# My Brief DICE iPod Review



## hudathunk (Jan 16, 2005)

I installed a DICE iPod interface in my 325xi wagon recently. The installation itself was fairly non-eventful: I ran the provided cable from the CD changer up to under the glove box; I then ran the iPod cable into the glove box where I keep the iPod.
Soundwise, the interface sounds good. I haven't used the AUX in yet, but will, once this whole Sirius/XM thing settles down and I subscribe.
It's very convenient having access to iPod controls through BMW wheel and radio, but I find that it is very erratic: one day, I'll start my car, turn on head unit, system will INIT and I can proceed; other days, the playlist and song functions just won't work and I have to reset everything by diconnecting iPod, turning it off and starting over... a real pain. I haven't been able to discern ANY rhyme or reason for this. It behaves fairly erratically.
Two other things annoy me, also: the inability to view playlist names, which Tom says is an iPod issue, but more aggravatingly so...the way the Ipod resets to playlist #1 whenever car is shut off and you turn unit on again: it will resume playing at same point, but if you try to proceed to another playlist it will default to #1. I suppose this could be an iPod issue, but you'd think there'd be a workaround.
All in all, it's convenient and sounds good (relative to MP3's, that is), but there are some very annoying issues.

paul


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

hudathunk said:


> I installed a DICE iPod interface in my 325xi wagon recently. The installation itself was fairly non-eventful: I ran the provided cable from the CD changer up to under the glove box; I then ran the iPod cable into the glove box where I keep the iPod.
> Soundwise, the interface sounds good. I haven't used the AUX in yet, but will, once this whole Sirius/XM thing settles down and I subscribe.
> It's very convenient having access to iPod controls through BMW wheel and radio, but I find that it is very erratic: one day, I'll start my car, turn on head unit, system will INIT and I can proceed; other days, the playlist and song functions just won't work and I have to reset everything by diconnecting iPod, turning it off and starting over... a real pain. I haven't been able to discern ANY rhyme or reason for this. It behaves fairly erratically.
> Two other things annoy me, also: the inability to view playlist names, which Tom says is an iPod issue, but more aggravatingly so...the way the Ipod resets to playlist #1 whenever car is shut off and you turn unit on again: it will resume playing at same point, but if you try to proceed to another playlist it will default to #1. I suppose this could be an iPod issue, but you'd think there'd be a workaround.
> ...


If the iPod is disconnected or goes into "hibernation" mode it will not retain any "bookmarks" that were set before using the system. The iPod does not allow Playlist and Album listing while the iPod is unlocked - this is the the primary focus of the DICE kit so iPod Clickwheel operation is retained.

Make sure your iPod's firmware is up to date and that the DIP switches remain in the OFF position as well.


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## Mark_325i (May 1, 2003)

My experience has been similar. My original Icelink went bad (started to discharge the car's battery) so I purchased a DICE from Tom at EAS. The install is simple, but I have not gotten it to work, though I believe that I have a defective unit. But, when it did work, I found that it was far less intuitive to use than the Icelink. The Icelink was simple -- buttons 1-5 were for playlists 1-5, and button 6 was for interface housekeeping. DICE makes you push several buttons to move around and do the same thing. Granted, I have am not able to give a completely fair review because I am still waiting for my replacement DICE, but it seems like the Icelink had a simpler interface.


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## hudathunk (Jan 16, 2005)

I have just found that the whole thing is "dicey"....I'm never sure if it will init correctly. Sometimes the controls don't work at all, so I have to disconnect iPod and manually turn it off, then start again. Sort of defeats a great deal of the purpose as far as I am concerned.

paul


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

hudathunk said:


> I have just found that the whole thing is "dicey"....I'm never sure if it will init correctly. Sometimes the controls don't work at all, so I have to disconnect iPod and manually turn it off, then start again. Sort of defeats a great deal of the purpose as far as I am concerned.
> 
> paul


Are you referring to the controls on the iPod or the BMW? The controls should be working *every* time.


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## hudathunk (Jan 16, 2005)

The controls on my HU. I never touch the iPod unless I have to retrieve it from glove box, manually turn it off and unplug DICE connector to reinit.


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## pazul (Mar 3, 2007)

*My iPod/DICE experience confirms this...*

Another Paul here --

My report is similar to yours, with all of the same symptoms & remedies, and the inconsistent pesky ins and outs. I'll get text display, no text display, works OK, then not, then everything works but the album and/or song advance won't work.

Sometimes I'll start the car and it will pick up perfectly where it left off. Other times, not at all -- I must restart the iPod and/or reprogram the system. It seems to run generally well about 50% of the time I'm using it. I just restart, same as you, and re-initialize.

I agree it's very DICE-y, however on the plus side the sound is digital, and I must admit it still beats swapping CDs in & out of a CD cassette.

If i discover any best practices in the coming months, I'll surely post them.


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

hudathunk said:


> The controls on my HU. I never touch the iPod unless I have to retrieve it from glove box, manually turn it off and unplug DICE connector to reinit.





pazul said:


> Another Paul here --
> 
> My report is similar to yours, with all of the same symptoms & remedies, and the inconsistent pesky ins and outs. I'll get text display, no text display, works OK, then not, then everything works but the album and/or song advance won't work.
> 
> ...


