iPod adapter installed DIY (DICE unit) (1 Viewer)

[jditom]

Here is my DIY for the DICE iPod adapter. I ordered it at the site below. I called them and told them which model/Nav I had. $159 plus shipping. It has full text display, steering wheel control, charges iPod and you can still use your iPod itself. No limit to the number of playlists you can have. CD/DVD changer still works. This was disabled in the past but not with this unit.

http://www.diceelectronics.com/ipod_integration.htm

Install guide.http://www.diceelectronics.com/support/files/toyota_install.pdf

• Disconnect the ground to your battery.
• Next pull out the 2 vent pieces on either side of your nav unit. Use a small screw driver to insert from below and pry out. Once it comes out grab it with your hands and slowly pull out toward you. It is just held in with clips. Disconnect the one electrical plug.
  
• Now you have exposed the 4 screws that hold the Nav unit in place. Take them off.
  
• Grab the unit firmly on each side and pull wiggle it toward you.
  
• Pull it out and turn it on its side to expose the CD changer cable (circled).
  
• Next unplug the CD changer cable from the back of the unit and plug it into the female end of the DICE unit. Next plug the DICE end into the CD changer port. This is a simple Y pass though set up. Note the cable had an extra female port hanging on it. I called DICE and they said it was used on older models?
  
• Put the Nav unit back in and fish the line out to the right into the vent space.
  
• Now take the glove box off which is held by 2 lower screws and a loop string. Now fish the DICE cable through and make sure it is not in front of any vents etc.
  
• Attach the DICE wire to the DICE unit and wrap with foam so it does not rattle. Run the iPod cable into the glove box as you reinstall the box.
  
• The DICE box has 4 tabs on it for different configurations. I set all 4 of my tabs to be up! This will give you full text display on your Nav.
• At this point you could also run your iPod to you dash if you want to use it.
  
• Attach your ground to the battery.
• Attach iPod, turn on key, turn on audio and wait a few minutes for it to do its thing. Hit the mode button and toggle until you get to the CD changer. Push CD 1 for songs and change tracks from you steering wheel control. If your iPod freezes just unplug it and reboot it (see iPod directions). Make sure you have play lists on you iPod.
  
• Hit title and you should see album and song.
  
• Track 2 will let you switch play lists (as many as you want)
  
• Track 3 will let you switch albums.
  
• Track 4 is for book chapters.
  So far it has been working great and I can still play DVD/CD etc. I just keep the iPod in the glove box and toggle to my play lists and change songs on my steering wheel.
  
  Enjoy
  
  Had to reboot my iPod a few times if I did not use it for a while. What happens is it comes on but you can not control it from you steering wheel any more. Unplug iPod, reboot iPod and problem solved.
  

 

[raleigh_bronco]

Thanks for the step-by-step directions! I'm wanting to do this project soon. What year models is this DICE unit compatible with? Awesome job.

 

[e9999]

nice writeup, thanks

 

[jditom]

Thanks for the step-by-step directions! I'm wanting to do this project soon. What year models is this DICE unit compatible with? Awesome job.

Pretty sure 1998 -2007 but I would call them to be sure. LX use the same unit. It even works on my wifes RX.

 

[aedgington]

Man, excellent write up, thanks!

So how does it know when to use the changer or the dice? Or is it just whenever an ipod is connected, the changer is inop?

 

[ycookmd]

Nice write up. It looks so easy, even I could do it.

Do you have satellite radio installed and operational?

 

[Glockenspiel]

sweet!

 

[jditom]

Man, excellent write up, thanks!

So how does it know when to use the changer or the dice? Or is it just whenever an ipod is connected, the changer is inop?

What it does is it adds another CD changer. SO when you toggle through your mode button you will see AM, FM1, FM2, CD/iPod, CD/DVD. Its just plane cool.

The unit also has a aux port so you can add satellite. This is controlled from CD track #5.

Enjoy
PS This is the best set up I have seen to date and cheepest. I have set up Denison/icelinks on several Audi's and BMW's but they are not in this country anymore. And the Dice set up is better.

 

[greynolds]

Thanks for the detailed and illustrated installation walkthrough as well as the description (and photos) of it in operation. Looks like a pretty easy morning or afternoon weekend project.

At this point, I'm sold even though they haven't replied to my email from a few days ago yet.

 

[2003LC]

Just ordered mine..

 

[jditom]

Thanks for the detailed and illustrated installation walkthrough as well as the description (and photos) of it in operation. Looks like a pretty easy morning or afternoon weekend project.

