Dension 500 install with CDC 4
11-17-2011, 01:50 PM
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Dension 500 install with CDC 4
Okay guys, there are plenty of Dension install threads, but I'm going to add another because I haven't seen a lot of clear pictorial instructions on using the Dension unit and retaining the CDC-4 functionality as well.
My car is PCM 2.1 with CDC-4 cd changer in the frunk. The fiber optic loop leaves the PCM unit and goes first to the AMP, and then to the CD changer, then back to the PCM. I know this because the connector at the amp will illuminate as long as the ignition is on, and even sometimes when it isn't, although the connector at the CD changer will illuminate only when the connector to the amp is plugged in.
The dension, then, does not go between the output of the PCM and the input of the amp, but between the amp output and the input to the PCM where the CD changer used to be.
Because multiple cd changers are not enabled for PCM, the secondary loop on the Dension is used for the cd changer and the dension unit replaces the CD changer in the loop.
The long and short is that you don't need to undo any trim or fish around behind the brake booster like I've seen on a couple of videos. Reprogramming the PCM is not required because a CDC-4 was already in place. Simply do the following:
Toggle dipswitches 2 and 3 to the on position on the Dension in accordance with the Dension manual.
Unplug the FO connector from the CDC-4.
Use wire taps to source power from the CDC-4's power connector, which is just aft of the FO connector. Use the brown wire (ground, black on the Dension harness) and the red/green wire (red wire on the dension harness). For whatever reason, the voltage on the white/red wire is too low to turn on the dension. I was reading 11.8 with the car off. The dension needs at least 12V for the unit to function and the blue LED to turn on. You will want to trim the dension power harness pretty short; I left about 4 inches past the fuse. Strip the ends and crimp them into the radio shack connectors.
Disconnect the FO connector from the CDC-4 and plug it into the primary side of the dension, holes "1 and 2." (the top if "Dension" is right side up). No modification is necessary to the cable/connector, just unplug from the cdc and plug into the dension.
There are two FO cable pairs that come with the dension. Use the one that says "CDC side" to connect the dension directly to the CDC-4 using the dension's secondary loop, holes "3 and 4." If you're holding the Dension "right side up" so that the word "Dension" is readable, this is the port on the bottom.
You can see in my picture that I routed the cable up and over the CDC-4 and then looped it back into the bottom of the CDC-4 to plug it in.
Take the other FO cable pair that came with the dension and throw it away.
Take all the other FO connectors and also throw them away.
3M tape the dension to the surface of the CDC-4.
The aux-input box must be plugged into the dension for it to work. Toggle down for dension input (ipod/USB) to be enabled, toggle up for CDC-4 to be enabled. Both cannot work at the same time. 3M tape this to the CDC as well and tuck the excess cable underneath the CDC.
In summary you don't have to do any crazy FO cable splicing or connector modification to make it work. Just unplug the CDC-4 and put the dension in its place. Don't even think about touching any FO cables that are near the amp or in the passenger compartment.
My car is PCM 2.1 with CDC-4 cd changer in the frunk. The fiber optic loop leaves the PCM unit and goes first to the AMP, and then to the CD changer, then back to the PCM. I know this because the connector at the amp will illuminate as long as the ignition is on, and even sometimes when it isn't, although the connector at the CD changer will illuminate only when the connector to the amp is plugged in.
The dension, then, does not go between the output of the PCM and the input of the amp, but between the amp output and the input to the PCM where the CD changer used to be.
Because multiple cd changers are not enabled for PCM, the secondary loop on the Dension is used for the cd changer and the dension unit replaces the CD changer in the loop.
The long and short is that you don't need to undo any trim or fish around behind the brake booster like I've seen on a couple of videos. Reprogramming the PCM is not required because a CDC-4 was already in place. Simply do the following:
Toggle dipswitches 2 and 3 to the on position on the Dension in accordance with the Dension manual.
Unplug the FO connector from the CDC-4.
Use wire taps to source power from the CDC-4's power connector, which is just aft of the FO connector. Use the brown wire (ground, black on the Dension harness) and the red/green wire (red wire on the dension harness). For whatever reason, the voltage on the white/red wire is too low to turn on the dension. I was reading 11.8 with the car off. The dension needs at least 12V for the unit to function and the blue LED to turn on. You will want to trim the dension power harness pretty short; I left about 4 inches past the fuse. Strip the ends and crimp them into the radio shack connectors.
Disconnect the FO connector from the CDC-4 and plug it into the primary side of the dension, holes "1 and 2." (the top if "Dension" is right side up). No modification is necessary to the cable/connector, just unplug from the cdc and plug into the dension.
There are two FO cable pairs that come with the dension. Use the one that says "CDC side" to connect the dension directly to the CDC-4 using the dension's secondary loop, holes "3 and 4." If you're holding the Dension "right side up" so that the word "Dension" is readable, this is the port on the bottom.
You can see in my picture that I routed the cable up and over the CDC-4 and then looped it back into the bottom of the CDC-4 to plug it in.
Take the other FO cable pair that came with the dension and throw it away.
Take all the other FO connectors and also throw them away.
3M tape the dension to the surface of the CDC-4.
The aux-input box must be plugged into the dension for it to work. Toggle down for dension input (ipod/USB) to be enabled, toggle up for CDC-4 to be enabled. Both cannot work at the same time. 3M tape this to the CDC as well and tuck the excess cable underneath the CDC.
In summary you don't have to do any crazy FO cable splicing or connector modification to make it work. Just unplug the CDC-4 and put the dension in its place. Don't even think about touching any FO cables that are near the amp or in the passenger compartment.
Last edited by knfeparty; 11-17-2011 at 07:16 PM.
