I haven’t decided whether to stick with the factory stereo and iPod adaptor, or put in something aftermarket like the Alpine in GPMINI; so far I’m definitely missing any useful iPod control – the factory system for the R50/R53 is really not very functional! You have to set up playlists called MINI1/MINI2…/MINI5, otherwise you can choose “all tracks” (which is what I’ve done so far, since I haven’t yet set up any MINI-specific playlists). The R56 iPod interface was more useful than that … but at least this older one doesn’t seem to take a minute or more to get ready to play music!
My normal habit would be to choose “random” play and see what comes up – if I like it, I can turn off random play and stick with that artist/album for a while. If I don’t like it, I can ship to the next track (which didn’t work on the R56, but does in the convertible). However, this factory system “forgets” that random is turned on, every time you select a different source (radio, CD) or turn the car off and on again.
So now, it’s switch on the car, and press “RND” every time.
Also of course, there’s no display of track/artist/etc, just a number. And no practical way to select a specific track either – when not in random mode you can -> skip to next track, but pressing that however many hundreds of times to get to a particular artist/album/track would be crazy!
Yes, I can set up the special MINIx playlists, but if you put a reasonable number of tracks in any one playlist, you still wouldn’t want to step through it; and if you make small playlists, you only have five possibilities to choose from!
I tried selecting a track on the iPod before connecting it, pressing PAUSE and then connecting it – didn’t work! The factory interface just did nothing at all (I think it was trying to find “MINI1” playlist); if I pressed “CD6” to select “all music” then it would start from the first artist/album/track and not play from the paused track I’d selected already.
Maybe if I set up “MINI1” playlist to be all tracks … I wonder if that would work then to be able to pause a track and then connect it?
So, I bought an AUX input cable, planning to connect up Sirius. But the AUX input cable isn’t working?! It never shows “AUX” when you step through the different MODEs; I did the “blind” cable install by pulling down the drivers knee bolster, but I’m 99% sure the cables connected OK; I guess I have to disassemble the downtubes and pull out the radio to check for sure.
Meanwhile, a quick question: is there anyone out there with the factory iPod in an R50/53, also with AUX input connected and WORKING?
M&I / GBMINI 
On my Dension ICE Link+, If the iPod has been disconnected I choose my track beforehand press play, not pause, and set it in the cradle and the music starts from that song and starts playing before it’s even seated in the cradle. There is no track display on my HK radio but I don’t really care about that as it would be too small anyway. If I press the iPod touch wheel, I have an old iPod mini, while it’s in the cradle it lights up and I can see the track for a few seconds, good enough for me. It’s all controlled, track, loudness, advance, re-track by the MF steering controls.
Good Luck & Quack, Quack. 😉
I did the “blind” install for the factory AUX cable. Works like a charm. But fiddling around with my ipod while driving proved downright dangerous. So I got the Dice ipod adapter and couldn’t be happier. I still have the AUX cable plugged in and it still shows up when I’m scrolling through with the MODE button.
With the Dice I have access to all my playlists. Even though the Dice have text support, it doesn’t display the name of the playlist. But I got around that little short coming by adding in voice tags for the playlist.
There’s a nice how-to on NAM using a AT&T text to speech website.
I also have a Dension Icelink+ in the GP. I love it. It addresses all of your concerns, and you can program it to display and control all functions through the factory head unit.
Funnily enough, my head unit does show AUX as an option when the Icelink is active, in addition to CDCx.
The default interface on the dension is to display and control all functions on the iPod, but there is a setting to send the interface to the head unit display.
You have access to the first 5 playlists through the numbered shortcut buttons on the head unit, with the 6th button giving you access to the complete iPod interace including Albums, Artists, Playlists, Genres, etc.
I have no experience with any of the factory adapters, but can tell you that I am totally thrilled with the Dension, after having read what you had to say on the R56 Nav integrated and R53 adapters.
