Dension Gateway 500

[lostdog]

I've read a ton of posts about how to hook up an iPod to a CDR-23. Most of them seem to conclude that the Dension Gateway 500 is the best answer, but I've never seen any info on the installation. I've been running a wired FM Modulator for about a year now, but I'm not happy with the sound quality. So, I ordered the Gateway 500 from bumperplugs.com. It just came in the mail, so I took a photo of everything that was in the box.



It includes (clockwise from bottom left):
RCA Cable
Power Cable
User Guide
USB Cable
Dension Unit
Install Guide
Fiber Optic Cables
iPod Cable

I'm gonna install it this weekend. I'll take some photos during the install and let you all know how it went.

[lostdog]

I scanned in some of the documents that came with it. On the source table I was most interested in mode 2, which should allow you to control everything via your iPod.

[ekam]

Please let us know if it can display track name on unit itself.

[lostdog]

Originally Posted by ekam

Please let us know if it can display track name on unit itself.

According to the manual, this depends on the capabilities of your head unit.

"We refer to the different type of car entertainment system as follows:

1. Browsing and playback: full music browsing capabilities and song information displayed onscreen.

2. Playback and text: name of the artist, album or track that is playing. The number of characters will be defined by your display type.

3. No text: only CD and track numbers displayed, for example, CD6-08."

I suspect the CDR-23 is a 3, but it might be a 2. Hopefully I'll find out tomorrow.

[lostdog]

Found these on the dension site:

Full Installation Guide (pdf)

Full User Guide (pdf)

[lostdog]

I installed the Gateway 500 on Saturday. It took longer than expected, but it's not complicated. The only tools needed were wire cutters / strippers, a very small flat head screwdriver, and the Porsche headunit removal tools.

Before you get started, you'll want to update the firmware if you can. There was a little red paper with a URL to get the update from, but the URL didn't work. I went to the Dension site and found the firmware in their downloads section. Looking at the sticker on my unit showed that I have the 2.16 firmware. The one I downloaded was 2.18. However, it requires a USB flash drive to install. I didn't have one, so I couldn't update it.

The first thing I did was layout the fiber lines on my table. They aren't super fragile, but you don't want to bend them at sharp angles as this will break the fiber.

Next I pulled apart the console, pulled the headunit, and removed my old FM modulator. I didn't want to disconnect power from the head unit because then I would have to enter the unlock code. So, I just wrapped it in a towel to keep it from scratching up my center console.



Then I cut the power cable down to about a foot and stripped the ends. It was really long, and the connection is right there. I just plugged the end of the lines into the phone power (I think that's what that plug was intended for). The brown is ground, and the green/red is power.



Now I started messing with the fiber. There is a line from the car that plugs into the back of the headunit. I disconnected one of the lines from this plug so I could hook everything up as shown in the install diagram, but the end of the stock fiber line was different from the provided fiber. Then meant it wouldn't plug into the provided connectors. So, I put the fiber back in the stock connector and reconfigured the fiber as shown below. There were extra fiber lines and connectors for setting it up with a cd changer. Since I don't have a cd changer, I just used those extra bits.



Be very careful to route the fiber so that the light goes in a continuous loop. The lines themselves aren't directional, but you need to watch which side of the connector you plug them into. Each connector has arrows on it indicating which side the light goes in and out of.

Now comes the tricky part; plugging it all together. At the very front of the center console there is a nice empty space to put the dension unit. This is below the head unit. Put the fiber triangle in from above and route the dension plug down there. You can use a spare piece of wire to help pull it down if needed. Just be care not to bend / snap the fiber.

Now just snap everything together. Plug the car side and head unit fiber plugs in. Put the head unit part way in, but don't snap it all the way in until you've tested it. Now just plug everything into the Gateway 500. You'll need the power, fiber, and iPod cables. I left out the USB and RCA outs since I don't plan on using them, and don't want any more cables hanging out.

So, with everything connected, turn on the car and check that you get sound through the stereo. It was at this point that I tried to switch to the cd changer input by pressing the cd button and discovered that I need to have that enabled by the dealer. Damn! Oh well, I was getting sound from the radio which shows that the fiber is routed correctly.

I'm gonna call my local shop this morning and see if they can enable the cd changer for me. I'll post again once I have it working.

[lostdog]

Just got back from the shop. They weren't able to enable the cd changer because I didn't have the aux input cable. That cable has a switch on it for setting the unit to service mode. Since I live about 30 minutes away from work, it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Hope you guys are having more fun reading this than I am doing it...

[TRawls]

You're living my life!!!

Keep up posted. . .



TRawls

[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.

[swoolverton]

Originally Posted by lostdog

So, with everything connected, turn on the car and check that you get sound through the stereo. It was at this point that I tried to switch to the cd changer input by pressing the cd button and discovered that I need to have that enabled by the dealer. Damn! Oh well, I was getting sound from the radio which shows that the fiber is routed correctly.

