It took me about 1/2 hour to install the DICE in my 05 MCS. There is about two inches of cable exposed at the bottom of the panel in the boot behind where you connect the cable. There is about two inches of cable exposed between the bottom of the rear seat and the rubber gasket around the right hand door. I ran the cable on the inside of the rubber gasket, all the way to the dash. There is a small panel at the left side of the glove compartment that will pop out, and I ran the cable into the glove compartment. It is a neat, and quick installation. The cable is not threatened by the operation of the door, and is protected from any abrasion.
The system works without any problems (installed about 2 weeks), though I have not explored all of the functions yet.

 

good idea on the glove box. I have mine routed so that the brain is under the passenger seat, and the whip comes around the inside console on the ppassenger side witht he opid in the rear cup holder. I like the glove box solution so it isn't visible, though. I think I might copy you there.

It does wig out occasionally. I haven't yet figured out the rhyme or reason about WHAT it plays if I've taken the ipod out and put it back again. I usually have to unplug and replug it and it's fine. Still a dream though

 

The problem with the glove box solution, though, is if you want to control the iPod directly. I currently use my iPod through the dealer-installed aux port that is in my glove box. The glove box is OK for hiding things but it makes it a bit of a pain if you want to change songs or anything. Especially in a case like mine where my passenger (wife) wants to play DJ the whole time we're driving. It means having the door to the glove box hanging open.

I'm hoping to get a DICE or possibly do a stealth install of the BELKIN auto kit where I'll have the docking connector come out somewhere by the downtubes or between the seats.

 

It's actually no problem at all. The nice thing about the Dice box is that you can control it directly from the stereo (for wife) or from the MFSW controls (you). There is no need to fish it out of the glove box to control it.

Has anyone got the playlists to display using the new Dice unit and CD2 mode? This may be the deal breaker for me to stick with the old ice-link; I've typically have >20 playlists that are changed weekly and it would suck to go through them 1 by 1 until I've found the playlist I'm looking for.

 

sorry, I still don't believe playlists display by name... just number...

 

Got my replacement unit Friday and installed it yesterday. It seems to have solved the dropping out problem and has reduced (but not eliminated) the alternator whine or ground loop feedback in the Sirius pass-thru installation I have. It is low enough that I really don't notice it. However the replacement module introduced a new problem. It now screws up the first 1-2 letters of the Album name when using either my 4th gen U2 ipod, or my 5th gen ipod video. AC/DC's Back in Black becomes "@cck in Black" and Dave Mathews' Crash displays as "Arash." I'll be calling tech support again today. <shrug>

 

Isn't there yet a way to get this to integrate with the NAV? I cannot believe they are making us NAV users wait so long while the trial and error keeps going on... Just get it working!!!

 

No luck solving the Album name text issue. It seems to only scramble a few letters but always in the album name and not Artist or Song Title. I disconnected and reconnected it and even pulled the battery cable at their suggestion with no change for either iPod.

I also realized something else changed with the replacement module. With the original module if I tuned on the H/U with the key off (20 minute function) and selected the CDC I got the ID3 tags on the radio display. With this (replacement) version of the module I only get text display if the key is in and turned to at least position #1.

 

My original unit didn't display tags with the key off. (I think I posted about it earlier in the thread). I don't think I've tried it on the replacement unit yet, though.

 

I talked to Dension today - Zoltan's suggestion was to try 6-2, 6-3 etc. to solve the album title text problem. Since I don't have NAV mine won't display text on setting other than 6-1. I'm convinced I have a wonky replacement module because it happens with two different iPods and if I swap the original module back in the text function works just fine in 6-1 on the headunit. But its a matter of convincing their tech support.

I also found out they have officially discontinued the IceLink+ and are only selling the DICE. If in warranty and they have problems, the IceLink+ devices are being replaced with DICE modules and cables.

 

FWIW, the cables are the same between the ice-link and the DICE module. Wonder if the ground pin is still in the wrong place for the new DICE cable though? (causes electrical whine; see previous posts in this thread for details).

 

Just a follow-up to previous question.

I received my DICE unit today (I-BMW-T). Took about 3 minutes to hook-up and verify its operation. I haven't yet placed the harness in its final spot. It's just looped up through the seats for now.

Installation was SOOOOO easy. But I wanted to verify one point. It appears that the text support for the MINI started with the 2005 Cooper? I have a 2004 with no NAV, so it looks like I don't get text display (DOH!). Can anyone verify that?

