My E36 cabrio diary, heated seats, lumbar, DICE mediabride, sat nav install

[Joylove]

See sig for nav, heated and lumbar threads.

Part 1: Headunit.


So I began my ICE install. I wanted to fit the CD43 and also the DICE mediabride MB1500. This little device supports iPods/iPhones, USB and Bluetooth audio.

I didn't want to get a BMW labeled CD43 as they are twice the price of the Rover version, so I simply used a gentle 1500 grit sandpaper to remove the paint on the Rover logo.

Take care when buying, some Freelander and MG ZS shipped with green backlighting, which means changing all the LEDs to amber.

I think the previous owner of this radio lived entirely on drive through burgers, becuase the buttons were so greased up that they were getting stuck down, and the M button was completely seized.

I stripped down the radio by removing the top and bottom metal covers and gently unclipped the for clips holding the faceplate. Then on the underside of the display I used a nail to lift the lock and unplug the ribbon connector.


I dismantled the faceplate



Remove the buttons with a jeweler's screwdriver or a pick.


and cleaned the grease from the buttons. The << M >> button is extremely fragile when you get it apart.


After gently sanding the face for what seemed like forever, the paint came off.

The Rover logo is actually embossed in the plastic, and with the harsh flash of the camera, it still can be seen.

In natural light the whole area looks more uniform.

After reassembly

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On to the DICE mediabridge.
I bought two of these back from the USA when I was there last. The other one is for sale and unopened and I ship to Europe [PM me].
First I removed the CD changer from the car and put it in the spare room. I now have my boot [trunk] space back!
I didn't want to have to faff around trying to solder to the factory loom hanging out of the dash so I got a SOT-060 from eBay, and I had some loose cut wires from an E46 CD changer harness. You can buy a short CDC harness from BMW also, the part number is 65128364756, $38
I got the cut CDC lead and added some pins from farnell, PN 1330227

I got permanent live, iBus and GND from the SOT-060. You will need the little blue fork to hold the 10 pin connector in the 17 pin connector, BMW PN 61131390431

This is the DICE kit




A quick test

And after wrapping with fabric tape the loom is done

Pairing with BT


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvLdeUwJQWA"]Video of the Mediabridge.[/ame]

It'll be a while before I install this as I need to build a cradle for the phone and test out how the nav audio will work when I am using the system.

I will probably use the Google Navigation in the phone and it may conflict with the A2DP support in the Mediabridge.

Next out to the car, remove the old radio by unscrewing the hex bolts. Do not remove them, just undo until it comes lose.



Here are the locks you are unscrewing.



Lift the radio latch until it releases, removed the antenna connector and withdraw the old radio.



Running the new cable for the CD changer through to the glovebox area.


And tuck the new harness in. There is not a lot of space back there, so I made sure the new cable would not get in the way of sliding back the radio by tucking it down and behind.


Quick functional test, check all four speakers are working, wiggle the harness to check for bad connections.


And slide back, tighten the allen screws.

[MParallel]

Nice work.

I'm missing the part of the home made wire loom. Why did you need that? The Dice should hook up straight to the CD Changer connector. At least the one on the back of the radio.

[Joylove]

Wow, I subscribed to this post and didn't see your reply.

I needed a custom harness because the DICE hooks up to E46/E39 post 2001 CDC connections - that is a 3 pin power/GND/Ibus and a 6 pin square audio. Mine was an early boot changer version - I believe they do a radio version of the Mediabridge now that as you say plugs directly into the back of the headunit. I could also have bought the 0.5m audio cable from BMW for nav equipped E46's, and just tapped the power, GND and iBus.

The cable is a little too long - the 5M coiled audio cable picks up noise from the power cable. I am tempted to see how much they want for the radio cable.

I velcro'd my unit under the sunglasses tray, accessing the upgrade cable just requires popping of the shift boot.


The Mic is fitted to the steering wheel cowl. It just peeks over the ///M3 wheel, it's a little more visible with the sport wheel.




