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36 minute read
DIY DICE Silverline radio mount - business CD, non DSP, non Nav, non changer, no tape
Compliments of bluebee @ bimmerfest.com
9-7-2010
I referred this "DICE Silverline radio mount" DIY to someone today and had to dig through to the 1819th' post in the epic DICE Silverline thread to find this; so I figured I'd make it easier next time by pulling it out into its own thread.
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See also cn90 "In Dash CD Player+ DICE Install Write-up"
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My DIY to install the latest DICE Silverline kit
(2002, BMW, 525i, radio mount, Business CD, no DSP, no Nav, no CD changer, no tapedeck, no Sirius stellite radio, no bluetooth phone)
Time: It took me half a day but it should take you (with these instructions) and hour or two at most.
iPod: You can identify your iPod at this web site.
Note the instructions that came with the unit are for trunk mounts, and most on the net are also trunk mounts.
Even those DIYs on the net for radio mount have very different connectors so, that's why this DIY was needed.
As a start, you can follow Tom's suggested X5 instructions for the radio part of the DIY but the connectors were different than mine.
As far as I can find, no exact instructions yet posted on the net have the same configuration as my Blue B, but many were close.
Unfortunately, I had to guess which connectors to leave and which to swap out but I must've guessed right 'cuz it worked!
Note: These steps have been cleaned up by removing the multiple dead ends, wrong turns, & u-turns I actually made.
Preparation:
- Order the latest radio mount DICE integration kit from Tom (see Tom's note about USB charging).
- This kit handles both the old (12v) and the new (5v, 500ma, USB) iPods (released in September 2008).
- Optionally buy a 1/8" 18-inch length mini-stereo-jack AUX extension cable (some suggested Radio Shack).
- Read as many instructions as you can & watch the many videos listed in this posting .
- None (except this one) pertain exactly to my configuration so consider yourself lucky if you found this.
- Clean out the glove box (some instructions recommend removing the glovebox door, but I left it in place).
- Some DIYs recommend recording radio-theft codes (if any), but I don't know what mine is (if it even exists).
- Some DIYs recommend saving radio-preset-button frequencies (I didn't bother; luckily my presets were preserved).
Tools:
- Despite what other instructions say, I didn't need philips or torx screwdrivers.
- I only needed a 1.5 mm allen wrench & a 2 mm allen wrench & a 10 mm box wrench.
- You'll probably want a flashlight also (to find locations for routing wires).
Caveats:
- The DICE will only charge an iPod that can "communicate" with it; so you must have "some charge" in the iPod. From a practical standpoint, in my case, that means I had to buy an external iPod charger anyway even though I only need it for a minute or two until the iPod is charged enough to "communicate" with the DICE. 
- The DICE will often "lock up" in ATTACHED mode under a variety of situations, most often after the iPod falls 'asleep'; the reputed 'keep awake' alarms never worked for me; the only solution is a full-battery reboot which I've had to do far far far too many times.
- The DICE has quite a few other "lockup" modes; so don't hot swap; don't change songs too often; and take it out of the car every night. Since, from a practical standpoint, the DICE supported use model is to be taken out of the car nightly, you really want to put the DICE connector in a more convenient spot than the glove box. 
- The instructions that came with my DICE said not to put the DICE under the radio; but the cords that came with it negated any other place than under the radio; and Tom says to put it under the radio; so, go figure. The fact that it's in a hard-to-reach spot coupled with the DICE's propensity to lock up, means you can only "reboot" it with a full-battery reboot (which is a royal PITA to have to do weekly). In practice, I reboot the battery about once a month and leave the DICE in ATTACHED mode for about half that time as invariably it locks up within a week or two of using it. 
Disconnect the battery:
- Open the trunk (you may wish to leave it open after disconnecting battery cables).
- With a 10 mm box or socket wrench, remove both battery cables, negative first.
- Most instructions say "touch them together" but mine didn't reach each other.
- Touch the positive cable to a ground strap for five seconds (a quick spark would be normal).
Remove the MID unit:
- Cover the gear-shift knob with a soft towel to protect it and the equipment you're removing.
- With your fingers, pull the Multi-Information Display (MID) knob straight out & off.
- With a flashlight, locate the allen-head set screw at the 6 o'clock position just below serrated post.
- Insert a 1.5 mm Allen hex-head wrench & twist 90 degrees counterclockwise to retract the MID lock pin.
