VehiGAZ

Hi all!

Couldn't find anything by searching "radio" and "dimmer", so time for a new thread...

I recently had a new stereo system installed. The new headunit has an input wire that will dim the display when the dash lights come on, but I am not sure how to hook it up. The display on the new H/U is waaaaaay too bright for night driving, especially with a blue-themed display, so something must be done. The manual indicates that there are 2-3 dimness settings available.

Does anyone know what I should hook this wire up to? I think it may be a trigger input that needs to hook up to a dash light power wire, triggering the headunit to use the dimmed lighting settings, but I'm not sure.

Has anyone done this before? Thanks!

Alan

Depends on the head unit on how they work exactly. Some sense absolute voltage levels to change and these can be directly connected to the variable dash illumination. Dash illumination goes to the AC head, clock and cigar lighter illumination - Black/Blue wires. If you just need an on off with lights you will need the lighting circuit - available on CE or in the pod but usually not in the console.

Alan


Alan

VehiGAZ

Alan, if I tap into the dimmed side of the circuit, would it be possible that the voltage could get low enough that the dimming function would not trigger? In that case, would tapping in upstream of the dimmer wheel give me a full 12V anytime the lights are on?

Since the dimming is internally controllable in the headunit, I would guess that it's just looking for some voltage on this input to tell it to dim the display.

Here's a clip of the wiring diagram from the manual (it's an Alpine)...

Alan

You might want to try the variable illumination since its right there in the console and easily tried temporarily... when on it varies between about 8v-14v. Otherwise if that doesn't work - yes the other side of the potentiometer is the one you need.

Some head units will allow you to vary the illumination based on that variable voltage - they swap their illumination from fixed to variable (the orange lead) when they detect > ~6v on that lead.

Yours may not work this way - if you have a programmable night lighting level - it probably will not.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Perhaps you might ask...."I recently had a new stereo system installed." since only the installer KNOWS where he hooked the Orange wire BUT odds are it was NOT the instrument cluster illumination lead just what ever he found with a switched power...

Alan

If it stays bright always - it probably isn't connected to anything...

thats what I'd assume anyway - the installer probably just gave up as 'good enough'

Alan.

bd0nalds0n

The head units I've had in the past use the lead to trigger the dimming feature when the lead receives power (from a source that is energized when the lights are on). I pulled from the cigarette lighter light, as it's right there on the console and it's not hard to isolate what's the power lead and what's the groung.

Leon Speed

Alternatively you might want to try the clock light. It dims with the rest of the illumination where as the cigarette lighter doesn't dim.

Aryan

Alan

On an S4+ all of these should dim with the dashboard illumination as I noted.

Alan

VehiGAZ

I'm with Alan - the orange dimmer lead is probably not hooked up to anything at all.

I will try tapping into one of the dimmed wires, since these are closest to the radio, but I will make sure to test it with the illumination dimmer wheel to see if at some point the signal voltage gets so low that the radio no longer triggers it's dimmed mode. If that happens, I'll tap into the upstream side of the dimmer potentiometer.

Another question though - if you switch on just your driving lights (no headlights) in the first position, do the dash instrument lights come on?

JHowell37

Yes, the dash lights should come on when you turn on your parking/driving lights. The HU I just installed has a dimmer and I just spliced into the wire for the cigarette lighter. I ditched the crappy rheostat for the dimmer and put in a jumper wire since I was losing voltage even with the dimmer set at its highest point so my lighting doesn't vary. However, when I do turn on the lights, my radio does get dim which is a very nice feature because aftermarket stereos tend to be too bright.

VehiGAZ

Thread close out:

I finally hooked up the unconnected dimmer lead on the headunit (Alpine - orange lead) to the "upstream side" of the instrument lighting dimmer wheel. At least the hacks who put my stereo in didn't remove the label from the lead! Easy job, worked great. And the headunit has three different dimmer levels (and two color schemes) to choose from.