David,
I installed mine in my very late '08 Cabrio this weekend, and it works fine. No special steps were needed.

I put the DICE box above the driver's knee bolster, ran the cable to the ipod over the HU and out the screw hole on the glove box's left side. I had to remove the glove box to do it, but its only five screws. I considered drilling through the side of the glove box, but it just wasn't necessary.

Fiddling with the new toy, I did manage to get the text display stuck on one song's title. I did the disk 6, track 99 thing, let it sit for an hour with the car off, and that got it working.

Brian

 

Tom: Thanks for the info I will try what you suggested tonight and hopefully resolve the problem. I will let you know.

 

Thanks Brian. I'm going to try something Tom suggested, and then I try what you did as well. I want to put my Ipod in the glovebox, and so I might try what you did. When I pull out the glovebox where do feed the cable through? Is the screw hole big enough for the cable to go through or did you have to make it larger? I presume you leave that screw out (so you only put 4 screws back in when you reinstall the glovebox?)

 

Tom: I reset the DIP switches to "OFF" for all. I disconnected the battery and touched the leads together. Left it off for at least 15 minutes and then reconnected battery, negative last.

At first, the ipod seemed to play ok, but I got no text display other than the TR#. I played around with Disc 5 per the booklet, and when I went to track 98 or 99 I lost all sound from the Ipod. I tried rebooting the Ipod, but no luck. So, now I have no text and no sound. What do you suggest I try?

By the way, I just realized I have an Ipod Classic 120GB. Maybe this Ipod is not compatible with the Dice?

Thanks for your help.

Dave

 

Ok, I went back out to look again at my Dice and HU. I now have sound, but still no display except the track#. So, I guess I'm right back where I started earlier tonight. Let me know what to do Tom.

Thanks

 

I believe we spoke on the phone this morning, let's troubleshoot while you are at your MINI.

 

First off, Tom, thanks for trying to help me last night via phone troubleshooting. I do appreciate your time.

As you suggested, I tried a friend's Ipod this morning and it acted exactly the same. No text. I was able to change tracks, but got stuck in the first couple of "albums" on the Ipod, just like it does with my Ipod. So, like you said, I probably have a defective Dice kit. I guess I need to send it back to you. Please let me know what to do for returning it. It is 9:30 a.m. eastern, so I know you will not be in for a few hours, but I will call you later on for directions.

Once again, I appreciate your efforts and thank you for your continued assistance.

 

Are there any advantages or differences between the Dice Silverline trunk interface kit and the radio interface kit?

 

The Trunk interface version of the DICE kit allows you to make the necessary connections at the CD Changer cables in the trunk area, and allows 15 feet of cable length to allow placement of your iPod anywhere in the vehicle you like.

The Radio interface version of the DICE kit is a favorite among professional installers. This kit allows a direct connection directly at the radio, eliminating a long cable from the CD changer connectors in the trunk. This also provide a shorter cable route, reducing the possibility of engine noise. The Radio interface kit is also choice for euro models that do not have CD Changer prewiring.

Most MINI owners prefer the Radio interface kits due to ease of installation.

 

Just finished up on the phone, for some odd reason - you have a SV40 which is not text capable. This is the first time I've seen this on a post MY05 MINI.

I would recommend giving MINI a call as you should be SV50 or higher.

 

Sorry for the delay in replying. It's on and wakes up and has the Dice display showing upon connection. I've tried it with 3 different Ipods. Same issue with each. Everything works as advertised just no display on the radio.

 

Perform the following steps for me:

1. Turn Radio Off.
2. Turn Radio On.
3. Press and hold the "m" button for about 10 seconds.
4. Press < or > to navigate, you will need to go to the 2nd screen to look for the SW Verison which is in a SV xx-xx xx format.

I will need the numbers following SV, then simply turn the radio off to exit.

 

First off, my thanks to Tom for trying to help.

Like I said, I've got no text. I have an 08 Cabrio which I bought new (it was an executive demo, but I am first registered owner of the vehicle). Tom helped me scroll through the serial number and software for my HU. Evidently, my HU shows a date in 2008 (when it was either installed or built, I'm not sure which it signifies), but show that it has 2004 software (firmware?). So, I guess I kind of got shafted by Mini with an older HU or at least a new one with old software. And, like Tom said to me on the phone, I can complain to Mini, but in reality, they are probably not going to agree to replace my HU just because it is not compatable with aftermarket components like the Dice. I almost think it's not worth the effort to complain to Mini.

Anyway, I have two questions:

1. Does anyone know if I can get updated firmware online anywhere and load it into my HU to bring it up to date (by the way, Tom says firmware after 1/2005 supports text); and,

2. If not, does anyone possibly want to trade my H/K factory HU for a factory HU (H/K or otherwise) that has Jan 2005 or newer firmware? I'd prefer to stay with H/K, so maybe someone went aftermarket and they want to do a trade (and I'd pay some cash too if the deal was right) for an H/K that supports text from my Ipod through the Dice?