- With your hands, using light force, pull the MID unit straight out away from the dashboard.
- Disconnect the MID data-input cable (press the fancy Molex-connector lever & flip it's handle 90 degrees).
- Place the MID unit in a safe place (e.g., on a towel strategically placed across the back seat).
Remove the Business CD & radio combination unit:
- Twist the two 2 mm allen head clamp-adjust screws under the Business CD just until they spin freely.
- With your hands, using light force, pull the Business CD straight out away from the dash.
- Unclip the small black radio aerial connector by depressing the raised ridge with your fingers and pulling straight out.
- Unclip the very large radio-cable harness by depressing a small tab inside the black lever then opening the lever upwards.
- Pull the radio-cable harness connector straight out, away from the Business CD unit.
- Place the radio in a safe place (e.g., on a towel placed across the back seat).
Configure the DICE unit:
- On the DICE control box, locate the "Car switch" dual-inline-package (DIP) switches (two tiny white levers).
- Set both to the "off" position (toward the colored DICE Electronics logo, away from the black-and-white labeling).
- On the DICE, locate the "IPod switch" dual-inline-package (DIP) switches (two tiny white levers).
- Set both to the "off" position (toward the colored DICE Electronics logo, away from the black-and-white labeling).
Note: The definition of these settings was the only place where the installation manual shipped with the DICE was actually useful.
... ...
At this point the referenced X5 DICE installation instructions both become a lifesaver & become less useful.
They're less useful because the physical parts are different (e.g., there is no need to remove a climate control unit).
But, they're a lifesaver because they show the critical stop of swapping out the black bluetooth molex connector!
...
BTW, the otherwise excellent Gunsmoke instructions are too old (and, again, the wiring is too different from mine.)
Likewise with "InCarIpod" instructions (less old, less different, but different connectors and procedures nonetheless)
It's the same with the "BMW installation instructions supplement", which, like most, only covers the trunk-mount method.
...
Even after all the research, I was basically on my own at this major point as to the choice of wiring connectors.
- Given there were at least two approaches, I didn't know which to take.
- The one approach would be to simply splice the DICE cable into the radio harness, without swapping any of the original connectors.
- The other approach would be to swap some or all of the likely molex sub assemblies, and then splice the DICE cable into the radio harness.
- I opted to swap only the one black molex "bluetooth" connector from the old harness connector to the new DICE harness connector.
...
You just have to guess what connects to what based on your intuition.
- I guessed. It worked. I wrote up the guesswork below. The fact that the iPod works fine, indicates I guessed right.
- Be advised, I had to try multiple things, most of which didn't work, and twice and to take it all back apart & redo.
- Below are only the direct-route idealized instructions (i.e., as if I had been a genius and had done it right the first time).
... ...
Route wires from the glovebox to the radio:
- Wedge a flashlight in the glovebox pointing to port, toward the radio mounting.
- Look through the large rectangular opening where the radio was to see the light from the flashlight behind various & sundry items.
- Basically that flashlight shines along the very convoluted path you're going to route the iPod & Aux wires through.
- Pick up the blue end of the DICE IPod connection cable (do not hook it to the DICE controller just yet).
- The direction to thread that blue end is important; start at the glovebox working toward the radio (not the other way around).
- Begin right behind the glovebox support arm and thread the blue end of the DICE cable into the radio compartment.
- It turned out to be easiest for me to angle the DICE cable blue end to port a bit and then to the stern (my little hands help).
- Finally route the blue end of the iPod docking cable through the larger top radio hole grabbing the blue end with your other hand.
- Leave the blue 8-pin DIN DICE iPod round connector dangling out the radio hole for the time being.
- If you're routing an AUX cable, follow the same path and directions as for the iPod cable (I didn't 'cuz it's inconvenient to switch anyway).
- You're supposed to secure connections with cable ties but I didn't 'cuz it took three tries alone to get this right & I didn't know when if was done).
Swap out just one of the multiple Molex connectors:
- At this point, if you already know what do do, it's very simple (it took me multiple guesses and tries but why explain that here).
- Don't even bother with the printed instructions that came with the DICE unit as they don't even resemble your harness connectors.
- First, you must realize the DICE cabling is an "almost" duplicate of the male:female radio-cable harness connector.
- Comparing them, side by side, notice there is an additional black Molex connector in the original radio-cable harness connector.
