Product Details

• Color: BLACK
• Brand: Scosche
• Model: IFWAR
• Dimensions: .50" h x .50" w x 1.00" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Compatibility: iPod nano 4G; iPod touch 2G; iPhone 3G
• Allows accessories that do not support USB charging to work with iPod and iPhone
• Allows car integration accessories that do not support charging to work with the iPhone 3G and September 2008-released iPods
• Pass-through port allows for easy plug-and-play installation
• Compatible with several aftermarket auto head-units

Amazon.com Product Description
The Scosche passPORT USB charging adapter allows accessories that do not support USB charging to work with iPod and iPhone.

Firewire-to-USB Charging Pass-Through
If you have an older iPod interface in your car, battery backup system, or similar product, you might find that charging is not supported with your new iPod. The Scosche passPORT solves that problem with Firewire-to-USB charging capabilities, providing a 12V to 5V solution for iPod nano 4G, iPod touch 2G, and iPhone 3G.

Using passPORT is simple:

1. Plug the dock connector into the female side of the passPORT.
2. Plug the passPORT adapter into your iPod or iPhone.
3. Select a song from your iPod or iPhone and begin enjoying your music while charging

Great for Vehicle iPod Accessories
The passPORT is perfect for older car integration accessories that don't support charging for the iPhone 3G and iPod models released in September 2008 or later. The passPORT is compatible with: several aftermarket head-units as well as Acura, Audi, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Mercury, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pontiac, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Saturn, Scion, Suzuki, Toyota, Volvo, and VW. (Not compatible with select Pioneer head-units that use the CD-iB100 or CD-i200 iPod to IP-Bus adapter.)

Note: The passPORT is specifically designed to fix the charging error associated with several iPod and iPhone accessories. If the accessory you are intending to use does not initially support the audio or video functionality of the iPod or iPhone, the passPORT will not enable these features.

Customer Reviews

Not Much To Say Except, IT WORKS!!!
Well, I don't know exactly why the passPORT won't work for the 1-star reviewer, BUT IT WORKED FOR ME! I got a Panasonic CQ-C7303U radio 2 years ago and then the iPod adapter for it over 1 year ago. At that time, I had the 5th gen iPod video, then after that crapped out on me, I got the 3rd gen. nano (8GB). Then I upgraded to the 4th gen. nano almost as soon as it came out, so I could have double the memory (16GB).

Well, once I got the 4th gen. nano and plugged it into my radio, everything worked (it played/controlled through the radio), but I would get this message at the bottom of the nano's screen saying: "Charging is not supported for this accessory". (Or something like that.) And indeed the nano lost battery power much faster than it would listening to music through the headphones. (It makes since that more juice would be sucked up listening to music through the docking port.) Since I mostly listen to my nano in my truck (Panasonic radio), I depended on the radio to keep it charged up instead of having to plug it into my computer whenever the battery gets low. After doing some reasearch on why this was, I found out that for all the newest ipods (4th gen. nano, 2nd gen. Touch & iPhone 3G) Apple changed the way they charge that only allows 5 volt sources (USB, Apple AC adapters, etc.) and no 12 volt sources (firewire and most 3rd party accessories).

To make a long story short (too late!), I found a link to the passPORT, ordered one and plugged it in. I plugged in my nano on top of it and the message at the bottom of it now just reads: "Accessory is plugged in". (Or something like that) After looking real close, the charge icons appear in the battery symbol (showing charging or charged) and when I unplug it, the battery is fully charged or charged fuller than it was before. It kinda sucks to have to pay $30 to get back a feature that shouldn't have been taken away in the first place, but I guess that's the price of progress?

Well...OK, despite the title, I guess I did have more to say than IT WORKS!

Iphone 3G users pay close attention
Simply put, it works in some situations and not in others. If you're looking for an in-car solution for your Iphone 3G, you need to pay attention to how your Iphone works with your in-car solution right now. If you get the "nag screen" about putting it in airplane mode, and it won't charge, but you can get sound out of it through your car stereo, this will work for you. If you can't get it to charge or you can't get sound out of it, this unit WILL NOT WORK. Scosche is not being very upfront about the capabilities of the PassPort so you need to take it from buyers like me who ended up having to resort to buying new headunits (Pioneer DEH-4000UB, if you're curious) that definitely WILL charge and get audio from the Iphone 3G. So this gets 2 stars - it will work in certain situations, but not in all, and it gets marked off for shoddy, misleading marketing from Scosche.

If you have an iPhone 3G, an iPod touch 2G or a nano 4G, you need this.
When Apple introduced its latest batch of music players, it quietly removed the last remnant of FireWire compatibility it had been keeping in to maintain compatibility with older accessories: 12V charging support.
Unfortunately, this means the new devices cannot charge on older "compatible" docks, and even on recent ones because some manufacturers have been ignoring Apple's warnings and have persisted on shipping 12V devices even after being told support for this voltage was likely to disappear from new models of iPods.

Luckily, Scosche was able to come up with an inexpensive pass-through adapter which lowers the voltage and supplies 5V to the right pin, essentially restoring the charging capability of your old device with your new iPod.

There is not much to be said about the device itself: you plug it between the dock and the iPod, and it works.

I have been using mine for several weeks with my iPod touch 2G with three devices it couldn't charge on before: a car adapter and a couple of third party chargers. I was particularly thrilled to see I wouldn't have to take apart the dashboard on my car to update the car adapter, at several times the cost of the Scosche adapter.

Pros: inexpensive and just works.

Cons: the added length may prevent your iPod from fitting into some docks or holders.