DICE only half-working in '07 Prius Package 5

Hi there. I received a DICE kit for Christmas and attempted to install it in my '07 Prius. I got in behind the stereo and plugged in the cable (I'd taken note of the problem with having to push really hard on the plug, and I used the handle of my screwdriver to push the plug in until it was flush with the larger connector next to it - never heard it pop, but it was clear it wouldn't go in any further), and then I connected the DICE to it with the recommended DIP switch settings.

Now, when I turn the car on and plug my iPod into the DICE, the iPod goes through all of the initialization steps it's apparently supposed to (checkmark appears several times, then it ends up paused at the beginning of a song), but the stereo does not seem to recognize any sort of device connected to the port. There is no way for me to bring up a "CD Changer 2" or any other non-default device, and thus the DICE is completely unusable.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? I was exchanging messages with Vagabond, but he seems to have gone dark since the end of December. Anyone know what might have gone wrong, or how I could fix it? Or do I have a defective DICE unit or cable?

For reference, my car is a 2007 Prius Package 5 (with nav and upgraded stereo). The CD/AUX button freely switches between AUX and CD Changer 1, but cannot access any other devices. Also, if I go into the MFD diagnostics, I notice it shows "NCON" for an XM device. I do not know if this message appeared before I tried hooking up the DICE or not.

Thanks in advance.

 

I just called the DICE number directly and spoke with someone there, and they're going to send me a new unit - apparently this is a problem with the DICE itself and not likely my wiring. Should get the replacement unit soon, and I'll post an update when I've had a chance to install it.

Also, Vagabond apparently has had some family emergency or something along those lines, and was also attending the CES show. That may explain why he hasn't replied to anyone.

 

Update: I just received my replacement DICE unit last night and installed it today. The car saw it immediately in CDC and MP3 modes (does not see it at all in MD or SAT mode). Now I can listen to the iPod through the stereo without having to use the AUX port, and I CAN control the device via the steering wheel. Yay!

Unfortunately, it's still not working as advertised. First time turning it on in MP3 mode, the current disc indicator on the Audio screen flashed continuously, regardless of which disc was selected, and no title, folder or track info appeared at all. I could still control the iPod, though.

When I power-cycled the car, it showed "INIT" as the folder name and the name of the current track as the title. Tapping the FOLDER button on the MFD caused ALL folders to display as "INIT", and tapping "File" brought up a list of files, ALL of them listed as the name of the current song. Additionally, the title did not update when the iPod moved on to the next track, but on the following track, it then displayed the song it had just finished playing.

Playing Song 1, displayed Song 1
Playing Song 2, displayed Song 1
Playing Song 3, displayed Song 2

Also noticed this if I skipped tracks via the steering wheel. If I changed discs, all info disappeared and would not return until I power-cycled the car again.

Power-cycling the car a second time caused the folder name to display as "PAUSE" - otherwise the same symptoms as before. A third power-cycle brought up the folders as "ALBUM" (by now, I had switched it to Disc 3), and a fourth power cycle brought them up again as "PAUSE". Same song-switch symptoms as before.

My DIP switches are set as [Car] OFF, ON ... [iPod] OFF, OFF. According to the manual, this should be MP3 / DICE mode.

So, anyone have any ideas?

EDIT> Things I haven't tried yet:
* I don't have any playlists defined on the iPod at this time. Could try adding some.
* It's been a while since I've updated the iPod's firmware. Could try that too.
* My iPod is currently set to shuffle playlists. Does that mess things up?