JohnnyDepp

yes this is what i have to do for every car that does not have a illum wire in the radio harness, it just need to tap into any 12v positive wire that comes on when the lights are on, dash lights work perfectly as long as they are no LED (voltage is too low)usually the climate controls receive their dimming commands from the data bus just like the radio does, but simple devices like clocks and ashtray lights usually work the best.

The key thing is that it has to be a SIGNAL wire that he taps into. Don't tap into the CURRENT supply for the lights...lol.

Is there a way to increase the brightness of the screen? WHen driving during the day there a often a glare on the screen of my x920bt my screen that makes it very difficult to see...

manual page 167

as an X920 owner, can you tell me something I can't find online: can you fast-forward either iPod audio files or audio podcasts?

The manual shows forward-rewind arrows for iPod "video", but not for "audio" files.

I listen to alot of long podcasts - and if I can't fast-forward through them, well, that would be bad.

Thanks

 

UPDATE: I found a dealer (not close, but worth the drive) and you CAN FF audio files. The catch is, not from the screen, but from the hard buttons on the left. For some reason, they forgot FF software controls. Maybe next time.

How hard would it have been for Pioneer to add << and >> buttons along the bottom of the AV screen when the iPod is the AV source for FF and rewind??

While we're on the subject...why the hell is "now playing" strip at the bottom of Map view for XM still not clearly labelled as to which is the Channel, which is the Song, which is the Artist, etc.? You have to sort of figure out what order they're listing things in...and they didn't bother to ALIGN anything in columns or rows in that strip.

Friggin' Pioneer...they refuse to hire polished GUI programmers. There's so much sloppiness that would've been easy to fix in five minutes. It's like...a couple dozen lines of additional C/C++ code.

I sure hope so.. I wish I would have thought of that! All your really doing is grounding that pin anyway if I'm not mistaken, correct?

I've done some more research, and they DEFINITELY sell wires of various gauge with the right pins/sockets on them for these Pioneer harnesses.

Just find an expert local electronics or robotics hobby shop and tell them you're looking for electronics wire that has pre-crimped pins/sockets/terminals on them for Molex connectors.

The correct wire gauge is about 22 AWG and the pin/socket size is whatever the next size up from 0.1" would be...

...but I think even the the 0.1" pin width ones I linked to in the original post would probably snap into the vacant positions on these Pioneer harnesses just fine (haven't tried it, since my buddy's X920 install is done and I dumped my Pioneer). One just have to be careful to use the female end if you're plugging into male Pioneer AVIC sockets. If you plug in the wrong end, it's a pain to remove the terminal (as anyone who's done a bypass knows).

I've been told that all this cutting up of connectors with razor blades looks **REALLY** silly to electronics and robotics hobbyists, who routinely either buy pre-crimped wire to plug into plastic connectors, or just buy bags of the terminals and plain spools of wire and crimp the pins on themselves (I used to do that in a lab job myself...I recall it being a snap).

Have your people call our people to set something up. We'll all do lunch.

any small sheet of thin steel will work, which you should be able to get at any hardware store.

Certain types of metallic tape will also work...not sure about aluminum though...it may need to be a ferrous metal...

They must sell replacement adhesive ground plane stickers, though...not seeing any on eBay or the Web so far...

Perhaps if you included clear photos of the actual, specific connectors and antennas you have to connect we could be of more assistance? Can't really tell anything from the auto part drawing you attached...

Both OEM and cheap replacement GPS antennas for all AVIC units can be found on eBay. Read item descriptions to insure you get the right ones...

There are a LARGE number of replacement GPS antennas and microphones on eBay for the AVICs. You have a choice of original Pioneer GPS antennas or much cheaper replacements. Not sure if the cheap ones work as well as the Pioneer original ones...but you can find BOTH on eBay.

I used to have a D3 (my buddy has an X920BT) and the replacement antennas on eBay definitely have the right connector as long as your careful to read the description and get the right one.

By the way, a lot of installers are STUPID about splicing these wires...one should NEVER splice an RF, microphone, GPS, or XM antenna AT ALL. Adds noise and usually ruins the antenna....

Also, a lot of installers don't understand that one needs to leave air pockets both in front of and behind speakers and microphones of any kind...basic physics about how they work...

If I ever see anyone watching a movie while driving, I'm calling the local police.

An elderly couple was killed on the Trans Alaska highway some years ago in one of the first "watching while driving" cases...a pair of early 20-somethings was in the front seats watching a CD movie on a player taped to their dashboard when they crossed the centerline and caused a head-on collision. Amazingly, they got off on manslaughter charges...

Since then, this is happening with increased frequency...

No. You can't have it.

XM only charged me a small fee to switch radio id. All else remained the same.

 

If there is a reset button on your xm adapter press that along with the reset button on the 910 when every thing is hooked up and powered up.

 

I did not think the XM module to be all that big. The bus cable was long enough to put the module in the trunk.