Both questions replied to in DICE Q/A thread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2276921&posted=1#post2276921


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## Na Na (Nov 10, 2006)

You know, I have the same issues and a few more! 
1. Anyone have the intermittent background clicking noise? 
2. How about the inability to adjust the stereo settings (bass, treble, etc.) while using the DICE?
3. Occasional difficulty advancing to the next song (via the steering wheel or the stereo controls) instead it i just keeps going back to the beginning of the undesired song, over and over. The only fix is to use the Ipod to move it forward.
4. I can't seem to navigate to various playlists, by using anything other than the iPod.​
Tom, when you mentioned that it will not do it when the Ipod is unlocked, were you suggesting that if the Ipod were locked, the issues would be resolved?

Also, is there a sticky/post/tutorial/other narrative that would address these operational issues?

Imperfect as it is, the sound is still great and the ease of using my 30 or 60g instead of CDs and cases etc. still makes it worth it.

Thanks.


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## hudathunk (Jan 16, 2005)

...I did browse that thread and saw some talk about a solution, but I missed an actual one. Perhaps you can excerpt the relevant "fix" if there is one?


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

Na Na said:


> You know, I have the same issues and a few more!
> 1. Anyone have the intermittent background clicking noise?
> 2. How about the inability to adjust the stereo settings (bass, treble, etc.) while using the DICE?
> 3. Occasional difficulty advancing to the next song (via the steering wheel or the stereo controls) instead it i just keeps going back to the beginning of the undesired song, over and over. The only fix is to use the Ipod to move it forward.
> ...


Answered in DICE Q/A thread: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2277502&posted=1#post2277502


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## hudathunk (Jan 16, 2005)

Perhaps I am oblivious, but I don't see a resolution to my problem in either of those posts.

paul


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

hudathunk said:


> Perhaps I am oblivious, but I don't see a resolution to my problem in either of those posts.
> 
> paul


Please respond to post #775 in the other thread so we can continue troubleshooting and two separate threads are not continued.


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## pazul (Mar 3, 2007)

Here is a reply to Tom's post (#775) -- same info is posted here ONLY for reference -- (please post replies to the other thread as indicated):

I'm happy to report that after some careful testing, I've found a few "best practices" in using the DICE product with my iPod (30g with video). Hopefully this will help others experiencing random quirks and so forth. 

I should say first that I did the install exactly as specified in the instructions from DICE, with battery disconnected. No problems there. Also, I elected to leave my iPod connected in the trunk instead of routing into the car interior (I don't want to be tempted to fiddle with the iPod interface while driving -- this forces me to manually advance through the list of albums, but I prefer that to the potential danger factor).

In terms of best practice, here's what I've found:

1) 
By far the *best* practice seems to be shutting off the stereo dash unit before shutting off the car -- and switching it on manually for use after I start the car -- each and every time. Hitting the on/off button in this way seems to allow the iPod/DICE unit to remember a) where it last left off in the play routine, and b) the program settings: button 1 continues to advance songs; button 3 advances albums, and the text display for songs (not albums) continues to work perfectly. I've done the radio off/on routine for about a week now, and I've had virutally no problems. It took me only a short while to get into the habit of doing this. I usually get an INIT sequence indicator first, then it's situation normal within a minute, or less.

*Note* that I am not shutting off the iPod manually when I switch off the car ignition; I leave the unit in the trunk, and I assume the iPod shuts itself off by going to sleep. If I *do* for some reason disconnect the iPod, I think I have found that it will go through a longer INIT sequence on powering up the in-dash stereo unit; I think after that, I've been resetting the display program (button 6, then 4) for text display to resume.

2) 
The only other finding I can relate is that all of the above is true if the car sits for a few hours. If the car is parked overnight (say, 10 hours or more), I often find that the iPod will start with Album 1, Track 1, instead of where play last stopped. All else (program settings and button functions) seem to work fine, however. So, not a big deal.

So, I'm basically enjoying the unit, steering wheel controls and in-dash display now, with (so far) consistent results. 

Hope that helps some users.

Paul


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

pazul said:


> Here is a reply to Tom's post (#775) -- same info is posted here ONLY for reference -- (please post replies to the other thread as indicated):
> 
> I'm happy to report that after some careful testing, I've found a few "best practices" in using the DICE product with my iPod (30g with video). Hopefully this will help others experiencing random quirks and so forth.
> 
> ...


You're 100***37; correct.

This only happens on 99-01 Blaupunkt manufactured radios, later models do not have this issue and will pause the iPod when the source is changed or when the vehicle is shut down. If you have one of the earlier Blaupunkt units - change sources (AM/FM/CD player) or turn off the radio before turning the vehicle off to give the iPod the "kill" signal.



pazul said:


> 2)
> The only other finding I can relate is that all of the above is true if the car sits for a few hours. If the car is parked overnight (say, 10 hours or more), I often find that the iPod will start with Album 1, Track 1, instead of where play last stopped. All else (program settings and button functions) seem to work fine, however. So, not a big deal.


The iPod is going into Hibernation mode and them cutting off communication from the dock connector. When this happens, all "bookmarks" are lost and the iPod will start from the beginning.

Thanks for the feedback! :thumbup:


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## Roly (Mar 9, 2007)

After 2 months of never getting it to work, I uninstalled mine and sold it on eBay for a $50 loss. Don't waste your time with DICE. It's a crap product.


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## tom @ eas (May 5, 2004)

Roly said:


> After 2 months of never getting it to work, I uninstalled mine and sold it on eBay for a $50 loss. Don't waste your time with DICE. It's a crap product.


Interesting, your eBay ad doesn't seem to make a mention of this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160113482242

If you are not happy with the product, that's fine. There's no need to bump month-old threads because of it.


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