has anyone recieved the ICE-Link?? i was wondering how it is working??

 

I got email notification from Denison just the other day that my ICE-Link was being shipped via FedEx and I should have it in my hands within the week! I can hardly wait. I will post my impressions of it after I get it installed.

 

thanks!! also, how r u going to mount ur iPod, i cant wait to see the outcome because i am hoping to mayb recieve the ice-link as a present for the holidays, but i want to make sure it works out well!!

also, does anyone know if a head-unit is being made for the iPod by Apple, in which the song title is displayed on the head-unit??

 

There are many threads about the ice link on IPod Lounge. Just go to forums and search for Ice-Link.

 

>>also, does anyone know if a head-unit is being made for the iPod by Apple, in which the song title is displayed on the head-unit??

If it is in the works, it will be kept very secret until the day it is released. Heck, I work for Apple and we don't find out anything any earlier than the public.

 

Well I got my ICE-Link and it looks cool. It looks very straightforward to install...... BUT...... How the hell do I remove the driver's side "shin guard" (as I call it) so I can remove the screws for the 2 side bars on the console? I looked underneath and didn't see any screws. I started pulling on it to see if it would pop off but I started hearing the faint sounds of cracking so I immediately stopped! This thing is blocking the top screw for the driver side bar and I can't do anything with that still in place.

email me direct if you have the answer please.
mcclint680(at)comcast(dot)net

 

>>Well I got my ICE-Link and it looks cool. It looks very straightforward to install...... BUT...... How the hell do I remove the driver's side "shin guard" (as I call it) so I can remove the screws for the 2 side bars on the console? I looked underneath and didn't see any screws. I started pulling on it to see if it would pop off but I started hearing the faint sounds of cracking so I immediately stopped! This thing is blocking the top screw for the driver side bar and I can't do anything with that still in place.
>>
>>email me direct if you have the answer please.
>> mcclint680(at)comcast(dot)net

please keep up updated when u get it installed!!!

 

Alright... after huffing and puffing and spitting and cussing for a while I finally for the shin guard off. It scared the crap out of me when it just jumped loose but I got it out of the way.... well now the problem is that I can't pull the side bars on the side of the console out of the way after I unscrewed them. I undid the 2 screws and went to pull them away but i discovered that the tops are held in place by the dash facia. I have no doubt I can get the electronics of the ICE-Link taken care of once I get that far but all this plastic that's in the way is really frustrating me. is there an EXACT step by step guide on taking this stuff out? Just like if I wanted to totally change out my stereo head unit I'd still have to go through this.

 

>>Alright... after huffing and puffing and spitting and cussing for a while I finally for the shin guard off. It scared the crap out of me when it just jumped loose but I got it out of the way.... well now the problem is that I can't pull the side bars on the side of the console out of the way after I unscrewed them. I undid the 2 screws and went to pull them away but i discovered that the tops are held in place by the dash facia. I have no doubt I can get the electronics of the ICE-Link taken care of once I get that far but all this plastic that's in the way is really frustrating me. is there an EXACT step by step guide on taking this stuff out? Just like if I wanted to totally change out my stereo head unit I'd still have to go through this.
>>

You might find the information you are looking for at this website in the how-to section:

http://mini.uglydoris.com/

This one is for removing the instument panel :
http://mini.uglydoris.com/archives/000029.html

This one is for installing a iPod mount which includes also how to get behind the facia pieces:
http://mini.uglydoris.com/archives/000023.html

there are a couple other excellent how-to's on this site!

 

Thanks a lot for the links. I thought this would just be a quick 15 minute deal, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait for Saturday to do this.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread, but is the ICE-Link the only way to get the MFSW to work with the iPod? Can you not control track selection and volume from the MFSW if you use the AUX hookup?

 

>>I don't want to hijack this thread, but is the ICE-Link the only way to get the MFSW to work with the iPod? Can you not control track selection and volume from the MFSW if you use the AUX hookup?

Yes it's the only way. I should have mine next week with a full review following shortly there after at my site ( http://www.bridger.us/mini )

 

Thanks, Gabe.
I look forward to another of your excellent product reviews.

