[DJP]

[DJP]

I should figure this out BEFORE I post..

[gIzzE]

Can you take a pic of the connectors on the unit??

[gIzzE]

Seems like there is optical, and power.

Have you looked to see if you have a spare set tucked away behind the panel on the left?? Have you got a cd changer??

Have you got anything that is most bus?? bluetooth, nav, logic7???

[Lukeswarm]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

Seems like there is optical, and power.

Have you looked to see if you have a spare set tucked away behind the panel on the left?? Have you got a cd changer??

Have you got anything that is most bus?? bluetooth, nav, logic7???

I have took all panels out the boot on a E90 to look

There is a CD changer cable that comes out where the CD changer goes (no suprise there then) but no other cables or sockets to extend the loom

i would be interesed to see if you can somehow run it off the CD changer

WE NEED A WIREING EXPERT

[MBA]

I am looking at DAB retrofit possibility too. The power/optic plug looks as if it is the same as the CD changer, so one option may be to re-route CDC wires to DAB module area?

As other posts have mentioned, you will also need DAB antenna which is in the sharkfin.

The last post in this thrread on another board looks promising too http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/arc...p/t-82491.html

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by Lukeswarm

I have took all panels out the boot on a E90 to look

There is a CD changer cable that comes out where the CD changer goes (no suprise there then) but no other cables or sockets to extend the loom

i would be interesed to see if you can somehow run it off the CD changer

WE NEED A WIREING EXPERT

Looks dead easy, you only have optical, power and can bus, you can buy a new optical cable and the hub is behind the seat back to east to get to.
You can then splice into the cd changer wiring to get the rest you need.

Any garage with the Autologic system will be able to modify the vehicle order to make your car see the dab tuner.

[DJP]

Anyone get round to this yet? I have the tuner, but there is no plug and play in the loom as far as I can see.

In the photo earlier of my previous car, I presume that the plug with the 2 thickish black cables nearest the camera are the antenna leads. The other plug will contain..

Power
Fiber optic cable (is this the ribbed black cable? - I have one of these ending in my current trunk next to the Bluetooth & USB module)
and...?

I wish I had back traced these cables a little more thoroughly before selling the car!

I have the CD Changer option, so I cant just cannibalize these cables..

[MBA]

Originally Posted by DJP

Anyone get round to this yet? I have the tuner, but there is no plug and play in the loom as far as I can see.

In the photo earlier of my previous car, I presume that the plug with the 2 thickish black cables nearest the camera are the antenna leads. The other plug will contain..

Power
Fiber optic cable (is this the ribbed black cable? - I have one of these ending in my current trunk next to the Bluetooth & USB module)
and...?

I wish I had back traced these cables a little more thoroughly before selling the car!

I have the CD Changer option, so I cant just cannibalize these cables..

You will have 2 fibre cables, and they run around the car in a loop. On an E91 at least, the wires for the loop to the boot (trunk) area distribute from a junction unit behind the left side rear seat back (under the seat belt area) The fibre cables in the loom will be in black "ribbed" outer sheath and in my E91 are green. In the same plug unit will be 2 normal leads for power +12V and earth.

I presume that even if you did fit the DAB unit in its bracket and connect up it would not work until it was coded to the radio by BMW.

[gIzzE]

You need to code the car for it, don't think there is an official retrofit available just yet, you would need a local garage with autologic to edit your cars config to get it working.

[Happy Moose]

Retrofitting the DAB receiver is relatively straightforward, if a little mechanically fiddly at time.

My car is a 2007 E90, supplied no CD changer. I have the "professional" CD player in the dash.

I bought the DAB receiver from eBay, presumably from someone who preferred to fit the CD Changer (it's basically an "either/or option"). It fits under the carpet in the boot, just behind the rear seat.

My car was not fitted with the CD changer either, but the power/optical feed it needs is found beneath the storage tray in the left-hand boot lining. This cable should be re-routed to the DAB radio area. It is of the correct length, and the connector is the same.

Some modification of the MOST optical loop is necessary as without the CD changer or DAB radio fitted, this part of the harness is isolated by default. Read the instructions on retrofitting the CD Changer (actually, the instructions for retrofitting the Sirius Satellite radio (US) describes the same process). The MOST junction box is underneath the rear seat-back. My car does not have a fold-down rear seat, but there are instructions on the net for removing the rear seat-back (just google for it), and the MOST junction box is there just the same.

Next, a DAB aerial must be fitted. DAB uses two aerials - Band III for most of Europe, and L-Band in others (including Germany and France). Most after-market aerials are dual band, however, the BMW DAB receiver has two aerials inputs, one for each band. Looking at the rear of the unit with the optical/power connector on the right, the two SMB connectors are the aerial inputs - Band III is on the left, L-Band on the right. I just hooked my dual-band aerial to the left input, and should I wish to listen to DAB in France, I'll swap the connector over :-)

Alternative solutions are:
o fit two aerials
o use a frequency-selective diplexer to split the signal in two (do not simply connect the aerials to both inputs as this will kill the signal strength). A colleague suggested that a passive satellite/FM splitter (of the type used to minimise cable runs in a house) can be used for this purpose (use the "sat" connection for L-band and "fm" for Band III and the "combined" connection is the dual-band aerial input) as the freqency bands are basically the same.