 

Good luck

No he's right...the GEX-P10 and P920 units from Pioneer are actually pretty large compared to other tuners (and even their own Sirius option).

By the way, I thought the "radio ID" for XM is actually associated with (and built into ) the tuner, not the head unit. If you're not changing tuners, then it should be the same ID, no?

I upgraded my buddy's D3 to an X920BT but kept his old GEX-P10XM or whatever...XM still works without calling to change radio ID's at all...either they don't check that often, or the radio ID for XM is built into the old Pioneer XM tuner and not the head unit...

 

The best way to hope for change is to write Pioneer USA AND Japan and tell them it's your last Pioneer product and why. It's all we've got - doesn't do much good to gripe here (although I have as well). Call and write - that's what got the Bluetooth and VR update delivered. If they put enough ram in the unit, then adding streets shouldn't be a problem.

 

Another idea is to THOROUGHLY review the product on every website you can and call attention to the deficiencies...but in the simplest, clearest way possible. If Pioneer sees people publicly reviewing and rating these units in places that potential customers see it, it's far more likely to stir improvements.

After all, you're ALREADY a Pioneer customer...they've gotten some of your cash already. Threaten their bottom line with a public review, and they'll take more note than a phone call from someone who's ALREADY bought a particular unit...trust me.

Amazon, CNET, Yahoo Shopping, and a ton of popular sites are good places to review these things.

Nobody is pointing out that the MSN stuff (live traffic, data, etc.) for all these units goes out the window on 1 Feb 2011. Why not WAIT for the inevitable new unit that Pioneer will be announcing soon after the current "rebates" (read: "inventory clearing") expires?

Guys...if you want a bunch of knobs, just visit a Tea Party rally...what's the problem???

@Boris:

I was not aware that Pioneer used Parrot at all.

I searched on this, and it appears you are correct, at least on the F-series, for which Parrot supplied Bluetooth modules for the AVICs. Not sure if that's still true with the X-series, though....

http://www.parrotcorp.com/en/pressrelease/2008publications/parrotcooperateswithpioneeronitsnewavicrange

So, basically, I'm just PO'ed about how bad the D3's Bluetooth adapter was...and PO'ed with the decision to go only with an MSN option for live data and traffic. I mean...come on...the first XM receiver had NavTraffic...why not keep that as an option for people?

If Pioneer would just offer an inexpensive replacement add-ons for FM-TDS traffic data, I'd be much happier. After all, cheap Garmin's get FM-TDS very easily....shouldn't be that hard to get the data from a new accessory and for iGo and Pioneer do a firmware update to integrate the data in the X-series nav program.

I'd like to declare a truce on this. Pioneer units are okay, just have two big pet peeves

Johnny Depp, as noted, you don't like Pioneer. And that's ok, but I'm not sure how you can blame Pioneer when

Microsoft kills off MSN Direct, and Google kills off Google411. If George Bush ruined the economy, would you blame Jon Stewart?

Do you have a more logical, well thought-out argument?

 

Actually, I think my position is perfectly well-thought out, and completely logical. You found two different Pioneer units lacking over a short period of time and replaced them both....costing a ton of money. Is that not what you're saying? Did I misread your post?? LOL

So basically, I find your objection to be the really totally illogical point here, not MY position.

Nonetheless, I'll try and restate to satisfy your apparent objection...here we go:

1. Pioneer went with Microsoft and the underdog MSN Direct for live data and traffic...a completely losing choice, as it's going out of business. In contrast, Kenwood went with industry leading traffic and live data providers for nav systems including FM-TDS, etc., who aren't going anywhere .

2. Pioneer decided to go with their own CD-BTB200 Bluetooth unit initially...and made numerous programming errors preventing it from working with a good fraction Bluetooth phones...and it's non-upgradable so everyone is stuck if it doesn't work with newer Bluetooth standards. In contrast, Kenwood went with industry-leading, experienced Parrot Bluetooth, and made it totally upgradable with firmware updates. And Parrot isn't going anywhere for a while, so updates will be frequent and correct.

3. Pioneer decided to go with "iGo" navigation (who???). In contrast, Kenwood went with industry-leading Garmin navigation, familar to anyone who ever sits in my car and frequently updated, both with software and map updates.

4. Pioneer's record of delayed map data updates was terrible until recently. The updated CD's for the D3 came out so late, they were outdated by the time Pioneer released them (and charged more than most). In contrast, Garmin-based systems have frequently updated map data and for more regions than Pioneer.

I'm not a Kenwood employee, and frankly, think they have a lot of issues as well. I'm just saying that Pioneer seems to have made a number of poor decisions that are forcing their fans to upgrade units all the time or suffer with inferior units. And they have a habit of telling customers "tough...deal with it" when told about long-standing and comical bugs that most makers of GPS software would apologize for and fix right away.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Hope that sounds more "logical" to you.