- Later, I found out from Tom this is the "bluetooth" connector and the X5 instructions Tom referred me to clearly say to swap it out.
- Remove just that one black bluetooth Molex connector from the original to swap it into the DICE harness connector.
- That's it! This was the most complex step for me (should I do it or not was my dilemma). I'll make it easy for you. Swap it out!
Splice into the main radio-harness wiring:
- At this point, as they say, the rest is simple and intuitive (so, who needs instructions!).
- First, plug in your now-modified large squarish DICE radio-cable harness connector to the back of the radio.
- Plug the other (almost empty) end of the DICE radio-cable harness connector to the original radio-cable harness connector.
- Be very careful not to allow the individual thin blade pin connectors to push back out (as they did on me a couple of times).
- Snap all Molex connector saddle straps down (these Germans sure know how to make a tight connection).
Finish the DICE wiring:
- Now that the radio harness is spliced, it's time to hook up the other two cables to the DICE controller unit.
- Route all wires through the larger (top) radio hole (not the smaller bottom MID hole).
- Connect the blue DIN 8-pin round DICE "IPod docking cable" connector to the DICE "IPod" port.
- Connect the black Molex 12-pin rectangular DICE "vehicle specific connector" to the DICE "Vehicle" port.
- Place the now-wired DICE control unit below the MID, lying flat, shiny logo up, below the waterline of the MID opening.
- Juggle the now-large newly-spliced radio harness cabling & huge molex connectors so as to be out of the way of the radio.
- If necessary, cut the tie wrap around the loops of the DICE cable in order to juggle the wiring to fit the radio.
(I'm not sure what that DICE tie wrap was originally there for but I needed the jiggle room so I had to cut it off.)
Finish the radio wiring & reassembly:
- Connect the radio antenna onto the back of the combination Business CD & radio unit.
- Now is a good time to dangle the MID connector out the lower MID hole so you have it handy for later (lesson learned).
- Push the radio unit back into the dashboard taking care not to pinch the DICE splice harness connectors.
- Twist the two 2 mm allen bolt lock screws under the Business CD until they are both tight.
Finish the MID wiring & reassembly:
- Check that the 1.5 mm Allen hex-head lock pin is still retracted before placing the MID unit back in the dash (lesson learned).
- Connect the previously dangled MID connector to the back of the MID unit & snap down the lock bar.
- Push the MID unit back into the dashboard taking care to slide above the DICE unit stored below the MID.
- Insert a 1.5 mm Allen hex-head wrench & twist 90 degrees clockwise to push out the lock pin (which works like a laptop cablelock does).
- Replace the volume control knob on the MID unit.
Reconnecting the battery:
- If necessary, use the BMW key to manually open the trunk compartment ('cuz it didn't open electrically for me).
- Instructions say touch the battery cables together (but mine didn't fit so short the positive to the battery strap instead).
- With a 10mm socket or box wrench, reconnect the battery cables, positive first.
- Sit inside the cockpit for a few minutes admiring your work and doing a nose/eye/ear smoke test of the connections.
Connecting the iPod:
- Most instructions say to reboot the iPod by pressing on MENU & CENTER buttons or MENU & SELECT for five seconds.
- Of course, that won't work for the iPod touch that I had, so I borrowed an iPod nano just to be sure.
- For the iPod touch, you might try Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings (is a reset really needed?).
- Before connecting the iPod to the DICE, some instructions say to set the iPod to "Shuffle" so that random (RND) works on the DICE.
- Open the glovebox and connect the flat thin DICE iPod connector to the iPod (this is the fun'nest step of all ... no poof... no smoke ... no smell.)
- Whew! Breathe easily. You guessed right. Or at least you didn't guess very wrongly. You hope.
Using the iPod:
- Unfortunately, you can not operate the iPod from the iPod itself; all operation will be thru the BMW radio & steering wheel controls.
- Be patient, instructions say the iPod may cycle through a set of screens while it initializes in the DICE mode (I went inside for some tea).
- So just wait at least 10 seconds to a minute or more before making any selection or changes (it was ready for me when I came back).
- Bear in mind the iPod will not charge unless the key is turned to at least the accessory (Acc) position (lesson learned).
- Turn on your radio and press "Mode" to select the CD mode.
- To step through songs, press the radio ">" or "<" buttons.
- Or press the steering wheel "<" or ">" buttons to scroll through songs.
