Alpine stereo install: dimming the display with dash lights

Hi,

I've installed an Alpine CD deck (CDA-9827) in my '91 GTi, and it's annoyingly bright at night. The wiring harness does have a lead for dimming the display when the headlights are on, and I've been told that this can be used to follow the adjustable intensity of the dash illumination. So, what do I hook it up to? Do I pick one of the leads of the headlight switch? Is there a place in the central wiring harness I could tap onto? Recommendations for method of tapping? References to wire color and/or the Bentley manual would be appreciated.

thanks, david.

Reply to
David Dye
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Should have bought a Panasonic. They've all got 3-setting dimmers built in.

Reply to
illmanilla

I did this when I put a Blaupunkt stereo in my '87 GTi. I thought the factory harness for the stereo already had a wire for this in it (on my car the previous owner had cut off the factory harness for the stereo, so I started out with a non-stock system).

On my car, the wire needed ('87 GTi) is gray with a blue stripe. This wire comes from the dash light dimmer, and you can find it in a lot of places. There is no need to go all the way ot the light switch; The easiest for me was to tap into it at the back of rear window defogger switch, as this is close to the stereo. I used a wire tap like

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to make the connection.

Reply to
Randolph

Thanks. I used one of these wire taps to install the city lights in the E-codes I put in a few years ago. Anyway, I shared the connection of the light to the climate control panel to get what I need. Unfortunately, the dimming function only drops the intensity about 10%, and does not follow the variable voltage of the rest of the dash lights. The lights are still too bright, so I might end up dimantling the face plate to see what lights up those buttons. The stereo place won't take it back (it's been more than 30 days since I bought it), and the ones with adjustable displays are too expensive. Bummer.

Reply to
David Dye

Well the lighting probably doesn't draw much current... so you could try buying a potentiometer and install it in series with the dimmer line coming from the radio, and then mounting it somewhere in the car.

Yes it may look tacky if you buy the wrong style, or you do a sloppy job/can't find a good place to put it.... But it might turn out alright...

Does not follow the variable voltage of the rest of the dash lights?

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Well I did have everything installed correctly and I did have the variable voltage going to the radio, but since that wasn't doing anything, I checked with Alpine. Turns I got bad info from the shop. The radio will not dim to follow the dash illumination -- it will either be full strength or 90%, that's it.

I took apart the faceplate and saw that all the illumination comes from one central place through a clear plastic conductor, and it can't be disconnected without breaking it. So I took out my trusty black Sharpie and colored in the clear plastic behind these buttons to reduce the reflection, and this has helped reduce the glare some. I'll be able to tell more when I drive around tonight.

david.

Rob Guenther wrote:

Reply to
David Dye

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic idea, just block the light using a marker as it hits the diffuser (plastic that spreads the light from one source to multiple outlets) the light that gets thru will recombine in the end but only 1/2 should make it thru - add more marker until the desired effect... Clever!

Reply to
Rob Guenther

Worked like a charm too -- the brightness dropped at least 50%. Between that and the "blackout" feature (the feature that turns off the display until you hit a button), my annoyance level has dropped considerably.

The older models (this is the fourth I've had across two cars) are green and a lot less bright, and this year's models have adjustable dimming, presumably as a response from complaints from last year. Solid radios all around though, and I still recommend them.

thanks, david.

Reply to
David Dye

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