I have a feeling the power source is your problem. Even though the PCM does not have a switched power wire it is indeed powered off with the MOST bus. The Dension needs to power on/off with the bus as well. I have no idea why Dension would recommend keeping constant power unless they have updated the 500 to be controlled by the MOST bus status but I am doubting this.

I needed to find this switched power with key in on my 997.2 and was easily able to find a blank fuse insert using a volt meter. I then used a ATP fuse tap to run power. (This was for a NAV-TV product). I'm guessing the fuse layout is slightly different on the 997.1's.
I went through this same random handshaking issues with the NAV-TV Sirius adapter and having it cycle power with the MOST bus solved all the weirdness.

 

I'm on PCM 2.1 in a 2006 997.1 Turbo. I have Bose, Nav, CD Changer and Phone Module. CDC is looped out, phone module is looped out and decoded.

I've tried switching off the PCM before the car, then on at startup. Doesn't change the problem. If I pull this out I will replace it with a Viseeo MOSTO, or replace the PCM with with a third party head unit.

One thing to note is that my iPhone via USB did work (over a third party lightning cable).

Interesting comments regarding switching vs constant power. Everything I've been told and have read states to use constant.

 

I installed my Dension 500BT back in December, and I was very happy with it then. But in April, I started having significant problems, where the 500BT would not come up, and it kept the amplifier from coming up as well. I thought I was the only one, but I just came back to this forum to see if there were others....

The problem happened about once a week initially, but last week this was occurring about 80% of the time, but now this week it is down to about 30% of the time. I have given up on trying to start the car immediately when I get in. Instead I:

(initialize annoyance timer: 5 minutes for normal operation; 20 seconds when accompanied by spouse - exit 500BT startup process when exceeded)
1) turn ignition on (but not starter)
2) wait until PCM comes up (usually about 10 seconds, but if problems occur, this takes close to a minute)
3) if sounds come up - radio, as I do not leave in CD Changer anymore and no PCM error (Amplifier not found), then 4) if PCM error (Amplifier not found) then5) if sounds appear within 10 seconds (fiddle with volume during this time)Before stopping the car, I always switch back from CD Changer (500BT) to Radio, as I can tell when the amplifier is activated. With the 500BT, you cannot be sure of the problem is the bluetooth streaming or the 500BT/Amplifier issues.

An alternative process might be employed if restarting, as 500BT does not seem to turn itself off fro up to 30 minutes. In this case, you may want to first check that 500BT is up (blue light). If so and the amplifier does not come up on the first iteration, give up immediately - it will not come up on that trip.

As far as I can tell, the root of the issue is that the 500BT does not wake up, and as a result it does not allow the request to the amplifier to pass through on the optical connection. I do not imagine the location of the PCM on the MOST ring would affect this, as it is a ring, but maybe I am wrong there. So when the 500BT fails, I lose all audio.

Today is the day that I was going to take off work a little early and call Eric.

-Chris

 

^ wow !

I don't think I can handle such nuisance on a regular basis..

Sorry, I can't help with the issues u guys are having. To me, it sounds like a hardware problem from Dension. But I am sure Eric will do everything he can to sort it out.

I purchased Denison 500 (not sure if it's the same model) with BT about 4 years ago from Eric and haven't had any problems. I had it professionally installed and I have never updated the software.

Hope it works out for u guys !!

 

Seahull: I find that your decision tree resembles mine. Interestingly, the shortest path to restoring both has been to remove the fuse of the PCM to turn them both off, then putting it back on.

What I noticed as well: take the Denison off power for a while... It then starts working more regularly, for a few days... Then the issue starts again.

 

Crazycarlito: glad tohear that yours worked, gives me hope.

Do you know where your installer installed it, and where he is taking power from? Is this a switched or unswitched source?

Thanks in advance

 

I'd love to hear from more people that have installed it themselves and have it working trouble free. Tell us how you installed it.

 

My Bluetooth refuses to work. I'm thinking of going aftermarket and installing a Pioneer 8000NEX and being done with this.

 

Here is another crazy theory that could explain why using a switched power might be the solution. Again, I will need to try it, I am still testing the hypothesis before opening the panels again.