- Even though you do not have a CD changer, the DICE acts as a CD changer so you'll see new (to you) words on your radio (e.g., "CD 1-01").
- One by one, select CD 1-01, CD 1-02, CD 2-01, etc. to see how each button changes the DICE operation.
- Watch the instrument cluster display go from "PLAYLIST: IP" to "ARTIST: ALL" to "ALBUM: ALL A" to "SEL: IPOD" to "SOFTWARE VER", etc.
- Notice the MP3 ID3 tags display in the instrument cluster (either ID3v1 or ID3v2, I'm not sure because all my songs have both tags).
Recommendations for setting up the iPod:
- Check your iPod firmware http://support.diceelectronics.com & compare against the manual supplied by DICE.
- The manual I had didn't seem to have the latest-generation I had so you really need to play it by ear (Tom says they all work now).
- Most people don't realize iTunes software (currently at subversion 8.0.1.11) is only required to initially set up your iPod.
- Personally, I recommend Windows users consider deleting iTunes immediately after initializing a new iPod (reasons too numerous & OT to list).
- I also recommend Windows SharePod freeware to manage your songs (for all iPods except the iPhone & iPod touch which don't act as disks). Below you will see agent15 recommends MediaMonkey which does the same thing but also rips songs off of a Redbook CDROM. Either way, neither of us recommends iTunes for a variety of reasons.
- With SharePod, you simply slide any desired song on or off your iPod from or to any Windows PC without any hassle or fuss.
- I also recommend you strive to MP3 ID3 tag all your songs (both ID3v1 & ID3v2) for consistency (plenty of free software exists for that).
- This way, your instrument cluster display will be more meaningful to you because the meta data is what is displayed (not the file name of the song).
Registering your DICE unit:
- You're supposed to register your Dice at htp://www.diceelectronics.com/register (I'm not sure what that buys you though).
- You're supposed to post your experiences here on Bimmerfest (that doesn't help you as much as it helps the next installer).
SUMMARY:
Caveat emptor ... ASK specific questions ... only then do you get the "full" answer ... e.g.,
Q: Does it charge my iPod?
A: Yes. Of course.
Q: Does it charge a dead iPod?
A: No. Sorry. The iPod must have enough charge to "communicate" with the DICE before it will charge it.
Q: Do you have installation instructions?
A: Sure.
Q: Do you have installation instructions for my car?
A: No. Sorry. We only supply trunk-mount instructions with the iPod. We can refer you to "similar" car instructions that someone wrote on the net but the connectors are all different than in your car.
To keep things together, here is the related printout (from this thread) you can keep in your visor for your bewildered passenger who wishes to operate the DICE w/o a prior training class. 
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Printable instructions for operating the DICE Silverline iPod adapter (in a BMW E39)
/ icon and title message The DICE Silverline iPod adapter is a bit non-intuitive to use and by some accounts, does not come with sufficient user instructions for use in the E39...
This is an attempt to create a dedicated thread to improve these single-sheet printable instructions that we keep tucked away in our passenger's sun visor.
This is the third revision (improving upon the first and second revs) so we can more easily update the use-model instructions as needed.
Please add other desired tasks as needed.
DISPLAY:
(6)(>CD-04)(1) Displays song information on the MID
(6)(>CD-03)(1) Displays song information on the Cluster
INPUT:
(5)(>CD-01)(1) Sets the input source to iPod
(5)(>CD-02)(1) Sets the input source to Aux
SONG: Set the Dice Silverline to Song mode
(6)(1)(>) Scroll thru the songs until you find the one you want
(1) Lock in the desired song and remap the arrow button to ...
(>) Scroll thru the thousands of songs on your iPod touch
PLAYLIST: Set the Dice Silverline to Playlist mode
(6)(2)(>) Scroll thru the playlists until you find the one you want
(1) Lock in the desired playlist and remap the arrow button to ...
(>) Scroll thru the songs within that selected playlist
ARTIST: Set the Dice Silverline to Artist mode
(6)(3)(>) Scroll thru the artists until you find the one you want
(1) Lock in the desired artist and remap the arrow button to ...
(>) Scroll thru the songs within that selected artist
ALBUM: Set the Dice Silverline to Album mode
(6)(4)(>) Scroll thru the albums until you find the one you want
(1) Lock in the desired album and remap the arrow button to ...
