Hey Birdman,

Making your own adapter would be fine for the power, but the external antenna cable connectors really can't be done by hand properly, from what I know, high frequency microwaves need impedance matched connectors, and the internal reflections inside the connector can affect performance. This is why you may not have much success with the wires and soldering iron approach :(

Sowellman - let us all know how you go with the insert for your phone! Maybe I need to buy a phone on the insert list!?!?!

Cheers,
J.

 

The other Nam member Sowellman mentioned is probably me.

Currently there is no official Mini cell phone cradle for R56, however, BMW cradles will work. I have a BMW razr cradle in my Mini and it fits and functions perfectly. For those of you with other phones, here is the list of cradles I found on the BMW site:

http://www.wireless4bmw.com/cradles.html

Unfortunately, the list does look dated.

 

Jamzb,
There are NO "microwave" frequencies used in mobile phones.

As for your comment, in general that is ALWAYS the case. There is always some loss with connections, connectors and even solder joints. BUT, if done correctly (cleanly), that loss is almost nill, and is nothing compared to the loss we get by using the 1/2" long antenna inside the cellphone, trying to broadcase through your cars metal exterior!!

It can and WILL be done very easily. I've emailed MINI demanding the specs and pinouts for the connector type and brand they use in the armrest, since they are not "officially" offering any adapters (or updating the old BMW list) to us who spent alot of money to get them. they have responded they won't give it to me. I have forwarded it to my attorney and it will be handled that way unfortunitely.

Why they would not want to provide that info is beyond me. It would ONLY help them by taking the presure off them, allowing 3rd parties to make the adapters for them. I don't understand why they didn't do that a long time ago.

 

The reason that they are refusing, is that the rocket scientists at MINI probably don't know themselves!

Maybe this .jpg will help...

 

Hi... my Mini is still on order, but given the fact I will receieve it without a cradle... I might go ahead and order a cradle that will work... Just looked at the web page you posted and see a few different models... which one is the one that works for you?

 

I can only speak with certainty to the implementation on 1st Generation MINIs, but at least in that case, the BMW & MINI ULF modules are one and the same. The part itself is even labelled as a BMW part, not a MINI part.

I would be very surprised if MINI tried to reinvent the wheel with the R56 and design a custom Bluetooth implementation. One question for you guys... when I sync my phone to my car, the phone shows the connection as "BMW ULF". Does it do the same for you? If so, it's probably the exact same module as the BMWs get now.

For the 1st Gen MINIs, the snap-in adapters are exactly the same as well. I have a Motorola E815 phone and I have the correct snap-in adapter for it.

Good luck getting things resolved. The issue with dealer not warrantying the BT module sounds bogus to me. Some dealerships are just not very customer service oriented, and that's a shame.

 

They replaced it under warranty late last week....finally

 

Seems they are at-least doing one for the iPhone. It states "In addition to the BMW models, all Mini models will now also be equipped for the Apple iPhone in time for its European premiere which is expected at the end of 2007." I hope I can use it, it would suck to require a entirely new car.
http://www.duemotori.com/news/auto_a...ntegration.php

Any ideas anyone?

 

It depends upon which phone you have. I have a Razr. There's a link toward the bottom of that page that goes to the proper cradle for the Razr. I clicked on that one to put it in a shopping cart, where it showed the part number. That's what I gave the Mini dealer that ordered it for me.

 

Thanks. Got those diagrams already. But we need is a the type and brand of the actual connector, along with it's pinouts.

Example: db9 female connectory
Pin 1 = yellow = Antenna +
Pin 2 = Blue = Antenna -
.......

This way, we can get the opposite connector (in example the male), and make our own "adapter" to plugin with ANY phone.

Why they would not do this is beyon me. It's not like they are making money selling the adapters, that don't exist for the MINI!! So how about let us use the option we paid alot of money for??

Edge,
If I remember correctly, it came up as "MINI####" with the #### being the last 4 digits of my Vin#. That doesn't mean it's not the same though, cause that is just a software setting. I'll tell ya for sure in a few days, the new Blackjack OS (wm6) is being released, so I'll have to re-pair it after flashing my phone.

 

When I pair my Blackberry pearl it says Mini#### on the phone as the paired device.

 

MINI just announced that a new phone has been approved !

 

Hmm - that's definitely different... so yeah, it sounds like a whole new ball game on Bluetooth too, between 1st Gen & 2nd Gen.

 

I received my Razr cradle today. It works perfectly and finally adds functionality to the armrest. Phone charged up and I assume it connected to the built-in antenna.

 

Sowellman, how much did the Razr adapter cost? Was it $175 as stated on that link?

I'm seriously considering trading in my LG 8600 phone for a Razr just to be able to get an adapter for the armrest that will work.

 

Me too, although I'm hoping BMW doesn't charge $175.00. I'd've been happy to get the BT prep w/o the armrest for less money, but since I paid for that armrest, I want to use it!

gl

 

Gary,

I ordered it through Classic Mini in Ohio. It looks like the list price was $140. They charged me $112 with the NAM discount. The part number is 84210415023.

I'm glad I was smart enough to figure out how to put it in. The instruction booklet came in one language: German.

 

Thanks John, I suspected you might have went with Classic Mini since you were telling me about ordering the Ipod adapter from them. Now, I just need to check with Verizon and see how much it will cost me to change phones, ughh...

Did your Ipod adapter arrive today as well?

 

Thanks much for this information. I just purchased an '07 MCS here in Germany (US Military) and am quite surprised that the BT package doesn't include a cell holder of your choice. I also purchased a Razr v3 last night on ebay just to be able to use this feature in my car since my old trusty Sony Ericcson K700i wasn't on the approved list. Oh well... I contacted Classic by email just now to see if they can post me the part you mentioned.

Rob

 

Yes, it came in the same package. And it included an owner's guide in English. I'm going to have to study it to figure everything out.

I'm thinking about adding the Sirius unit, too, since the only decent radio station here changed its format recently and I don't want to have to listen to the Ipod exclusively.