# Which DICE for new iPhone 3G?



## ATL 330i (Dec 21, 2001)

Hi,

I have a DICE unit from February 2006 timeframe or so. Unsure of the exact model, but I do know it's not an HD unit.

Has worked fine for my iPod Video (5th gen) and using the feature to bypass the "attachment" setting, I'm able to use on my Touch too. However, I just upgraded to a new iPhone 3G, and while audio works fine, it's not charging the iPhone.

Is the Silverline capable of charging the iPhone 3G? If so, I have a concern as to how it would work with regard to podcasts and video podcasts. Those are what I listen to the most, and with some workarounds, I successfully could do so with my Touch.

Is there still a way to get control of the iPhone itself, or does all navigation need to take place via the head unit or steering wheel (2003 E46 330i here)? The other option for me is to install a line in cable and use an accessory charger for the iPhone. I seldom use the controls on the steering wheel as-is.

So, would the Silverline take care of my iPhone 3G charging, allow navigation of podcasts, and pick up where I left off on podcasts if I unplug the phone (right now I have to nav to a regular playlist n order not to lose my place in a partially played podcast).

Thanks!


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

ATL 330i said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have a DICE unit from February 2006 timeframe or so. Unsure of the exact model, but I do know it's not an HD unit.
> 
> ...


I've heard of the charging issue but have not had a chance to test with the new 3G iPhone since it was only released a couple of days ago. We will be testing soon to see if this is an iPhone or DICE specific issue.


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## britm3 (Nov 6, 2006)

I believe the charging issue is related to the charging protocol that the Iphone 3G expects, USB vs. firewire. The dice most likely is using the firewire protocol for charging, the Iphone 3G no longer accepts this, it has to be USB specific charging - otherwise you get that charging not enabled notice.


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

britm3 said:


> I believe the charging issue is related to the charging protocol that the Iphone 3G expects, USB vs. firewire. The dice most likely is using the firewire protocol for charging, the Iphone 3G no longer accepts this, it has to be USB specific charging - otherwise you get that charging not enabled notice.


That's exactly it. The DICE will maintain the charge, but not deliver charging power.


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## ATL 330i (Dec 21, 2001)

If the 3G does use firewire charging at all, how does the DICE maintain the charge? I guess the second question is, any idea if newer DICE units will support both IEEE1394/USB for charging? Short term is I'll install a line-in cable to the DICE and charge from the accessory socket.

Thanks for the clarification!


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## ATL 330i (Dec 21, 2001)

Here's a good thread over at Apple on others complaining about the change:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1597845&tstart=0

May make sense to update any product sheets to reflect the changes Apple made. Unsure why they took away the ability to charge via firewire but did leave in sensors to notify when power is present on the firewire pins.

The ?good? news is that this affects numerous vehicles and 3rd party docks/players.


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## link01 (Sep 5, 2006)

Tom, Will dice be supplying a new cable? I just got a 3g myself and would love to be able to charge this battery draining phone while driving.


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

link01 said:


> Tom, Will dice be supplying a new cable? I just got a 3g myself and would love to be able to charge this battery draining phone while driving.


New cables are about a month away.


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

tom @ eas said:


> New cables are about a month away.


Technically, shouldn't the fix involve a new DICE unit and not new cables? From what I understand, the iPhone 3G no longer supports firewire charging (12V). The earlier generations of iPods allowed both firewire (12V) and USB (5V) charging, but car kit manufacturers preferred to use firewire because it was convenient to use the 12V that readily comes out of the car battery.

How would changing the cables fix the problem? (unless the DICE can be reprogrammed to put out 5V on the USB charging pins of the iPod/iPhone cable)

Tom, correct me if i'm wrong


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

On another note, here's something i found out yesterday, that some iPhone 3G users might find useful.