I'm gonna call my local shop this morning and see if they can enable the cd changer for me. I'll post again once I have it working.

Lost,

Please elaborate on the activation of CD Changer.
ie: enabled by the dealer on what hardware?

thanks

[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?

[Blankman]

Attempting to revive an old post with some people who have the know how.

I have a Bosxter S late 2003 with the cdr 23, Bose & attached cd changer. Im looking to connect my phone 5s (& future iPhones) to the system to play music. Have read countless posts on this already but have some more questions / issues.

Firstly there are issues with my cdr23 - it makes a clicky noise when the car is un locked & then again when the car is turned off. Also it sometimes doesn't know there s a cd in it - won't eject & the cd button does nothing. I have to turn the car off to resolve it.
Also it doesn't seam to recognise the factory cd changer in the frunk, Cd changer ejects & allowes me to ad cd's but no matter how may times I press the cd button to cycle from the cds to the cdc it doesn't do anything.

So thats the issues... now the plan. Will the cdc issue mean that the denison unit wouldn't be recognised?

Say i get everything working will both the denison unit & cdc both work or does the denison replace the cdc?

What is the sound quality like with the denison?

Has anyone installed the Bluetooth denison?

Being a rookie Porsche owner I have lots to discover, I'm sure a lot of self discovery but hopefully a little help from you guys. Much appreciated.

[Burg Boxster]

Before I give you an answer to each individual question I will generically state you will be much better off and happier by just pulling out existing garbage Porsche put in as a sound system. Particularly so since you are experiencing problems w/ the system.

Originally Posted by Blankman

Will the cdc issue mean that the denison unit wouldn't be recognised?

It most likely will be an issue as the CDR23 recognizes the Dension unit as a CDC

Originally Posted by Blankman

Say i get everything working will both the denison unit & cdc both work or does the denison replace the cdc?

Desnion replaces the CDC BUT there is an override switch w/ the Dension to allow it to act as a passthru. Would you really still use CDs if you had ipod hook-up?

Originally Posted by Blankman

What is the sound quality like with the denison?

basically same as any other MP3/ipod hook up device. Not spectacular but acceptable.

Originally Posted by Blankman

Has anyone installed the Bluetooth denison?

Seems fruitless in a convertible but it has been done.

Originally Posted by Blankman

Being a rookie Porsche owner I have lots to discover, I'm sure a lot of self discovery but hopefully a little help from you guys. Much appreciated.

Again, you're better off just going after-market w/ a system that includes iPod/Phone integration, Nav, Bluetooth, etc.

Good luck!

[Blankman]

I was afraid of that being the answer! Its a bit annoying as I held out on buying a few cars as they did not have the bose system.

Can any of the system be utilised i.e change just the head unit / just the head unit & amp? Is there some sort of fibre to standard converter? are the speakers connected by fibre or standard copper wiring?

Im quite happy with the way it all sounds now just want 100% working & iPhone connection & thats iPhone for music & to charge it, not bothered about calls.

Ive changed many a head unit, speakers over the years in various cars but never a fibre system. & I also built a custom set up for iPhone 5s for my work van to hold, charge & play music through rca aux in to a standard aftermarket head unit. The sound quality there is perfect. I just slot it in to the lightening connector dock, no fiddling around with a 3.5mm jack & it all works seamlessly.

was very much hoping I could just make another for the Porsche.

Your right I don't care if the cdc or cds for that matter work once I've set up the iPhone connection - never used the cd slot or radio for that matter in my van!

[Burg Boxster]

If you change h/u you either need to:

- find a fiber optic h/u (there are a few as I recall)
or
- also replace amp

Set up (aside from fiber optic loop b/w CDC, H/U and amp) is same as any other audio system... copper wire from amp to drivers. That said, BOSE is sometimes known to do wacko things w/ speaker impedance so check the drivers first for compatibility w/ aftermarket amps. Even then, I'd consider replacing most of the drivers too.

BOSE = Great marketers of just ok sounding stuff (if you like it really 'boomy')

Good luck

[dghii]

I have a CDR-23 in excellent shape just sitting in the garage right now if you are interested in swapping out your head unit. PM me and we can work something out.

[Blankman]

Thanks for the info, I can see things much clearer now!

I have noticed the clarity of the system isn't anything amazing, though I do have a airplay bose speaker in my home which has amazing clarity, but yes bose are know for there general love of bass! but I'm fine with it driver wise.

Ive had a look for fiber optic h/u but as yet not found any... Not asking you to search for me but do you recall any brands / models?
Looking for as little work as poss as I finally thought buy a nice car & I wouldn't have to mess around with the stereo etc but looks like the dream of that is slowly....make that fast slipping away!

dghii- Thanks for the offer & ill keep it in mind if I decided not to bother with iPod connection. guessing it is fully working & your have the radio code?