I have the DEH - P7400. I love it but, during the day it's sometimes too 'dim' to really make anything out on the screen.

Dumb question here but, I noticed that when I was installing it it had a 'dimmer' wire. Having never seen this on an aftermarket radio I was reluctant to splice it in anywhere...

Will this cause the backlight to be 'off' while the lights are not on if I splice it in? If so, which wire will I be splicing into off of the factory harness?

Thanks guys.

RP

 

The dimmer wire is used when you have the lights on, it works in conjunction with the interior lights in your truck. On the 7400MP there are two contrasts of the screen (light & dark). You can switch between the two, or if it is on demo mode it will switch periodically. If you don't have your owner's manual you can view it online at www.pioneerelectronics.com. It should tell you how to switch the screens.

 

I leave mine in demo mode. So I can get the best of both views.

 

So, if I do go in and splice the dimmer wire into the mix, it will automatically switch between the light and the dark screen?

I've noticed that all the buttons stay backlit at all times right now regardless of having the lights on or off. Will that continue to remain the case?

I really don't like the demo mode as I'm always looking down there as it's changing around... always catches my attention rather than keeping focused on the road.

Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.

RP

 

the dimmer on mine
only works when the radio is off and the source
and other buttons are lit,then they dim with the switch.
if the radio is on they all stay lit and arent affected
with the dimmer switch

 

Sorry 2Trucks, I agree with Trashguy on this one. I have the same model and it will only dim when the deck is off. I had to turn off the demo mode as it was blinding me and was a huge distraction as well. You can also set the brightness for the display by going into the menu, however that can be a pain for switching back and forth everday to compensate for night and day.
The only negative thing I have to say about this deck is the display modes, I prefer discreet vs the screensaver style display.

 

So, long story short, I'm basically just screwed during the bright and sunny days that the screen is barely visable?

 

Back to the top...

 

No, go into the menu and you can select the brightness for the unit. You just won't be able to dim it with the dash light dimmer.
When you have the brightness adjusted all the way up for daytime use, you will probably want to disable the screensaver/entertainment mode. Like I mentioned it was too big of a distraction to drive with at night. If you can't adust the brightness let me know and I can tell ya how.

 

Yeah, I have the brightness cranked all the way up to 15. Still not really bright enough on a very bright day.

Am I just missing the boat on this? Maybe that's just as bright as it'll go *shrugs*

RP

 

Sorry to be such a pain in the A$$ by the way... thanks a bunch for all the help. I really appreciate it.

RP

 

Nope, 15 is all you get. That is another disappointing feature of this unit besides the annoying entertainment feature. I should have pulled my 10 year old Alpine out of my truck. But I couldn't play MP3's or even burned audio files so I left it. The Pioneer was the the HU with the most of what I needed and the least of what I didn't so overall I am still pleased with it

 

I agree totally...

Overally, I'm VERY pleased with it but, this would be one of the things I would change (along with adding a scroll feature so I can see the entire title and artist name on XM)...

Oh well... life shall go on... and I won't see the screen.

LOL!


Again, thanks a bunch for the help!

RP