DICE Prius iPod Integration Unit now works for the 2006!

Just to communicate something positive . . .

In my 2004, I had many buggy issues for the first week or so, but now it works fairly well. Every now and then, especially if the iPod was last playing a podcast, the DICE gets a little buggy. Overall, I am very happy with the unit. Given the discount I received as part of the group buy here at PriusChat, I think it is a good value.

 

Thanks! I'll give it a shot and post my finding and/or comments when I install the unit. I should be receiving the IPOD cable today via UPS. I'm expecting bugs but hopefully I won't be too disappointed.

 

Anybody know how to tell what firmware your DICE unit has on it?

 

Just a quick update since I've been playing with my DICE unit this morning.

I remounted the unit in the glove compartment (who exactly keeps gloves in there anyway?), and noted when unplugged from the radio, and replugged in, it works fine.

I put a strip of blue masking tape on 3 sides of the connector that plugs into the back of the radio, and it fits a lot more snugly now. I do not believe it was loose as I checked it first thing when I opened up the dash. Then again it come out very easily once I started pulling on the cable. If your's is loose on install, then a bit of tape might make it fit better.

So then I began to experiment: SAT mode (both switches down) does in fact show all the text data (the opposite of what I reported before), but you have to click on the "text" button to see it. Otherwise it shows 6 preset stations (much like my FM and AM) with some non-discript text. As near as I could tell SAT works in every way like CDC does, the only difference is that there is no button on the dash which can take you to it. Only the "Mode" button on the steering wheel worked, and thaqt requires cycling through AM, and then FM and then CD (etc. etc.) until you get to SAT.

I got 3 different SAT presets, and they all seemed to work the same. If it wasn't for the fact that I can't switch to SAT readily, I'd be tempted to leave it in this mode. Maybe someone with a better package has a button for this already.

Then I tried MP3 mode (one switch up, and one down). I tried both configurations just to be sure I got it right. Neither one supported any text, and many other features (like skipping to teh next song) were not available either. For me, this one is a pass.

The CDC mode (both switches up) seems to work best. As all functionallity is there, and I can get to it by pressing the CD button on the dash (which acts like a toggle, switching between the CD and the DICE). AS I reported above, I did have trouble (yet again) while playing with the iPod in this mode. Disconnecting, and then reconnecting the DICE unit to the radio seems to solve this problem, but it's a bit of a pain. At least with the DICE unit in the glove box, I can get to it readily.

Switching between albums still seems to be a bit of a mystery. For instance I noted that if I was looking at music on my iPod by genre, and then used the dash controlls to switch to the next album, I got the next album (alphabetical) in that genre, not the next album (alphabetical) out of all albums.

What this means (imho) is that the DICE unit appears to be somewhat limmited to what the iPod itself is doing. Not a complaint,as the DICE unit has to have some kind of a delecate ballance between what it wants the iPod to do, and what the iPod itself wants it to do (which, of course, is entirely separate from what YOU want it to do).

As always, YMMV.

Anyone else try some of these things?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pre-cbs @ Feb 21 2007, 10:39 AM) [snapback]394042[/snapback]</div>

Once it is installed, go to CD 6 and hit the text button. You should see the song title, and the FW number.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tolladay @ Feb 21 2007, 10:48 AM) [snapback]394046[/snapback]</div>

My FW reads A00008 - is this current?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pre-cbs @ Feb 21 2007, 11:35 AM) [snapback]394075[/snapback]</div>

The most current one is A0000A. The one you have is one revision back, and may not work with your 06. Are you experiencing any problems?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tolladay @ Feb 21 2007, 11:44 AM) [snapback]394081[/snapback]</div>

When I switch from DICE to SAT the SAT stutters. Is that the problem your having?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tolladay @ Feb 21 2007, 01:48 PM) [snapback]394046[/snapback]</div>

Tolladay,

Thanks for your input with your DICE unit. Question for you; you indicated that the unit goes unresponsive while playing your IPOD. How long before your DICE unit dies again? How often do you have to reset it? It's going to be a pain the the rear if I have to keep resetting it several times throughtout the day.

 

Does anybody have the new documentation that comes with FW A0000A ? I'm curious what they say about the different dip switch settings.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jesart @ Feb 21 2007, 12:21 PM) [snapback]394103[/snapback]</div>

I don't know how long it goes until it needs a reset. I've only done it twice, both times today. Once because it was acting up yesterday, and another time today after I tried really hard to crash it.

Honestly, I don't know if you'll have any problems or not, or what is causing mine. Too many variables. I belive Pinan had teh same problems, and then they went away. I'm hoping for a similar solution for mine.

Wish I could tell you more.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tolladay @ Feb 21 2007, 01:55 PM) [snapback]394164[/snapback]</div>

Yup. I have not needed to reset mine again....yet.

The only issue I'm having is the Disk 2-repeat first Playlist-issue, that I wrote about earlier. A minor nuisance.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pre-cbs @ Feb 21 2007, 12:28 PM) [snapback]394109[/snapback]</div>

Yup. Probably the same manual.

CDC = OFF/OFF
MP3 = ON/OFF
SAT = ON/ON

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinan @ Feb 21 2007, 02:32 PM) [snapback]394196[/snapback]</div>

Is there any explanation for what the SAT setting is for?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pre-cbs @ Feb 21 2007, 02:47 PM) [snapback]394205[/snapback]</div>

Satellite (radio). Works pretty much like the others.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinan @ Feb 21 2007, 03:27 PM) [snapback]394237[/snapback]</div>

Does it say that this mode is more compatible with satellite radios like Sirius?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pre-cbs @ Feb 21 2007, 04:01 PM) [snapback]394253[/snapback]</div>

No. Simply states how it works. Call DICE and ask them how it works with Sirius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinan @ Feb 21 2007, 04:06 PM) [snapback]394257[/snapback]</div>

thanks

 

Well, they quickly shipped a replacement unit with the new firmware, and RMA for me to return the first replacement with old firmware. The first replacement didn't fix control problems, but did fix the noise problem. This new replacement does control the iPod, but provides no text or status feedback whatsoever (no title, no mode, nothing) and also has excessive noise on the left speaker that appeared after an hour of testing. So, I suspect this is the third failed unit that will have to go back. Did anyone else have such a failure with one of the new firmware units?

 

Mine has been working perfectly since I dug it out of the dash, and put it in the glove box. I guess it was lonely.

 

G'day,

I just bought an 07 Prius w/Package 3 and have actually read all 16 pages of this post!!

I'm still waiting for some more feedback on the performance of the latest revison of the DICE but I had a question that I wanted to clarify in the mean time.

I don't see any of the DICE users indicating a need for a ground-loop isolator in conjunction with the unit - correct??

Ski

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ski @ Feb 26 2007, 08:07 AM) [snapback]396676[/snapback]</div>

Correct.