 

yes, i cant wait!! im waiting to unhook my aux input and order the ice-link and a new mount... (anoyne have a mounting solution). I hope ill be able to recieve it around holiday time!

 

OK Saturday is here and I managed to get the radio pulled out of the console so I could start hooking up the connectors but I discovered something very bad. The CD changer connectors that are supposed to plug into this Connects2 box are all the way in the back of the car tucked up in the wall of the trunk. UGH. This is getting uglier and uglier. I'm going to have to tear up the inside of my car just to get these 2 connectors to the front where I can plug this in... OR I'll have to tear up the inside of my car to route an extender cable to the back of the car... IF I can find a funky proprietary cable to go along with the 2 RCA cables. I'm guessing that's the SONY RC87 cable is that is mentioned in the directions.
This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

 

I'm getting very ticked off now. I've gone to every electronics and car stereo shop in a 10 mile radius of me and no one has ever seen or heard of this RC87 cable. I went online looking for it and so far the only thing I've found is a 6 foot extension cable for $40 - 6 feet is way too short. the $200 price tag on the ICELink was already overpriced but I figured "what the heck". but now I have to spend an additional $50+ on an obscure cable AND take my car apart or pay a stereo shop an additional $50+ to put it in for me.... this tiny little piece of electronics is costing me more than my iPod cost me in the first place.
I REALLY want to use my iPod in my Mini but I'm beginning to think this isn't going to be worth it.

 

Hmmm....that isn't good news at all. Ice-link should explain what is involved up front. Not doing so is not good business IMHO. But for what it's worth, I appreciate the work you are doing and thank you for keeping us informed. Maybe Gabe can help you figure this out when he gets his this week. Hopefully between the two of you a solution can be found. :smile:

 

d2mini: They do recommend that it be installed by a professional... however, you can still buy it and do it yourself.
-Chris

 

But do they explain you need to spend extra money? Or do they provide instructions and parts needed? If this was available, one could do the research before hand. I didn't research it much myself, but from what i saw i though the ice-link was all that was needed.

 

>>OK Saturday is here and I managed to get the radio pulled out of the console so I could start hooking up the connectors but I discovered something very bad. The CD changer connectors that are supposed to plug into this Connects2 box are all the way in the back of the car tucked up in the wall of the trunk. UGH. This is getting uglier and uglier. I'm going to have to tear up the inside of my car just to get these 2 connectors to the front where I can plug this in... OR I'll have to tear up the inside of my car to route an extender cable to the back of the car... IF I can find a funky proprietary cable to go along with the 2 RCA cables. I'm guessing that's the SONY RC87 cable is that is mentioned in the directions.
>> This is definitely not for the faint of heart.
>>

These may be stupid questions that are obvious to you:
Can you not unplug the 'prewired' cables from the back of your head unit and plug the Ice-Link into the BUS connecters there?
Secondly, would it be possible to plug the Ice-Link and iPod into the conncetors in the boot and leave em there? Rather that having your iPod in the cockpit, it can be stowed in the access panel- Stealth Pod.
Just curious...

 

>>
>>These may be stupid questions that are obvious to you:
>>Can you not unplug the 'prewired' cables from the back of your head unit and plug the Ice-Link into the BUS connecters there?
>>Secondly, would it be possible to plug the Ice-Link and iPod into the conncetors in the boot and leave em there? Rather that having your iPod in the cockpit, it can be stowed in the access panel- Stealth Pod.
>>Just curious...

The thought has crossed my mind to just keep everything in the trunk but then I wouldn't be able to see what was displayed on the iPod screen nor could I choose specific play lists. As for the wiring on the back of the radio, the ICE-Link relies on the pre-existing cables for the CD Changer. One option I have is to track down the exact wires and the pin-outs then cut the connectors off the end back in the trunk and then rewire them right behind the radio.
Come to think of it, I think just as a temporary measure, i'll go ahead and stick everything in the trunk. it defintiely wont be permanent becuase i dont want my iPod being banged around back there with my toolbox etc.