(>) Scroll thru the songs within that selected album
SUPPORT:
First register at http://register.diceelectronics.com
Then call DICE Electronics Technical Support at 888-342-3999 x2,x1
Or, if you bought from Tom at EAS, talk to him at 866-669-0705 x22
Note 0: This chart assumes a DICE Silverline radio mount in a 2002 E39 with BMW Business CD, no nav, no dsp, with both Dice DIP switches UP. The command key is that (#) is a MID button; (>CD-##) is a press of the arrow (either steering wheel or MID) when it selects the CD number; and (>) is just a press of that arrow (either steering wheel or MID) when it is mapped to select the track. [This is hard to describe so see the attached photo for clarification.]
Caution 0: DICE SLEEPAPNEA; When the iPod goes into Hibernation or DeepSleep (depending on the model) while attached to the DICE cable, and then the DICE is subsequently restarted while the iPod is still attached, the DICE is known to sometimes (but not always) freeze, permanently displaying "ATTACHED" on your text display (whether or not the iPod is subsequently attached or removed or reattached, etc.). When that happens, the only known solution is a full battery reset procedure (although DICE support says detaching the power to the DICE may also sometimes work, others disagree. YMMV.)
Caution 1: Some reputed triggers for DICE ATTACHED freezes are only suspected:
- GOLDILOCKS: If your iPod battery is not too low nor high enough, it is suspected it can cause the DICE to go into ATTACHED freeze mode.
- HOTSWAP: It is reputed if you hot swap two iPods too quickly, it appears the DICE can possibly enter the permanent freeze ATTACHED mode.
- ITCHYFINGERS: If you give the DICE too many commands in too short a time, it is suspected that also might cause the DICE to get confused.
WARNING: Once frozen, the DICE will permanently output "ATTACHED" on your text display and will not play anything until you perform a full battery reset procedure.
WORKAROUND: If you plan to hotswap, goldilock, or itchyfinger the DICE, it has been recommended you might forestall ATTACHED freezing by periodically turning off the car for 30 seconds or at least cycling through the "MODE" button on your E39 radio to reset the DICE between interactions.
Recommendation 0: Keep a portable iPod charger in your vehicle. You must keep an additional portable iPod charger in your vehicle if you wish to have songs on tap at all times. This portable iPod charger is needed even if the DICE charges the iPod because the DICE will not charge an iPod whose battery is sufficiently low as to not boot the iPod sufficiently for the DICE to communicate with the iPod to charge it. This portable iPod charger is only needed for about 5 or 10 minutes; after that, the iPod is sufficiently charged to boot and the DICE can take over the charging action. This portable iPod charger can be a PC with a standard iPod USB cable or a 12-volt iPod charger adapter or a 120v iPod charging unit connected to a 12v-to-120v inverter.
Note 1: A full battery reset procedure is as follows:
1. Disconnect the iPod from the DICE interface cable
2. Remove the negative battery cable with a 10mm socket wrench
3. Remove the positive battery cable with a 10mm socket wrench
4. Touch battery cable terminals together (away from battery) for about 5 seconds (a small spark is normal as this is stored power draining from the system); on the E39, short with your wrench because the cables do not reach each other otherwise.
5. Allow cables to remain disconnected for about 5-7 minutes
6. Reconnect the positive battery cable
7. Reconnect the negative battery cable
8. Reboot most iPods by pressing on MENU & CENTER buttons for about 5 seconds and then reconnecting to the DICE cable after the reboot process is completed. Reboot of iPod touch & iPhone, which don't have buttons, is a different procedure (please advise so we can write that here for others).
Note 2: Charging: Older iPods charged with 12volts while the newer iPods (after 9/2008) use 5v. If you have a black connector at the DICE end, it will only charge the older 12v iPods; you'll need a new cable to handle newer iPods. If you have the latest green connector (after about January of 2009) it will charge both the older 12v and the newer 5v iPods and it will work on most DICE units retroactively. The blue connector, which is what I have, was apparently a temporary interim DICE that came out late in 2008 but it also charges both 12v & 5v iPods.
Note 3: Inputs: The DICE has two input cable choices: iPod or Aux. Most people use the iPod input. The DICE comes with the iPod input cable but not with an Aux input cable. Both cables can be installed since they each have a separate input on the DICE unit. Suggested Aux cable is 1/8th stereo plug, male to male; but other options exist (e.g., RCA phono plugs, male-to female, etc.). For the radio mount, at least 4 feet is the suggested length for the AUX cable as 3 feet barely makes it to the center console.
