IceLink - Battery Rundown Problems? Myth?
 

First, as a soon-to-be X5 owner, I'd like to thank everyone on this board for their contributions to the forum! You have all given me a true X5 education and answered countless questions of mine without me ever yet posting.

I do have one remaining question, however. I am planning on implementing the IceLink system on an '05 with the premium sound system and navigation.

Somewhere (not on this forum) I read that some users experienced problems with IceLink (well, any IPod connector I assume) causing battery run-down issues. Basically, the theory is that the IPod being constantly charged by IceLink will cause the memory feature of the battery to eventually prevent full-charges. (I thought the "memory" problem didn't even exist on newer batteries, but apparently it does, just not to such an extent as in the past.)

Still, this sounds suspicious as I assume IceLink would bypass battery drain all together and simply use DC power.

Any thoughts or experience with this?

Also, if anyone has any thoughts on how IPod encoded files (AAC, etc.) sound on the premium sound system versus CD or pure WAV files, I'd be very interested in this as well.

Thanks!

I have the IceLink Plus in my '03 X5. I have never had any issues with the vehicle battery. Note that the IceLink Plus setup menu gives you several options for charging the IPod battery - I left it on the factory option. See the IceLink user manual for more details.

All my music is encoded with the Windows media player, not ITunes (not all the players in the family are IPods). I use WMP for everything except synching the IPod. My files are all at 192 kbps, and to my ears, the files sound as good as it is going to get with a car stereo. Others may have better ears. I can hear a difference at 128 kbps, but not at 192 or greater. YMMV.

Thank you for your reply.

I'm glad to hear you haven't had any problems with the battery issue!

I was also considering encoding my existing CD's at a high bitrate like 192 kbps. However, I do plan on also using the iTunes service to download music, since the concept of downloading single songs for 99 cents is very appealing. Of course, my concern is that their files (which I believe are encoded at 128 kbps) may not sound all that great on the X5's premium sound system. If that's the case, it seems I'll be stuck to buying CD's until iTunes decides to up their encoding rate.

I you use itune you should set the compression setting to Apple Lossless quality which is the best (CD quality) compression you can get.

Lithium ion batteries are only good for 300 to 500 charge/discharge cycles (more). For this reason, certain customers' usage patterns may cause the batteries to degrade, or fail, sooner than others.


http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm

Also, many, many factors affect how much you get out of each charge, as well as how long the battery will last overall. The main factors include charging patterns, the routine amount of discharge (i.e., Do you use it until it dies? Use it for an hour or two and recharge?), temperature, storage, usage frequency, etc. Lithium ion batteries do not take kindly to frequent full or complete discharges. When possible, the optimal usage pattern - for any lithium ion battery - is a partial discharge, followed by recharging. A partial discharge can be anything less than a full discharge. However, an occasional full discharge is desirable (e.g., once every 30 charges) to calibrate the battery. Lithium ion batteries do not significantly degrade, or develop "memory", even if charged at irregular intervals; irregular charging is acceptable. An iPod can also safely be attached to external power for extended periods of time. (For extremely extended periods of time, such as months, the battery will essentially be the same as if it were in "storage"; lithium ion batteries do not store well for extended periods of time at full charge. However, there is no way around this under these circumstances.) When possible, always use the AC adapter (or vehicle adapter) for extended charging, not a FireWire cable attached to a computer.

It is generally recommended to store lithium ion batteries at about 40% charge. However, the iPod draws power even when it is off, meaning that it will soon deplete any charge that it has. If you will be storing your iPod for an extended period of time (i.e., weeks to months), it is recommended to store the unit in a cool place; charge level is unimportant, as the charge will be completely depleted after several days. The most harmful combination for storage is full charge at high temperature (i.e., in a hot car).

I've had no battery (iPod or vehicle) issues whatsoever with my IceLink Plus :tsk:

I assume you're talking about the battery on the iPod, and not the car?
I have the iPodyourBMW system and as far as I know it charges and operates much the same as the IceLink... I was having battery problems with my iPod. It wouldn't charge fully, and when it was charged to the max it would still only last for maybe three hours. I don't know if it was just the age of the iPod (about 7 months) or the fact that it was charging all the time.. :dunno: So, I guess my point is that I have experienced issues with the battery but I can't tell if it's directly caused by having it plugged in all the time.

Am I right in thinking that even if the iPod battery dies, you can still use the iPod in the X5 through DC power, right?

Hi - my 2002 X5 3.0 was also having battery discharging issues, but interestingly enough before I had the IceLink Plus installed. Well the dealer is doing diagnostics, and informed me they've removed the IceLink plus (no ipod connected and they said it was still drawing too much power) and are continuing to do diagnostics. If I didn't use the car for 2-3 days it wouldn't start and had to be jumped. Anyone else had these issues? Suggestions? I don't want to use BMW's ipod link since it won't work well with NAV and needs to be controlled from the ipod (boo!)

Icelink battery drainage
 

Hi - took it in for service and the dealer kept the car for 3 days doing diagnostics. They replaced my battery (under warranty) but removed my icelink - said it was draining too much power even with no ipod connected.

PS They also found two lights that wouldn't go off.....

Sucks!