I habitually listen to high quality online radio, and with the iPhone 3G, i can now stream it on the move. I plugged in my 3G to an older DICE unit, in the mode where the iPhone controls were unlocked, and was able to listen to clear CD quality online radio in my car via the DICE. Hopefully, this functionality will continue to exist with the new version of the DICE that will support USB charging.

Anyway, I thought this was way cool :thumbup:


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

Ernö said:


> Technically, shouldn't the fix involve a new DICE unit and not new cables? From what I understand, the iPhone 3G no longer supports firewire charging (12V). The earlier generations of iPods allowed both firewire (12V) and USB (5V) charging, but car kit manufacturers preferred to use firewire because it was convenient to use the 12V that readily comes out of the car battery.
> 
> How would changing the cables fix the problem? (unless the DICE can be reprogrammed to put out 5V on the USB charging pins of the iPod/iPhone cable)
> 
> Tom, correct me if i'm wrong


According to DICE, only the docking cable will be changed.


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

Oh, and do indulge me for one last post 

*Tom: *This is a feature request for the new DICE, should one be in the design stage.

The current DICE models allow you to browse artists on your iPod, but not genres. This is a huge problem if you have more than a few artists on your iPod. For example, I have music from about a 100 artists on my iPod, and switching artists with steering controls while driving is a huge pain, specially if you have to get to an artist with the letter M (roughly midway through the alphabet, so scrolling A->Z and Z->A both take equally long).

Compare this with my experience when i'm using my iPod controls (while not driving). The 100 or so artists are evenly spread across about 10 genres, so all I need to do to get to an artist is choose the genre first, and then I have to scroll through no more than 5 or 6 artists to get to the one I want.

In this case, that's reducing 50 clicks (on average) to 6 clicks (on average) to pick an artist.

Tom, any idea if it's possible for the new DICE to support navigation like "Genre->Artist->Album->Song" in addition to the existing "Artist->Album->Song"?

Thanks.


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

tom @ eas said:


> According to DICE, only the docking cable will be changed.


Interesting. That probably means the existing DICE is already capable of putting out a 5V signal to charge the iPod. Wonder why they didn't support USB charging in the first place. :dunno:

Would you happen to know if the new cable will work with older Ice>Link kits and charge the iPhone 3G?

Thanks Tom, for being so prompt with responses, and for forwarding on our feedback to the DICE folks. :thumbup:


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

Ernö said:


> Interesting. That probably means the existing DICE is already capable of putting out a 5V signal to charge the iPod. Wonder why they didn't support USB charging in the first place. :dunno:
> 
> Would you happen to know if the new cable will work with older Ice>Link kits and charge the iPhone 3G?
> 
> Thanks Tom, for being so prompt with responses, and for forwarding on our feedback to the DICE folks. :thumbup:


No idea on the ILP, as it's been discontinued for over 4 years in the states. As per your feature recommendations, I'll pass it along to the techs at our next meeting.


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

tom @ eas said:


> No idea on the ILP, as it's been discontinued for over 4 years in the states.


I have an ice>link plus in my car that I still love, so maybe I'll get down to testing it for you 



tom @ eas said:


> As per your feature recommendations, I'll pass it along to the techs at our next meeting.


You the man. Fingers crossed. :thumbup:


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## link01 (Sep 5, 2006)

Any update on this new cord?


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

link01 said:


> Any update on this new cord?


Yes, DICE is working 3G specific docking cables - we have an ETA of Dec at this time (possibly sooner).


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## zerock (Jun 29, 2006)

I can confirm that it is said here that the DICE can maintain the charge, just not charge. Well it doesn't hold the charge for me, or maybe i'm doing something wrong.


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## Ernö (Aug 26, 2005)

tom @ eas said:


> Yes, DICE is working 3G specific docking cables - we have an ETA of Dec at this time (possibly sooner).


Any news on this Tom?


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

Ernö said:


> Any news on this Tom?


Shipping as of mid-December:

*DICE iPod Dock Connector Cable w/ USB Charging*
http://www.europeanautosource.com/product_info.php?products_id=232


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