Note 4: Control: To put the DICE into Simple UI mode (i.e., to control songs from the iPod UI but without any text display on the MID or cluster) disconnect the battery and then set both DICE DIP switches to the DOWN position; then reconnect the battery.
Note 5: Installation: Most people place the DICE in the trunk or under the MID. Only trunk-mount instructions come with the DICE; however trunk mounts are known to sometimes suffer from electromagnetic interference. Radio mounts are not known to suffer from EMI. Both are easy afternoon DIYs (if you have instructions). For radio mounts, you need to review the installation instructions on the web for your make/model BMW. There were no known radio-mount instructions for my simple E39 radio mount so I wrote them up separately. The only tools I required were two allen wrenches (1.5 mm and 2.0 mm) and a flashlight (to see where to snake the wires from the MID to the glovebox). To remove the MID, remove the volume knob & twist the set screw at the 6-o-clock position under the volume knob 90 degrees counter-clockwise with the 1.5mm allen wrench. To remove the BMW Business CD, loosen the two 2.0 mm set screws which are only visible after you remove the MID. Both units pull out by hand.
Recommendation: Print these instructions and place a folded copy in your passenger sun visor for passenger reference.
While the DICE plays wonderfully, it isn't without it's "issues", so, if you're contemplating the DICE, you MUST, for your own sake, read up on the gotchas (which won't be accurately told you to unless you ask directly - ask me how I know that).
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0. Here's the summary of E39 users experience with the DICE Silverline:
- Questions for e39 DICE Silverline users (
1 2 3) by Fudman
1. For the epic DICE thread, go here:
Official DICE iPod integration kit Q/A thread ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page) by tom @ eas
2. For the epic DICE Silverline thread, go here:
Official DICE SILVERLINE iPod Integration Kit Q/A Thread ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page) by tom @ eas
3. I'm not sure where the epic DICE Silverline Pro thread would be ...
Hmmm... you only have to press "disc 6" if you wish to change the "mode"; otherwise it defaults to the previously set mode.
Actually, in my situation, it almost always defaults to ATTACHED mode; but again, that's the topic of another thread ... 
I agree with Fudman, that the MOST IMPORTANT consideration of all is where you're gonna put your Ipod (I said it so loooong ago here).
This is even more important a consideration than:
- Which iPod should I buy
- Which DICE should I buy
- Which DICE configuration (trunk or radio) should I buy
What matters most, in the end, is WHERE you PUT the iPod!
It's ironic that the DICE is designed so that you fiddle with the MID instead of with the iPod ... but because the DICE absolutely requires you to fiddle with the ipod (you are supposed to remove it at least daily), the most important consideration of all is where you will eventually put the iPod.
If you get the radio mount (as I did), you practically can't put the iPod anywhere other than in the (PITA) glovebox. There are those who have put it under the center console ... but they're braver than I.
Like Fudman said, the trunk mount provides longer wires. The bad part about that is some people with trunk mount experience radio interference and 'clicks' which has never (AFAIK) been reported with the radio mount.
So, what we really need (IMHO) are good radio-mount instructions for placing the DICE in the center console. That makes the iPod accessible and also eliminates the interference issue.
Do good radio-mount iPod-in-the-console instructions exist for the DICE?
10-12-2010
I agree. SharePod & MediaMonkey work the way they should. You just slide MP3 songs from any iPod to any (Windows) PC and vice versa, from any PC to any iPod. iTunes is sheer bloatware.
One more tool you might want is a freeware tag editor for the MP3 songs.
Sure you can manually (and somewhat automagically) edit tags already (well, in SharePod and iTunes for sure ... dunno about MediaMonkey) ... but I sometimes change the tags on a few hundred songs at once, perhaps using named %variables% and upper-lower-casing heuristics and the like.
To do that, on Windows, I use "Multi ID3 Tag Editor 1.3b" freeware (but lots of freeware will edit tags).
Generally I edit the Artist and Title tags as those two tags are mostly what shows up on the iPod and on the MID or cluster pixel display. I also put things into my own personalized set of "Albums" so I very often edit the album tag at the same time. Often I rename the files, so I let the tags mirror the filename sections for Artist, Album, and Title. And I remove extraneous garbage that crops in over time. All this is just finesse, i.e., not strictly needed ... but it helps to organize the thousands of songs you have on file. (And you may know I like to be organized! 
