Dension Gateway 500

[lostdog]

It works!

So I took the cable with the service switch into the shop. They hooked up the PST2 and enabled it. The switch has to be in the service position. They told me the menu option was something like this:

MOST > Position 2 > CD Changer

I haven't messed with it much, but once the changer is enabled you can disconnect the cable with the switch. You should keep it in the car though. I put my head unit on CD 6 and track 2 and was able to control everything through my iPhone.

I still need to try Pandora radio, or another non-iPod audio app. It wasn't showing track info on the head unit. Just the cd and track selected which controls what mode the Gateway is in.

I'll update with anything else I find out as I continue to use it.

[lostdog]

Pandora works. Also noticed that it automatically starts playing from the iPod when you turn the car on.

[roadracer311]

Originally Posted by lostdog

It works!

I haven't messed with it much, but once the changer is enabled you can disconnect the cable with the switch. You should keep it in the car though. I put my head unit on CD 6 and track 2 and was able to control everything through my iPhone.

Interesting. I've never been able to get mine to let me control it with the iPod. I'm usually stuck in shuffle mode, using the right knob on the head unit to skip forward through whatever comes up.

[swoolverton]

A big THANK YOU to LostDog for writing up this excellent install guide.
The Dension-supplied docs are quite weak. I don't think I could have completed this project with out LostDog's guidance.


Some notes from my experience:

- for newbies like me:
CDS = CD Single
CDC = CD Changer
PCM = Porsche Display-Nav thingy

- clarification on LostDog's direction of rebuilding the fiberoptic [FO] lines... rework only the Dension-supplied FO's. It is not necessary to weave these into the car's FO's. I wasted an hour doing this until I saw the female FO connection supplied by Dension. Use this female patch your new FO triangle harness into the jack previously plugged in the back of the head unit.

- Lost Dog and I both tapped into the MobilePhone switched 12V lines (green+black = +12V DC) in the console. After only a few minutes I discovered why Dension advises to tap into a always hot supply—do so. I've changed mine to an always on 12V supply.
The switched supply issues: When using the switched power line the Gateway AND THE CDR23 lose their memory when the car is powered off. When you power the car back up the stereo falls back to FM and settings are cleared. My CDR23 wouldn't know there was a CDC until ~15 seconds after power on. If you use a thumb-drive for music on the GW500 as I sometimes do you need to switch from FM to CDS then to CDC and then skip forward to the last song you heard (it starts at song 1 every time!)
Also, and very oddly, the CD23 acted very strangely in the first twenty seconds of power on. I suspect the GW500 is not yet ready and causes some issues on the MOST bus.
Use an always on 12V/DC supply.

- I found I had crackling noises in the audio when I had the MOST FO routed to the GW500 then on to the CDR23. When I swapped it (MOST going into the CDR23 first then the GW500) I get no crackling. I don't know what this is about but the problem is solved.


- the GW500 and Thumb-drive data source with a CDR23 is far from the best user experience. Without any display you blindly flip from one file to the next. I drop one or two podcasts on a thumb-drive (empty of other audio file) as I'm walking out the door. This is great for my commute and I don't have to use the big iTunes i/f.

- [how to have your music and your iPhone too] when using the 30-pin connection and my iPhone I find that if I have the track on screen and ready to play when I plug into the 30-pin the track will start playing and I can ignore Apple's nag screen. When I exit the car I just unplug the phone and the nag screen goes away.


- my local Dealership flipped the CDC bit for me while I waited and at no charge. Thanks Todd at Jaguar/Audi/Porsche of Nashville.

- I purchased my Dension GW500 from member MSW Danny.


Good luck.
Stephen

[GEARHEADTX]

Does my 2003 Boxster have to have the PCM to make this mod work?