The theory:
. The Dension 500S BT could be crashing at the END of a trip, not the beginning
. The crash could be due to the disconnection of a bluetooth device, or losing signal, and loop trying to reconnect again until it crashes

The reasoning:
. Once the system has failed, the Dension has not yet booted, and is looping in that "clicking sound" mode
. Reseting the unit BEFORE turning on the PCM, or before turning ON the car, helps almost always

Further tests to validate the assumption:
. Try using the system without bluetooth without iPod interface, using only the 3.5mm Jack, and ensuring no phone are bluetooth-connected to it (to demonstrate if the issue is with BlueTooth)
. Continue trying the "reset before turning the PCM on" procedure to verify that it solves the situation every time (if the issue is, for example, a memory leak that accumulates over time, the recycling would help)

If this is the issue:
. Report it back to Eric at BumperPlugs
. Try connecting the Dension to a switched power source, to ensure that it "recycles" after every trip

Sorry for this lengthy post, with a lot of speculation still. I sure want to get this fixed, as the alternative (replacing the entire PCM) is not a good answer, neither is the FM-modulation solution.

 

I hope you guys will solve the issues soon

 

Today I disabled Dip Switch 6 and reset the Dension. Had to power cycle the car. Came up immediately. Bluetooth working, phone function obviously not working. Will continue to test over the next few days and leave current config. Will report on any changes.

 

After reading all the posts, that was the first thing that came to mind. Really, it sounds like a Dension firmware issue. The unit isn't powering down correctly and somehow it's getting corrupted or placed in an unhealthy state. I agree with Yaredna... start experimenting with shutdown procedures, not the start-up piece.

I can't tell you exactly what we do at work, but I can tell you we build "machines" that have 3G modems inside. We recently had a similar problem where the modem wasn't getting shut down gracefully and it was actually damaging the modem. Properly written firmware shouldn't let this happen, but given the relatively low production volume of the Dension units, I wouldn't be surprised if the FW wasn't tested very well during development.

Cheers to finding the solution. I'd really like to buy one of these.

 

I installed mine and it works fine. I have it powered from "ignition on", this does mean that if I put the key in and not turn it, then the Dension is not working, but seeing as the only reason I put the key in the ignition is to start the vehicle it is not an issue.

The only minor annoyance with this setup is that if playing music from the USB stick it always starts off at track 1 every time I start the car.

My Samsung S5 works perfectly with it. My Samsung S3 had issues and required me to turn on the setting for music streaming on the phone every time in order to be able to use A2DP. The ringtone setting on the Dension would revert to off every time it started. No issues at all with the S5 though.

Never had issues with Dension crashing, locking up, etc.

 

Phil,
That could be the key workaround for now: powering down the Dension Gateway to recycle it. Which means connecting it to a powered switch, totally contrary to the instructions of the manufacturer. I will write a separate post with my new findings shortly.
Nadim

 

New update and recap:

. Dension Gateway 500S BT, used mostly with iPhone 5. Firmware 0054.
. Dension powered from an unswitched source (past: footwell outlet, current: PCM source)
. USB connection to iPhone 5 with USB-Lightning cable works for 15 seconds, then need to click on play on iPhone to continue song. Unusable
. Bluetooth phone and audio works very well
. System crashes after every other trip, and need a total reset of PCM/Gateway to start. The "infinite loop" is when the Dension Gateway starts this clicking sound every second, and the blue LED is OFF, and nothing works

Findings to date:
. With the bluetooth disabled on the iPhone, so as not to allow any connection, and using the auxiliary 3.5mm jack, it works 10/10, no crashes
. With the bluetooth disabled on the iPhone, so as not to allow any connection, and using a USB flash drive, it works 10/10, no crashes
. With the bluetooth disabled on the iPhone, and the USB-Lightning connected to the iPhone, the unit crashes on start. Which means: if the iPhone is connected to the unit prior to starting the car, the gateway goes into the "infinite loop" and hangs

Two users reported great success with installing the unit on a powered switch (either Insert/exit or power ON). This could indicate a workaround solution: a powered switch recycle the unit, particularly if the crash happens at disconnect. Minor downside of this approach: a powered switch means losing track of which track (pun not intended) was last played on a USB drive.

Other users who are facing the "infinite loop" or "clicking sound" crash issue have all reported that they are using an unswitched power source, per the instructions of the manufacturer.

Nadim