11-13-2010
The radio-mount harness existed; what didn't exist were installation instructions for that radio mount kit.
Keep in mind the radio mount harness is totally different than the trunk mount harness (not only in default length but also in the connectors). Specifically, what came with the radio-mount DICE kit were instructions for a trunk mount ... which clearly did not apply to the radio-mount situation. The user was left to guess.
Tom, as always, was wonderful. He kindly pointed me to X5 radio-mount instructions on the web, which were close to but not the same as my configuration. Roughly half of that X5 installation applied; half did not (as noted prior).
Rest assured I had personally scoured the Internet (as anyone who knows me knows I would) for radio-mount instructions (and posted what I found), prior to realizing none existed for my specific configuration ...
The problem was I had to guess at which electrical connectors to connect and which to not connect. I also had to guess where/how to route the wires, and where specifically to place the DICE Silverline module itself. All that guessing unsettled me. This is an expensive car to be running smoke tests on the electrical system.
So, after I was done, and the car didn't blow up, I wrote this DIY at that time, to help others with the same configuration. Now Tom could point others to these radio-mount instructions when they bought the radio-mount kit. Everyone wins.
Anyway, the biggest problem, as I've often said, is not how to initially connect the DICE; the biggest problem, over time, is WHERE to put the iPod such that it is convenient to the driver!
This is because the use model dictates daily fiddling with the iPod, either to connect and disconnect, or to wake up the iPod, or to disconnect the iPod from the DICE in order to charge it on an external cigarette-lighter $15 USB 5v charger (since the DICE will not charge a 5v iPod whose battery is so low that the DICE cannot communicate with that iPod).
To that end, it is interesting to note that today, our esteemed cn90 wrote up what he called a "redneck DIY" to switch his 3-year-old iPod-in-the-glovebox setup to running the DICE wires out the cupholders, expressly for more convenient access to the iPod.
BTW, here's another ingenious routing for the AUX wires (by chiefwej from this BMW glovebox flashlight recharger thread) to the "side panel" of the cupholders.
I wonder anyone has ever similarly MOUNTED the two DICE output connectors (aux & iPod) to the side panels (which would allow the cupholders to remain operational).
11-16-2010
As an xref for one-stop shopping, since the final location of the iPod is the most critical factor of all in these installations, here's yet another idea.
Ryan ingeniously routed his DICE wires in 40 minutes "through the trunk, under the rear seats, along the trim, up above the feet, and the cord is sticking out of a the ebrake boot."
11-18-2010
To continue the one-stop shopping for the most expert advice, notice that you don't even have to poke a hole in the parking brake leather boot to route the DICE-to-iPod connector convenient to the driver.
Fudman says:
4-5-2011
Just for the record, I had to dig up this picture so I'm adding it here so that it's more easily accessible since a lot of people seem to have a problem with the removal of the MID allen quarter-turn set bolt.
- E39 (1997 - 2003) > 528i stock radio removal
Here is my MID which, for my 2002 525i, clearly uses a 1.5mm allen wrench.
1-22-2013
For the record, here is a DIY posted today which shows how one user added the $40 BMW AUX connection to his E39 for Smarphone integration (from this thread):
-> E39 (1997 - 2003) > E39 and SmartPhone - How to connect?
EDIT:
On Windows I use Adobe Acrobat to shrink PDFs, but, on Linux I'm not sure how to shrink PDFs so I simply split the 33-page PDF in half using PDF Toolkit (pdftk) in order to keep it below the 7MB upload limit:
Code:
$ pdftk bmw.pdf cat 1-18 output 1-18.pdf
$ pdftk bmw.pdf cat 18-end output 18-33.pdf
$ mv 1-18.pdf bmw_e39_smartphone_radio_aux_installation_diy_p1-18.pdf
$ mv 18-33.pdf bmw_e39_smartphone_radio_aux_installation_diy_p18-33.pdf
See also:
- How to remove the E39 business CD radio MID (1) and adding the BMW AUX smart phone connection (1) & DICE Silverline radio-mount instructions (1) (2) (3) & how to remove just the MID (1) (2) (3) & how not to remove the MID (1) (2) by stripping the torx twist screw.
bmw_e39_smartphone_radio_aux_installation_diy_p18-33.pdf
bmw_e39_smartphone_radio_aux_installation_diy_p1-18.pdf