.
Ther is a problem at the moment though. The DICE goes to sleep after about 30 minutes, like any iBus device should when in an E49/E39/X5. However it doesn't wake back up again, unless you unplug the power and replug it.

I contacted DICE support, supplied them some iBus logs, Please see the link in post 4

[Joylove]

Others also having problems with MB-1500 and E36 here.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1521245

[Joylove]

[MParallel]

...I assume the E36 iBus is so limited that the message the DICE is looking for about "time to wake up" (GLO->LOC: IGN ON or similar) never gets sent. ..

There is no real iBus in the E36 really, only the CDC would have some signal generator.
Of course with my multifunction steering wheel, I have the button ibus signals as well.

I have a Dension Gateway and I never have problems with it not waking up. Well V2 at least. I originally had a V1, but this was a very troublesome design. Ground loop noise, never woke up, also had to plug it out and back in, sometimes numerous times. It would even stay a sleep when just switching to radio news report for 5 minutes and then back.
Luckely Dension knew about them and offered a free trade to V2. I'm very pleased with it as all the problems V1 had were all solved.

It isn't connected to ibus at all, so the radio doesn't even look for a "wake up" signal.

[Joylove]

Others also having problems with MB-1500 and E36 here.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1521245

DICE say this is resolved in FW 4086. Please read the thread in post 4, because this is not my experience. EDIT: Latest firmware now fixes the power on issue.

I also made this cable with some MQS parts from RS and a female Molex microfit for the DICE end because the 5M cable was noisy.

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/...ectors-t73387/



And moved the DICE into the space where the 5M cable was, with some hooky-side of velcro to hold it to the carpet.

[M3C]

How is bluetooth and other phone functions performing?

[Joylove]

I'm not a heavy phone user, but the times I've needed it its been fine. One thing that has impressed is that it connects automatically and reliably to the phone when it is in my pocket, which not a lot of Bluetooths do to android. A2DP is issue free also.

[JerCotter7]

My car didn't come with a CD changer. Looking it up I would need a 10 pin connector, a 6 and 3 pin connector on the other side? Or would it be possible to get the 10 pin connector and just solder it onto the wiring from the dice kit. So confused because the only 10 pins I could find on ebay are going to a round connector. Which is no good I presume?

I'd nearly pay someone to do it for me at this stage Good thing I didn't order the dice kit yet.

EDIT: Just ordered the connectors to make a loom like yours. Since I have a 10 pin connector on the back of the radio which wires need to be used I'm guessing I just need to use the pins numbered 1-6 and forget about the rest? And just put pin 1 of the radio to pin 1 of the CD changer connector? And then just use pin 7(i-us), 9(permanent positive) and pin 15(ground) on the radio main wiring harness?

[Joylove]

Here's the pinout.


You need GND, iBus and VBatt from the main connector and the CDC audio from the 10 pin jobby.

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Finally got my stereo finished, bar setting the gains etc after a shakedown.

I wanted to use some of the equipment I'd had in the spare room since at least 1999.

Not sure if I posted the speakers before but here it is.

Rears for my last but one car run from the headunit.






Fronts run from 1 Genesis amp.

Tweeters in the sail panels

Crossovers.

Passenger side.

Driver side.



A pair of Genesis B40 amps run the sub and the fronts.


Crossover I bought for the job. Runs from a diff balanced input.


Wiring. I have MF and HF going through the OEM connector. MF is currently unused but available for the future if the system changes. HU and Mediabridge are now star GNDed at the amps to reduce alternator whine.




And install with factory sub.


Would you bother to paint this black again?


I've put the sound deadening in wrong here I think. I'll sort it when I take it all out to twiddle the gains.

[fold]

I also made this cable with some MQS parts from RS and a female Molex microfit for the DICE end because the 5M cable was noisy.

You got noise from speakers while using DICE device ?
Cable length was the only problem?

[Joylove]

The issue was iBus noise coupling into the audio due to the lack of screening between them in the 5M DICE harness.

The harness I built is shown here.

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/...ell-rs-t73387/