 

Yeah, of course you'd want to see your playlist, since there is no display on the head unit. Keep us updated, and thanks for being the pioneer :smile:

 

Alright gang here is the preliminary report:
I will have to wait until I get some serious time off from work before I attempt to tear my car apart trying to route wires etc, so for the time being I just hooked everything up in the trunk area. The physical connections are a piece of cake and plug right in with no difficulty.
I have the 2nd generation iPod which has the touchpad instead of the scrolling wheel but it doesn't use the docking station - just to give you an idea of what I have. I plugged my firewire cable into the ICE-Link and then into my iPod. Then I plugged the headphone plug into the ipod and I ran the wires over the back seat. They are just long enough to let the iPod sit on the back seat. This is better than flopping around the trunkspace but still isn't perfect. ANYWAY... I turned on my radio and hit the MODE button and I now have "CD" as one of the modes. (I half-expected it to be AUX) It obviously thinks there is a CD changer connected but that's fine with me. As soon as I entered that mode, the iPod turned on and started playing the songs from my library. I am able to skip, go back, ffwd and rew within the tracks with the steering wheel buttons. One thing I noticed was that when I hit the buttons on the steering wheel to jump around the tracks, it isn't quite as instant as skipping tracks on the CD player, but it isn't a terrible delay - maybe 1/2 second. When I am done listening to the iPod, i hit the mode button to switch to my CD player or radio the iPod turns off and displays the "Charging" picture. If you turn the radio or the car off while still on the iPod the iPod doesn't always turn off. Another odd thing I noticed is that when I first plug in the iPod and switch to that mode on the radio, I can look on the iPod and see that it is trying to find a good sound level. I'm not sure what is doing that but it could just be me. Like I said, I have the iPod sitting in my back seat with the cables running from the cavity in the trunk (sans panel cover), under the rear deck and over the back seat. It ain't pretty but it does work. By default, it plays the tunes you have in your Library. If you want to play a specific play list, you have to manually choose that on the iPod itself. Don't let the RND button on the stereo fool you, if you want to do a random play on the iPod, you have to set it on the iPod itself.
Oh, one more thing, the Pro Clip mount that comes with the ICE-Link.... ehh... I haven't looked TOO closely at it but it looks like if I want to use this I'll have to drill into my dash. if it isn't that then it is double sided tape. Neither one of these options sounds too pleasant. I have seen a different mount on another MINI website that just uses the screws on the sides of your stereo and it gives clearance around the glovebox. I just hope I can find that site again and find one of those mounts.
Now that I've at least got it connected and it does seem to work well, I'm getting more motivated to try to find a solution to the wiring issue. I can't see myself driving down the road and turning around to reach in the back seat to change the playlist. I hope everyone out there thinking of getting one pays attention to the roadblocks I've been hitting, but that is the cost of being on the cutting edge :smile:

 

Great going Mcclint!! Glad it works- is the sound great?
I am still perplexed as to why Denison does not have an alternative set of cables that would plug directly into the head unit. After all, not all cars are prewired for the CD changer- strange company.
edit:
not a strange company. see later post.

_________________

 

Since I am eager to hook up my iPod (when I get it for Xmas ), I decided to contact the company and ask them:

ME: "Subject: ICE-LINK for the MINI
The ICE-Link for the iPod kit you sell for the MINI Cooper require that
the unit be installed either in the trunk where the prewired car CD
Changer cables are located, or purchase a Sony RC87 cable to extend the
iPod back to the front cockpit. Do you not have an alternative cable
that will plug directly into the back of the in-dash head unit of the
MINI (in the BUS connecter holding the pre-wired CD cable)? This would
be a convenient alternative to tearing up my interior so that my iPod
can be located in the cockpit rather than the trunk."[/i]

The company prompty replied
"Hi
Yes, we do for Cooper that has a radio with built-in CD player.
When you order online please specify in the remarks field that
you want to connect to the radio direct, and no to the trunk."

So I guess they DO make an alternate cable for direct head unit plug in.
Great news


_________________