I just want to use my Ipod, and now I have the Dice kit and I'd like to keep it if I can make it work properly.

Thanks everyone!

 

I'm not aware of any BMW/MINI dealer that has the capabilities to upgrade a radio's SV.

 

Thanks Tom
It is SV 19-06-53

 

Your radio is compatible for text, were the DIP switches on the module moved from the UP UP UP UP positions at all?

 

Tom: I spoke to you today on the phone. It's weird because I switched my DIP switches to ON OFF ON ON, and then I disconnected the battery and followed the procedure you outlined, leaving battery disconnected for 15 minutes, etc. Anyway, when I first reconnected the battery my radio (on the CDC setting) displayed the following "Artist" and then "playlist". I did not get any other text other than track numbers (by the way, I don't know if this means anything, but when I have the radio on I get the RDS text with song names and artist names). I am convinced that the Dice should work properly. Does any of this make you believe it should work, or is this just wishful thinking?

By the way, if anyone else has any thoughts, please let me know.

Thanks,

 

Your switches need to be in the UP UP UP UP positions. Can you correct this and try again?

 

I don't remember making any changes from the recommended settings but it's worth a look. I'll have to go dig it out anyway, I just bought the new cable for later USB charged Ipods and need to install it. The Silverline is Velcro mounted behind the A/C controls in the area under the head unit. Would switch settings explain the fact that it works and displays perfectly then stops displaying a few days after going through the reset procedure? I have limited time right now to test. Its been a better part of a year fooling around with it. Should I just consider buying a new one?

 

Installed my dice in my '06 MCSC. I got the one that plugs into the back of the head unit. Easy install. 2 things are weird though - I can access the playlist correctly and the correct song data appears on the HU, but I cannot stop it from playing only in random order. The other thing is that the tone and other sound controls are not accessible when in the CDC mode. Works in any other mode. No biggie on the sound control thing but, the constant random order is really annoying. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Paul

 

Do you have your receipt with purchase date? I would hate for you to purchase a replacement if you were still under warranty.

 

Is SHUFFLE enabled on your iPod?

 

I did it today Tom. I put all switches to UP and did the battery disconnect, etc., and guess what? IT WORKS!!! I now have text on my HU!! So, the software must be okay, even though you had said it was for some reason 2004 software in my 08 stereo. I am so glad I didn't give up, because I came really close to doing just that.

I do have a question though. Should the text scroll or just stay stable?What I mean is, it will give me the artist name like Dave Matth*, but not scroll the full name. When I first got it working today I think it was scrolling the whole name of artist and song. Now it does what I just said, part of the name with a star showing there is more, but no scrolling. I can live with it the way it is (heck, I figured I was going to get no text, so I'm stoked with what I've got!), but if it's a quick fix to get it to scroll I'd like to try. What do you think Tom?

Thanks again for your help. I'm so friggin happy to have this thing working right!!

 

It didn't made since since your build date was compatible on your radio's firmware. Let's perform a battery reset to be 100% sure:

1. Disconnect iPod from cable
2. Remove battery cables, negative first
3. Touch battery cable terminals together (away from battery) for +5 seconds, a small spark is normal as this is stored power draining from the system.
4. Allow cables to remain disconnected for about 5-7 minutes
5. Reconnect battery cables onto battery, negative last.
6. Reboot iPod by pressing on MENU and CENTER buttons for +5 seconds and then reconnecting to the DICE cable after the reboot process is completed.

Let me know if these steps correct the scrolling problem.

 

My car was recently in for service and the battery was disconnected for an extended period of time. Simultaniously, I bought a brand new Ipod Classic 160

Now that I have my car back.. I cant seem to get the DICE to work correctly. The AUX on the Dice controller is hooked up to the audio out of my portable sirius device, and the ipod cable is also hooked up.

The AUX doesn't appear anymore when I change inputs. And the Ipod Classic is difficult to control.

About the Ipod. When I connect it to the DICE, I get the Connected visual on the ipod and I lose all physical control of it. I can't change any settings or select songs. Even if i select a song and then connect it to the dice, it stops playing that song.. and starts playing the beatles! The beatles isnt the first track on my ipod and it isnt a playlist either.. it just seems to like the beatles. Dunno why.

If i connect it to the DICE and then reboot the IPOD, i regain control. BUT, if I turn off the car.. when I return, I lose control again. And have to restart the process again. This is reall annoying as I listen to books on tape(ipod) while driving.. and I lose my place everytime. And have to go thru the reboot, selecting, artist, track.. process again.

Is this a problem with the Classic 160? My previous ipod 5.5 didnt have thi problem.

I also dont have track info on screen half the time either!

Whats up?