I’ll echo Timmee’s comments. My Dension ice>Link: Plus has been in both of my R53s and it works an absolute treat. It does *not* work as great with the iPhone, so I’ve gone back to using a last-gen nano in the MINI. (Currently produced iPods, including the iPhone, Touch, nano, and classic, will not display the ice>Link display on the screen. It’s fine if you’ve got it set up to display the menu on the head unit, but if not, you won’t be able to do much more than choose playlists with the CD1-6 buttons.) Dension pulled out of the US, however, so you’d have to go used if you wanted one of those. I think the Dice (DICE?) adapter performs similarly. You can (could) purchase a simple line-in jack for the ice>Link: Plus, but I don’t know why you’d go that route… Until recently, I had the MINI AUX adapter *and* the ice>Link plugged into my head unit. My guess is that you just didn’t get it plugged correctly. 🙂
Timmee/blalor,
Not sure I understand all this elecromumbojumbo. Are you saying I can program
my ICElink to show in the radio where the stations display? Is there a place where I can go to learn this trick?
I’ve heard horror stories about the Dension unit and of course they have left the USA. Mine has been money! I thought I had a problem with the unit but it turned out the front connector had come loose. I got very good help form Dension Canada. They were even going to exchange my unit for a new one until I found the disconnection.
Robert, I’m pretty sure that the Dension display trick only works on quite recent (2005+) MINI head units.
Re: Dension display trick— having been through this a while ago, I learned you needed a radio from at least a Feb. ’05 built car for the display trick to work. I found somebody on NAM who was willing to trade my ’03 head unit for their unit from a March ’05 build plus a bit of cash, and it’s been working great in my ’03 S ever since.
Well, I pulled out the head unit and the AUX connector was perfectly well installed; it just doesn’t work 😦
Just my luck… O vell I’m still good with what it is.
Looks like your question’s been answered, Robert. Bummer. 😦
Ian, have you tried disconnecting the iPod adapter and seeing if the AUX input works, then?
I have OEM Sirius, OEM Bluetooth phone, OEM Ipod, and OEM aux input, and the DPSM with my headunit and all work flawless. I installed all of the above my self expect the DPSM.
Ian, now you have to determine whether the aux cable or the headunit is at fault. I’ve seen a case in the forums where the cable turned out to be defective. The cable actually has a simple circuit, and you can find the circuit diagram here: http://mini.tec-tech.org/index.php?Audio
you scroll through the options on the radio, even without the aux cable installed, and aux doesn’t come up ? You bought that used right? maybe someone swapped the radio out for an older unit without aux….you should pull the code on the radio and see if parts can look the year of it up
I think the radio is the correct ’05 original – it has the larger volume knob; and you’re right, I never see “AUX” displayed
Remember the days before factory iPod options..?
Are you charging the iPod from a cig lighter charger at the same time as having it plugged into the aux input…? One of the things I had to do with my aux cable was isolate the iPod with a pair of miniature audio transformers as there is a ground loop issue with auto sensing something connected to the aux cable. Email me if you think that might be the issue and I can explain in detail…
I’m still running my homebrew Aux input cable that plugs into the unused inputs on the early radios. I have mine terminated in a stereo male plug that then goes into the Belkin iPod adapter so that I can charge and get audio through the dock connector, but you can use it direct into the headphones. I did get an ice>link on ebay which I didn’t get around to fitting last year… Maybe I’ll put that in in the spring, but the wires behind my HU have been pulled out and modded so many times, I think I’ll break something soon..!
I think the caps in the schematic that rkw linked to probably do the same thing as the transformers in my cable – basically there’s no direct conduction between the HU and the iPod stereo jack.
Ian, to be sure about the version, the headunit usually has a build date stamped on a sticker.
My 9/2005 build R52 came with a headunit with small volume knob, and there was no AUX mode until I plugged in the aux cable. I think the headunit detects the resistor. There are people who made their own aux cable without the circuit, and the headunit would enable AUX mode as long as a music player is plugged in.
I’ve been noticing, lately, that if I leave the iPod in the Dension saddle overnight that my battery seems drained, slow turn over, the next AM? I also had the battery go dead while washing the car with the iPod playing ( 2 hours)?
Is it possible… 1. the battery on this ’04 is near death, or 2. the iPod in the Dension continues to charge as long as it in the saddle and therefore drains the battery? or, a combination of both?
2) may be true, but unlikely … 1) is more probable 😦
Ian, I’ve got both the AUX. port and the MINI iPod adaptor installed in the GP and they both work.
I think that’s what you were asking…