I am confused by the dimmer wiring. The harness instructions from Crutchfield say to use the dimmer wire (orange/white), and leave the illumination wire unterminated (orange). The Alpine manual has an orange illumination wire only. The tech on the phone at Crutchfield said not to use any of them, but I think this will disable the dimmer feature when headlights go on.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your help.
Replies (4)
swez on 09/8/2007 08:31:07
Agreed... Most newer HU's have manual settings in the menu for Illumination levels. That's why we rarely use that feature via the dash panel wiring harness. (One less thing to go wrong)
Also, does the Crutch instructions mention a "dedicated ground" for the HU and not using the factory harness ground as well? (Bare metal ground in dash, floorboard or firewall please) This prevents ground loop noise problems. ;-)
Swez
RYDREW55 on 09/8/2007 08:56:32
Yes, I grounded to one of the dash screws (I put the spade lug behind the plastic to make good connection to bare metal).
Regarding the dimmer, My feeling is (as a father) that dimming the display at night automatically is a good thing, but I don't get the instructions (see previous post). Does it make sense to you?
Other than that, it was a simple install. The look and sound is good and Ipod interface is awesome except for 1 flaw. The Scroll/Auto setting is suposed to switch the display between Artist>Album>Song without using the manual title button. However, there is no difference when I set it on scroll/auto or scroll/manual. Both keep the display on only one display, and I need to hit the title button to switch. Long story short, scroll auto doesn't work. Ideas?
Thanks
swez on 09/8/2007 10:42:20
Quote: "Regarding the dimmer, My feeling is (as a father) that dimming the display at night automatically is a good thing, but I don't get the instructions (see previous post). Does it make sense to you?"
Yes, am a dad too and we are probably close in age and some similar life experiences. (Acknowledge your concerns) As for the dimmer, the manual setting is actually a benefit as the operator can control light output as needed, regardless of ambient light conditions. I prefer that feature over factory lighting presets.
Example: Ever drive in the daytime in low light levels with the headlights on, but not able to see the radio display well enough? That won't happen in manual mode. The user can set light levels to their preferences and not locked into factory presets. The manual adjust is my preference whenever possible. (To each their own though)
Not sure on the auto scroll features as they vary from one unit to another. In most cases, it's a case of digging out the manuals and sorting out what features are desired and how to set them as defaults.
One thing I have noted, younger adults are very familiar with these devices and can figure them out quickly. We "Old School" guys have a steeper learning curve. If we don't use this gear a lot, it's easy to forget and it's back to square one all over again.
Chances are pretty good that they have a better handle on such things and can get good help from peers who are very familiar with these new gadgets. (IMHO, it's good to allow our kids to figure some things out as they go. It builds confidence and a better sense of autonomy too... self-reliance is a good thing as they prepare to leave the nest)
Comments?
Swez
RYDREW55 on 09/8/2007 13:05:53
Good comments. Actually, I had him do all the work and setup (with a watchful eye and suggestion now and then). He is the one who found this display fault. My nature is to research and find out everything I can. His nature, like most younger folks, is to push buttons until it works. I hate to admit it, but with all these incompatible interfaces in today's electronics, his system works well for making it operate. My method works a lot better for fabrication, install and wiring. Oh well, this is not a real big deal, so I'll shift gears to the Cavalier.
Thanks for the insight.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your help.
Replies (4)
swez on 09/8/2007 08:31:07
Agreed... Most newer HU's have manual settings in the menu for Illumination levels. That's why we rarely use that feature via the dash panel wiring harness. (One less thing to go wrong)
Also, does the Crutch instructions mention a "dedicated ground" for the HU and not using the factory harness ground as well? (Bare metal ground in dash, floorboard or firewall please) This prevents ground loop noise problems. ;-)
Swez
RYDREW55 on 09/8/2007 08:56:32
Yes, I grounded to one of the dash screws (I put the spade lug behind the plastic to make good connection to bare metal).
Regarding the dimmer, My feeling is (as a father) that dimming the display at night automatically is a good thing, but I don't get the instructions (see previous post). Does it make sense to you?
Other than that, it was a simple install. The look and sound is good and Ipod interface is awesome except for 1 flaw. The Scroll/Auto setting is suposed to switch the display between Artist>Album>Song without using the manual title button. However, there is no difference when I set it on scroll/auto or scroll/manual. Both keep the display on only one display, and I need to hit the title button to switch. Long story short, scroll auto doesn't work. Ideas?
Thanks
swez on 09/8/2007 10:42:20
Quote: "Regarding the dimmer, My feeling is (as a father) that dimming the display at night automatically is a good thing, but I don't get the instructions (see previous post). Does it make sense to you?"
Yes, am a dad too and we are probably close in age and some similar life experiences. (Acknowledge your concerns) As for the dimmer, the manual setting is actually a benefit as the operator can control light output as needed, regardless of ambient light conditions. I prefer that feature over factory lighting presets.
Example: Ever drive in the daytime in low light levels with the headlights on, but not able to see the radio display well enough? That won't happen in manual mode. The user can set light levels to their preferences and not locked into factory presets. The manual adjust is my preference whenever possible. (To each their own though)
Not sure on the auto scroll features as they vary from one unit to another. In most cases, it's a case of digging out the manuals and sorting out what features are desired and how to set them as defaults.
One thing I have noted, younger adults are very familiar with these devices and can figure them out quickly. We "Old School" guys have a steeper learning curve. If we don't use this gear a lot, it's easy to forget and it's back to square one all over again.
Chances are pretty good that they have a better handle on such things and can get good help from peers who are very familiar with these new gadgets. (IMHO, it's good to allow our kids to figure some things out as they go. It builds confidence and a better sense of autonomy too... self-reliance is a good thing as they prepare to leave the nest)
Comments?
Swez
RYDREW55 on 09/8/2007 13:05:53
Good comments. Actually, I had him do all the work and setup (with a watchful eye and suggestion now and then). He is the one who found this display fault. My nature is to research and find out everything I can. His nature, like most younger folks, is to push buttons until it works. I hate to admit it, but with all these incompatible interfaces in today's electronics, his system works well for making it operate. My method works a lot better for fabrication, install and wiring. Oh well, this is not a real big deal, so I'll shift gears to the Cavalier.
Thanks for the insight.
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