At this point, I'm sold even though they haven't replied to my email from a few days ago yet.

They do better by phone. I give them a A+ on phone support.
It was an easy job. It looks a bit intimadating but once you pop off that first vent it's all easy.

 

[greynolds]

They do better by phone. I give them a A+ on phone support.

I received a reply to my email about 45 minutes after my previous post.

It was an easy job. It looks a bit intimadating but once you pop off that first vent it's all easy.

Yeah, it looks pretty simple and I've done similar installs before on other vehicles including full radio and speaker replacements. The tricky part is always getting things like the vents out, but it looks pretty simple in this case.

On my way to order one now.

 

[mikeacs]

I must have it..

 

[greynolds]

On my way to order one now.

My order arrived today (I also ordered a cradle and a Kuda mount). Since I placed the order, I've been wondering if I should have ordered the HD DICE instead - same thing plus HD radio for $50 more. Need to decide before I do the install.

Downside to the HD DICE is that the module is bigger and therefore harder to find a location for it. The regular DICE module is really tiny, so won't be hard to stick somewhere.

My inclination is that I probably wouldn't get much use out of HD radio so it probably makes sense to stick with what I got.

Install probably won't happen till next weekend or so cause I've been sick as a dog all week and plan to take it real easy this weekend.

 

[KathmanduCruiser]

Would this work on a 2000 with no nav system? I would love to connect my ipod this way if it works.

 

[jditom]

Would this work on a 2000 with no nav system? I would love to connect my ipod this way if it works.

Works with 98-2006 with or without Nav. Ia would call them to make sure.

 

[greynolds]

My order arrived today (I also ordered a cradle and a Kuda mount). Since I placed the order, I've been wondering if I should have ordered the HD DICE instead - same thing plus HD radio for $50 more. Need to decide before I do the install.

Downside to the HD DICE is that the module is bigger and therefore harder to find a location for it. The regular DICE module is really tiny, so won't be hard to stick somewhere.

My inclination is that I probably wouldn't get much use out of HD radio so it probably makes sense to stick with what I got.

Install probably won't happen till next weekend or so cause I've been sick as a dog all week and plan to take it real easy this weekend.

I ended up installing it this morning - just couldn't wait to try it out. The install was a breeze - just took a few hours, most of which was deciding on the best way to mount the DICE unit behind the glove box. The only difference on the LX compared to the illustrated instructions from jditom is that the facia around the radio has 3 parts that must be removed. There's a trim piece around the lower radio unit that needs to be removed first and then the 2 vents need to be removed. To remove the trim piece around the radio, simply use your favorite trim removal tool (I used a small screwdriver with masking tape over the tip) and work your way around to free it. I then found I could remove the 2 vents without any tools by just grabbing them. The rest of the install is just like on the Land Cruiser.

In my vehicle, a 2006 LX, I couldn't put the DICE unit in the exact same spot that jditom did - there was some other stuff in the way. So what I ended up doing was putting it pretty much dead center between the 2 glovebox hinges. I attached a few adhesive backed wire tie mounts on the left side. I then used wire ties through the mounting holes on the DICE unit to attach to the wire tie mounts on the left side. On the right side, I used 2 more wire ties through the mounting holes on the DICE unit and tied it to a nearby wiring harness to prevent it from moving around and making noise.

The install really was a breeze and after playing with it for a few minutes I'm pretty happy with the results. It'll take some time to get used to using the controls, but the nice thing is that I can always use the controls on the iPod too.

The Kuda mount wasn't very difficult to put on either and looks like a perfect match to the rest of the leather in the vehicle.

All that's left is to get some black screws and mount the iPod cradle to the Kuda mount. The iPod interface cable is already run from the glovebox to the Kuda mount. There's enough length in the iPod interface cable to comfortably reach the cupholder compartment.

Thanks to jditom for his initial mention of the DICE unit and the detailed install instructions.

Now I can get rid of my casette adapter and iPod cigarette lighter charger cable.

 

[sleeoffroad]

You are not done yet. Now convert the cubby to have a Ipod connector on the bottom, so you just drop it in there and it will connect.

 

[KathmanduCruiser]

You are not done yet. Now convert the cubby to have a Ipod connector on the bottom, so you just drop it in there and it will connect.

This looks sweeeeeeeet.

 

[jditom]

You are not done yet. Now convert the cubby to have a Ipod connector on the bottom, so you just drop it in there and it will connect.

Slee where did you get that??????