11 2016 8:14pm
Car make: Mazda Miata 2002
Invoice: 77311
Seller: Grom Audio

MAZN2 unit worked flawlessly for over a year in my 2003. Moved to a new to me 2002 and it fails to turn on sometimes after car sits during work.

Will turn on after home in garage after a few hours. Almost seems to me to be heat related. But just the other day on an evening drive it just quit working. Radio display shows CD CH at bottom like normal, but no disc-track numbers and no sound.

Them – Mon, Sep 12 2016 6:42am
I would double check the installation wiring and make sure everything is plugged in secure and solid.

Are you able to move the GROM module back to the 2003 model vehicle?

Me – Mon, Sep 12 2016 10:02am
As expected, it did not work when I got in the car at the end of the work day. This time when I hit the CD button instead of getting no music with a display of CD CH, nothing happened at all.

The 2003 is long gone.

Just to cover all the bases I pulled the Mazda radio out when I got home and unplugged and then re-plugged it back in. I then unhooked the Grom and re-hooked it back up. Then of course it worked fine. But was that because it had cooled off in the hour or so in my garage or did the re-seating of connectors fix it?

I will let you know tomorrow.

Them – Mon, Sep 12 2016 10:27am
What is the batch number to the GROM module? This will be on sticker bottom of the unit.

Please also check what firmware version is on the GROM module currently.
To check firmware version switch to USB mode of the GROM. While playing music from USB connected device i.e. USB flash drive, Android or Ipod/iphone (USB3/MST4 only).
Unplug from USB port. The track number will change and show current version number of Firmware.

Me – Tue, Sep 13 2016 11:02am
Amazingly enough when we got in the car this afternoon the unit worked. It only got into the mid 80’s today. But halfway home my passenger objected to the song playing so she pushed the track up button, the display changed, but the track stayed the same. Tried track down with the same results. She turned the radio off and then back on. Now the unit didn’t work at all. No sound accompanied by no disc/track display and the CD CH display on the bottom of the display.

Tonight after dinner I went out into our air conditioned garage and turned on the radio. It started playing MP3s right where it left off. The track up and track down responded normally. Something is going wonky due to heat…

The number on the sticker on the bottom is: 03-18-031314

The firmware is: 49

Them – Wed, Sep 14 2016 7:02am
Could you share with us a clear photo of the front face of the stereo for us to view?

Does the stereo have a CD changer built in to it?

If yes, does it have its own Mode or does it show up as “CD CH” as well for function?

Me – Wed, Sep 14 2016 10:14am
Radio has single CD, no built-in CD changer.

Attached are three photos:

We had a nice little daily email chain going there for awhile, then they stopped responding. Tonight after not hearing anything for 6 days, I poked them back.

Me – Tue, Sep 20 2016 10:16am
Hello? Did I stump the band? I attached pictures as requested and have not heard back since last Tuesday.

Do I have another option besides buying some sort of replacement?

What do you want to bet I’ll get another corporate speak “Sorry Charlie” email? Then I’m not sure where I go next especially as the unit I have was $99 and is discontinued while the replacement gizmo is $130. Guess if that happens I’ll try and find a cheaper option somewhere.