Dension 500 - External Hard Drive?
Super Moderator
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 17,310
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA USA
My Ride: G30 M550i
Model Year: 2018
Originally Posted by nigxdoof' post='831173' date='Mar 30 2009, 08:41 PM
Hmm.. i dont know. it should work with any Hard drive. Try to change out the miniusb plug...? 
I realize we're talking about the Dension 500 here (which I have no experience with) but if you follow the experiences that we had trying to get different drives to work with our iPod/USB adapters, I think you'll learn a bunch.
The following post is the solution I found that works flawlessly with the car's built-in adapter. Because it's a 1.8 inch drive, the power requirements are far less than a typical 2.5 inch drive:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=63108
The next few posts will shed some additional light on the subject -- most of them happened before I discovered the solution above:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45644
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42656
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=49011
There are other threads out there but I think you get the picture...
Contributors
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,434
Likes: 0
From: NYC, Rego Park, Queens
My Ride: 2004 E60 530i, 2012 E70 X5 35i
Model Year: 2004
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='831214' date='Mar 30 2009, 09:19 PM
The OP is correct that the power requirements of hard drives can vary -- even ones made by the same manufacturer -- so just because a Hitachi drive works for one person does not guarantee a Hitachi drive will work for someone else.
I realize we're talking about the Dension 500 here (which I have no experience with) but if you follow the experiences that we had trying to get different drives to work with our iPod/USB adapters, I think you'll learn a bunch.
The following post is the solution I found that works flawlessly with the car's built-in adapter. Because it's a 1.8 inch drive, the power requirements are far less than a typical 2.5 inch drive:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=63108
The next few posts will shed some additional light on the subject -- most of them happened before I discovered the solution above:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45644
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42656
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=49011
There are other threads out there but I think you get the picture...
I realize we're talking about the Dension 500 here (which I have no experience with) but if you follow the experiences that we had trying to get different drives to work with our iPod/USB adapters, I think you'll learn a bunch.
The following post is the solution I found that works flawlessly with the car's built-in adapter. Because it's a 1.8 inch drive, the power requirements are far less than a typical 2.5 inch drive:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=63108
The next few posts will shed some additional light on the subject -- most of them happened before I discovered the solution above:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45644
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42656
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=49011
There are other threads out there but I think you get the picture...
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Rudy' post='831214' date='Mar 30 2009, 07:19 PM
The OP is correct that the power requirements of hard drives can vary -- even ones made by the same manufacturer -- so just because a Hitachi drive works for one person does not guarantee a Hitachi drive will work for someone else.
I realize we're talking about the Dension 500 here (which I have no experience with) but if you follow the experiences that we had trying to get different drives to work with our iPod/USB adapters, I think you'll learn a bunch.
The following post is the solution I found that works flawlessly with the car's built-in adapter. Because it's a 1.8 inch drive, the power requirements are far less than a typical 2.5 inch drive:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=63108
The next few posts will shed some additional light on the subject -- most of them happened before I discovered the solution above:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45644
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42656
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=49011
There are other threads out there but I think you get the picture...
I realize we're talking about the Dension 500 here (which I have no experience with) but if you follow the experiences that we had trying to get different drives to work with our iPod/USB adapters, I think you'll learn a bunch.
The following post is the solution I found that works flawlessly with the car's built-in adapter. Because it's a 1.8 inch drive, the power requirements are far less than a typical 2.5 inch drive:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=63108
The next few posts will shed some additional light on the subject -- most of them happened before I discovered the solution above:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45644
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=42656
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=49011
There are other threads out there but I think you get the picture...
Thanks for the info! I'm also considering a solid state drive as they use considerably less power than standard "spinning" hard drives...but the SSD's are still a little pricey for the amount of storage you get...
Members
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
do you guys think this portable drive will work with the Dension??? it is portable, and powered by one usb wire...
let me know
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.a...amp;catid=20238
let me know
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.a...amp;catid=20238
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by montreal_bimmer' post='831788' date='Mar 31 2009, 11:19 AM
do you guys think this portable drive will work with the Dension??? it is portable, and powered by one usb wire...
let me know
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.a...amp;catid=20238
let me know
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.a...amp;catid=20238
Contributors
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,719
Likes: 3
From: London, UK
My Ride: BMW E60 520d SE Saloon M47 2.0dTitanium Grey II, Grey−Dakota Leather, Visibility Package, Media Package, Through Load System, Lumbar support − fr seats, Automatic Air Conditioning−Advanced, High beam assistant, Hi−Fi Loudspeak
Model Year: 2006
Dension provide a Auxillary Power cable to feed the power hungry drives. I've actually run into another power related issue. I have a 120GB Freecom which worked fine on the Dension, that was until I plugged the IVE1000 to get the iPOD video. Now the harddrive wont work. My guess is that the IVE1000 is depriving the harddrive from power that previously it was getting.