(BTW, I think the original BMW install had the L-band aerial in the shark's fin, the Band III aerial being fed from a splitter in the aerial amplifier attached to the rear screen - as my car was supplied without the DAB option, the splitter is absent from the aerial amplifier. Therefore for those that only need Band III, it might be possible to obtain the correct amplifier and thus complete the installation without an external aerial or any externally visible modification)

The aerial I chose has a magnetic mount - It sits on the roof with the cable routed in the recess between the rear screen and the bodywork, under the boot lid, beneath the rubber seal and into the boot.

The radio must be recoded to recognise the DAB radio. This is not a DIY job. Any Autologic garage can do this (Or perhaps even a friendly BMW garage, though they'll tell you a retrofit of the DAB radio is not possible.) I took mine to Autotech in Warwick who charged me 85 quid for the pleasure, and it took them about an hour.

...and then I drove home enjoying the radio in digital clarity :-)

Total cost:
o DAB Unit (ebay): 55 quid
o Aerial (Kinetic MagnetwiG DMA-1002, from www.dabonwheels.co.uk): 27 quid
o DAB Radio recoding (Autotech, in Warwick): 85 quid
o Box of plasters (ouch): 2 quid
o Celebratory beer: 3 quid

Total: 172 quid

[Budgie]

I wouldnt be without my radio 5live footy in DAB.Well worth it.

[DJP]

Hi Happy Moose, well done for the retrofit - I'd been waiting some time to hear a successful tale! Really good to know this is possible.

I'm a bit puzzled though as you say that you think that the CD changer and the DAB are either/or options... However it is quite possible to spec them both on a new car. What makes you think that you cant have both? I have the CDC fitted already, would you say I have to unplug this? TBH I would happily lose the CDC if I could have the DAB module working. You seem to indicate that the connector for the MOST and the power is the same, could I just swap them over? Do you think that because I have the car coded for the CDC I might get the car to recognize the DAB without a recode? Lots of new questions..

I really would like to be able to get away without using a different aerial. Where is the splitter for the Band III /FM aerial installed?

[Kobus]

Originally Posted by Happy Moose

Retrofitting the DAB receiver is relatively straightforward, if a little mechanically fiddly at time.

My car is a 2007 E90, supplied no CD changer. I have the "professional" CD player in the dash.

I bought the DAB receiver from eBay, presumably from someone who preferred to fit the CD Changer (it's basically an "either/or option"). It fits under the carpet in the boot, just behind the rear seat.

My car was not fitted with the CD changer either, but the power/optical feed it needs is found beneath the storage tray in the left-hand boot lining. This cable should be re-routed to the DAB radio area. It is of the correct length, and the connector is the same.

Some modification of the MOST optical loop is necessary as without the CD changer or DAB radio fitted, this part of the harness is isolated by default. Read the instructions on retrofitting the CD Changer (actually, the instructions for retrofitting the Sirius Satellite radio (US) describes the same process). The MOST junction box is underneath the rear seat-back. My car does not have a fold-down rear seat, but there are instructions on the net for removing the rear seat-back (just google for it), and the MOST junction box is there just the same.

Next, a DAB aerial must be fitted. DAB uses two aerials - Band III for most of Europe, and L-Band in others (including Germany and France). Most after-market aerials are dual band, however, the BMW DAB receiver has two aerials inputs, one for each band. Looking at the rear of the unit with the optical/power connector on the right, the two SMB connectors are the aerial inputs - Band III is on the left, L-Band on the right. I just hooked my dual-band aerial to the left input, and should I wish to listen to DAB in France, I'll swap the connector over :-)

Alternative solutions are:
o fit two aerials
o use a frequency-selective diplexer to split the signal in two (do not simply connect the aerials to both inputs as this will kill the signal strength). A colleague suggested that a passive satellite/FM splitter (of the type used to minimise cable runs in a house) can be used for this purpose (use the "sat" connection for L-band and "fm" for Band III and the "combined" connection is the dual-band aerial input) as the freqency bands are basically the same.

(BTW, I think the original BMW install had the L-band aerial in the shark's fin, the Band III aerial being fed from a splitter in the aerial amplifier attached to the rear screen - as my car was supplied without the DAB option, the splitter is absent from the aerial amplifier. Therefore for those that only need Band III, it might be possible to obtain the correct amplifier and thus complete the installation without an external aerial or any externally visible modification)

The aerial I chose has a magnetic mount - It sits on the roof with the cable routed in the recess between the rear screen and the bodywork, under the boot lid, beneath the rubber seal and into the boot.