Either way, I'm going out to test out the unit.

Thanks.

-vector

 

Went out for a 20 minute drive. No glitches or drop outs or switch-overs to FM. But I did discover 2 things:

1) When I max out the volume of the iPod connected to the H/U, the speaker sound level is only about 60%-70% of what a CD would be. I have the EQ set to NONE on the iPod. Has anybody else noticed this? Just seems like the music off of the iPod doesn't get as loud.

2) I noticed the "dit-dit-dit" interference from the speakers when the iPod was searching for a playlist, but not during the songs. There were a few songs that have VERY quiet periods in them, and I had the volume up high, but there appeared to be no interference during the song, just while the iPod was searching.

Other than that, everything was fine. Except now I really need to arrange my songs in appropriate playlists so that I can listen to them.

 

The DICE overrides ipod volume. What am I missing here? It acts as a line out...

 

Ooops. Maybe I wasn't so clear. When I'm listening to the iPod through the DICE unit, I turn up the volume to via the MFSW or H/U. After a certain point, the music doesn't get any louder. But the volume level at that point is only 60%-70% of what the CD player or radio would be.

 

The ground wire on my DICE cable did not line up with the BMW SAT (pass-thru) cable so I had to move it like on the the IceLink+ cables. Since the six pin connector on the SAT cable only uses three wires and the ground didn't line up I had to modify the DICE cable to match up. That reduced but did not eliminate the whine although now I only hear it during quiet periods and only when ramping up through 3K+ rpm. This seems to be a function of passing through the OEM Sirius tuner becasue if I disconnect the Sirius tuner and go direct to the DICE cable the whine goes away. I haven't tried this bypass to see if it solves the text issue yet.

I can't confirm the IceLink+ cable is the same. DICE/Dension told me yesterday that the headunit connect cable for my wife's IceLink+ would not work if I replaced it with a DICE module and that I would need a rear CDC connection cable to replace it.

 

Vector... you have your ipod connected via the docking cable, correct? Not an auxialiary cable? I haven't heard this before. Mine is as loud as you could want, with far less (read, none empirically obvious) drop off than with auxiliary analog connection. You can tell the difference between lossy MP3 and the CDs on some albums, but that's a different issue...

 

Correct. Now, don't get me wrong, it get's loud. But my CDs are louder. Much louder. I'm wondering if the recording level of the CDs are higher. I have the latest firmware on the iPod that limits volume level if you want, but that isn't activated.

 

Hey thanks for all the info- I have been following the thread for some time (yes lurking but nothing to contribute until now).

I just pulled the trigger on the new unit (BMW-T) and am looking forward to it. I have an 06 with NAV, and it looks like the jury's still out on integration? I will post info when I hook it up.

Again, thanks to the pioneers who slogged thru the first bug-filled versions. Now there are probably whole new bugs!

 

Another update. It turns out that the iPod/DICE setup gets as loud as the radio, but the CD is much louder. I thought the radio was louder as well, but that turns out not to be the case. So maybe I have a faulty H/U. Seems like there is a volume limit on radio and DICE.

 

Uh-oh. I wish they'd get their story straight then. Zoltan told me on 7/5 that it used the same CD changer harness cable and iPod connection cable. Looks like I need to make another phone call...

 

They probably do use the same cable if it is the rear/boot connection. However, my wife's MCC used one of the rare head unit connections for her IceLink+ instead of the one that connects to the CDC connection in the boot. Not sure what the differences would be but I tried to hook up my original DICE unit (that they sent me a replacement for) and it was not recognized by the head unit.

 

I have another DICE unit on the way to replace her IceLink+ that decided the menus were no longer accessible. At least I'll have one more 'new' unit to test in my MCS to see if the text problem is a fluke and limited only to my (replacement) module as I suspect it is. I'm ready to be done with this and just enjoy the tunes. Out of the IceLink+, the Monster iCruze and the DICE unit I still feel the DICE is the best of the bunch.

 

How are those with OEM nav getting on with the DICE? I've been watching this thread in anticipation for some while now as I'd love to get my iPod linked up in my MINI, but I'd really like to get artist and title data on the stereo. Of course, the IceLink+ cannot do this with nav, and it would seem that Dension have stopped developing any new firmware for it too.

 

Wish I could tell you.
I'll let you know as soon as mine comes in...