This is actually quite an easy fix to solve these problems. All you need to do is build a custom cable for your harddrive that powers the drive on two pins of the USB port and the uses the data pins to connect to the Dension. I'm sure that's what the Dension product does as well.
This is actually quite an easy fix to solve these problems. All you need to do is build a custom cable for your harddrive that powers the drive on two pins of the USB port and the uses the data pins to connect to the Dension. I'm sure that's what the Dension product does as well.
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by bruce_miranda' post='831904' date='Mar 31 2009, 01:10 PM
Dension provide a Auxillary Power cable to feed the power hungry drives. I've actually run into another power related issue. I have a 120GB Freecom which worked fine on the Dension, that was until I plugged the IVE1000 to get the iPOD video. Now the harddrive wont work. My guess is that the IVE1000 is depriving the harddrive from power that previously it was getting.
This is actually quite an easy fix to solve these problems. All you need to do is build a custom cable for your harddrive that powers the drive on two pins of the USB port and the uses the data pins to connect to the Dension. I'm sure that's what the Dension product does as well.
This is actually quite an easy fix to solve these problems. All you need to do is build a custom cable for your harddrive that powers the drive on two pins of the USB port and the uses the data pins to connect to the Dension. I'm sure that's what the Dension product does as well.
Either way, I'm still pissed that they advertise being able to use USB hard drives, but in order to make it work, I need to find an elusive auxiliary power cable or fabricate my own custom USB cable. For the price of the Dension this should be included.
Contributors
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,719
Likes: 3
From: London, UK
My Ride: BMW E60 520d SE Saloon M47 2.0dTitanium Grey II, Grey−Dakota Leather, Visibility Package, Media Package, Through Load System, Lumbar support − fr seats, Automatic Air Conditioning−Advanced, High beam assistant, Hi−Fi Loudspeak
Model Year: 2006
http://gsmserver.com/shop/car/upb100...er_booster.php
To be fair to Dension, quoted from their manual.
Gateway works well with USB flash drives but does not work with a hard disk:
Hard Disk applications are critical to the power budget.
1. Use the original USB cable included with the hard disk.
2. Remove the USB extension cable delivered with the Gateway device.
3. Use the UPB1000 Power Booster Accessory to generate more power for the hard disk.
To be fair to Dension, quoted from their manual.
Gateway works well with USB flash drives but does not work with a hard disk:
Hard Disk applications are critical to the power budget.
1. Use the original USB cable included with the hard disk.
2. Remove the USB extension cable delivered with the Gateway device.
3. Use the UPB1000 Power Booster Accessory to generate more power for the hard disk.
Thread Starter
Members
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by bruce_miranda' post='831957' date='Mar 31 2009, 02:15 PM
http://gsmserver.com/shop/car/upb100...er_booster.php
To be fair to Dension, quoted from their manual.
Gateway works well with USB flash drives but does not work with a hard disk:
Hard Disk applications are critical to the power budget.
1. Use the original USB cable included with the hard disk.
2. Remove the USB extension cable delivered with the Gateway device.
3. Use the UPB1000 Power Booster Accessory to generate more power for the hard disk.
To be fair to Dension, quoted from their manual.
Gateway works well with USB flash drives but does not work with a hard disk:
Hard Disk applications are critical to the power budget.
1. Use the original USB cable included with the hard disk.
2. Remove the USB extension cable delivered with the Gateway device.
3. Use the UPB1000 Power Booster Accessory to generate more power for the hard disk.
Man...that cable costs $35 plus an additional $60 for shipping to the US! I searched around and can't find the cable anywhere in the US. Oh well.
Members
Senior Members
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,238
Likes: 1
From: Omaha, NE - USA
My Ride: MY07 525xi Silver Gray
Model Year: 2007
Check w/ member FANTASIC 5 for that cable, if it's from Dension he might be able to get it directly.
Originally Posted by dbpack' post='832857' date='Apr 1 2009, 10:16 AM
Man...that cable costs $35 plus an additional $60 for shipping to the US! I searched around and can't find the cable anywhere in the US. Oh well.