The radio must be recoded to recognise the DAB radio. This is not a DIY job. Any Autologic garage can do this (Or perhaps even a friendly BMW garage, though they'll tell you a retrofit of the DAB radio is not possible.) I took mine to Autotech in Warwick who charged me 85 quid for the pleasure, and it took them about an hour.

...and then I drove home enjoying the radio in digital clarity :-)

Total cost:
o DAB Unit (ebay): 55 quid
o Aerial (Kinetic MagnetwiG DMA-1002, from www.dabonwheels.co.uk): 27 quid
o DAB Radio recoding (Autotech, in Warwick): 85 quid
o Box of plasters (ouch): 2 quid
o Celebratory beer: 3 quid

Total: 172 quid

hi, i have a 335i convert E93. i want to fit a aftermarket amp. but the only hick up i have is to get a ouput from the HU to my converter that wil run my amp. there are only 1 set of optical wire running from the HU to the amp that feeds the output. how do i connect to this system? can you please help.

[DJP]

Sounds like you have the Logic 7 system. This makes it much more difficult and expensive to install an aftermarket amp to, but not impossible.. Check out the main US forum for lots of info on what you need to consider.

[illingworth22]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

You need to buy the unit from ebay really and then get an Autologic garage (autologic is diagnotsic and coding kit) who has the most bus dongle to programme it for you.

As long as your car has most bust fitted you can fit it.

This may be a stupid question, but here goes.... What is Most Bus Option? and how do you know if you have this option?

P.S. gIzzE, I received the Blaupunkt Amp this week so you may be getting some PM's re the install

[Neil McRae]

if you've got bluetooth or upgraded audio you most likely have MOST Bus.

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by illingworth22

This may be a stupid question, but here goes.... What is Most Bus Option? and how do you know if you have this option?

P.S. gIzzE, I received the Blaupunkt Amp this week so you may be getting some PM's re the install

Originally Posted by Neil McRae

if you've got bluetooth or upgraded audio you most likely have MOST Bus.

The MOST bus is the fibreoptic data communications system that our cars use to send signals between the ECU and the various modules around the car. EVERY current BMW uses the MOST system, apart from the X6 and the new 7 series which have a development of the MOST system called Flexray. MOST bus is NOT an option on the car - it is very much standard

[Neil McRae]

sorry yes thats what I meant but I don't think you have the bus part wth the spare ports in it unless you have options that require them to add ports into the MOST bus.

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by Neil McRae

sorry yes thats what I meant but I don't think you have the bus part wth the spare ports in it unless you have options that require them to add ports into the MOST bus.

There is no longer a MOST port box - the modules daisy-chain around the car, and the cabling is already there to accept each additional module where a module is required.

[illingworth22]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

The MOST bus is the fibreoptic data communications system that our cars use to send signals between the ECU and the various modules around the car. EVERY current BMW uses the MOST system, apart from the X6 and the new 7 series which have a development of the MOST system called Flexray. MOST bus is NOT an option on the car - it is very much standard

[Happy Moose]

Hi DJP,

Sorry for taking so long to respond ...

Let me try to answer your questions:

1. "I think that the CD changer and the DAB are either/or options..."

It's just cabled that way. If you want both fitted, you'd need to get extra cabling (both copper and optics) to loop in both the CDC and the DAB module. If you have one or the other, the cables can be swapped round.

2. "I have the CDC fitted already, would you say I have to unplug this?"

If you don't have cabling for both, then yes. The power and Optic connections are the same.

3. "Do you think that because I have the car coded for the CDC I might get the car to recognize the DAB without a recode?"

The car will need recoding unless DAB already appears as an option on the head unit. It's not "plug-and-play".

4. "Where is the splitter for the Band III /FM aerial installed?"

The original BMW install has two aerials -- one (for France and Germany) on the roof in the shark fin (which I don't have) and the other (for everywhere else) using the rear window. There is an amplifier behind the roof lining which on those models with DAB pre-installed has an output for the DAB aerial. Mine didn't have this so I could not use any of BMW's factory-fit options. The two aerials are fed separately to two sockets in the DAB module.

You might be able to get the amplifier module containaing the DAB output from BMW (see www.realoem.com) - I may even try this myself so I can get rid of my external antenna.

My external antenna is two aerials in one, both feeds being fed to just one cable. So I have one aerial connector not used. If I go to france or germany, I simply swap the cable over. A splitter could be used to derive the two separate feeds from this one cable, but I simply can't be bothered The "wasted signals" do not harm the radio.

Actually it doesn't look too bad. It's a magnetic mount aerial, fits on the roof just by the rear window. The window is fitted in the exterior of the car so there's a rubber channel running right around the glass and the cable fits in there neatly and you can't see it. It then dives under the boot seals and into the boot. Didn't have to make any holes.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your install, if you haven't done it already