Yea the BT mic audio quality with these units is already questionable enough without messing with it anymore.

Yeah. But I was able to get my old D3's mic...and my buddy's new X920BT mic...to work well by taking care to...

1. NOT splice it.

2. Insure there's enough AIR behind the mic to work. I've seen a ton of professional installers make the mistake of mounting a mic with tons of sticky stuff or epoxy that covered the rear air holes. Speakers and microphones don't work if you do that! They work by moving air. It's amazing how much basic physics can stymie "professional" installers.

3. Taking care with pointing direction of the microphone.

Well get use to Pioneer not making any sense. Any way heres how it use to work. Before 2.003 the VR software would load within 15-20 seconds of the unit booting. If it did so before the map OK button was pressed, the VR would crash when trying to use it. Now, the VR will not load at all until that map OK button is pressed. So it is an improvement in that if you try to use VR before hitting the map OK button, you don't have to pull over and restart your car to try and get to the map OK button before the VR loads again. Now you get a simple message that you need to press the map OK button when you press the VR button if you didn't do so prior. Its still a pain in the butt but it is an improvement.

Ah...okay, thanks for clearing that up.

Yes, that's an improvement. Of course, the better alternative would've been to use a multi-threaded, Unix-based system so that the two processes could run independently, but hey...at least they addressed it.

I think if people hadn't complained about this bug, they wouldn't have even gone this far in helping us. Squeaky wheel.

They didn't fix it with the 920 and the 920 and 110/120 run the same navi software. So no, there not going to fix it and they claim its by design and that it is not a bug.

By the way, I never got around to mentioning this, but wasn't Pioneer's claim that this was by design sort of counter-intuitive??

I mean...if people didn't press "OK" to acknowledge the warning about driving while using this thing, Pioneer rewarded them by making VR work WORSE...thereby guaranteeing that they'd have to fiddle with the unit MORE while driving???

LOL...."by design" my ass.

Also, if it's working, what's the issue??

I'm certain I've seen that selection screen before...get a recent Crutchfield catalog and look at the photos to figure out what mainstream unit they copied to manufacture this....if you really need to know, I guess.

Splicing microphone wires is ALWAYS a bad idea. It adds all kinds of noise and pop to the signal. Unless you know how to make audio connectors and audio signal splices in a professional way (including professional connector splicing onto signal cable/wires), it's probably a bad idea.

For example, the clown installer who put in my old Pioneer actually cut the AVIC microphone wire and spliced it into my car's existing microphone cable...it didn't work at all. More noise and pop than voice. I had to order a new Pioneer microphone and run it down the A-pillar myself to fix what the idiot did.

Basically, NEVER splice a microphone cable that was professionally manufactured. Bad idea. Way bad.

Granted I owned the 6140 so I'm not sure what their most expensive one offered but the $1100 or so I paid for 6140 a year or so ago didn't seem justified and it had all the bells and whistles supposedly. The iPod interface is a billion times better on the 920 or any Pioneer for starters, the 6140 looked like a 486 computer from back in the day and the 920 is like a Intel core 7 and there's no way you can argue that...

 

I've owned navi's in this order:

-Pioneer D3 (decent but lacking)

-Pioneer F90BT (slow startp/button finish flakes off)

-Kenwood DNX6140 (very basic interface overall, only BT voice commands, garmin is fast but lacks in options, good BT quality, horrible iPod interface)

-Pioneer X920 (good options/customization, great interface, voice commands for everything, fast VR dictionary, good BT quality, reduced screen glare, best iPod control out, overall the best unit I've owned so far)

 

I've spent some money as you see and still come back to Pioneer for a reason, they always seem to be the best out there at the time. Tell me a brand that can beat Pioneer right now in features and price? The 6160 is $200 more than the 920 these days and for what, a updated GUI? I emailed Kenwood a while back about their iPod interface to complain and they said it was due to usage rights by Apple. Looks like Pioneer has and will continue to have proprietary rights with Apple which leads to a better, more advanced way to control music.

Dude, you're sort of contradicting yourself. On the one hand, you say the Pioneers are hands-down superior in-dash GPS systems. Yet, you ended up spending thousands of dollars upgrading to unit after unit over a relatively short period of time...like, one new unit per year! And your own list points out the flaws in each Pioneer unit you went through...LOL.

Allow me to posit that the reason you had to do this is because Pioneer has a habit of making their own units more affordable by making them underpowered or obsolete in ways that can't be fixed with firmware or software updates as easily as competitors.

For example, every Pioneer owner who relies on MSN Direct for traffic information will be out of luck in Jan 2012 when MSN Direct shuts down. And not a WORD from Pioneer on if there will be a replacement accessory, such as an FM-TDS traffic data receiver or a new XM NavTraffic receiver (the current one doesn't offer XM traffic).

Another example: Everyone who got stuck with the CD-BTB200 Bluetooth units was out of luck when Bluetooth standards advanced (not to mention Pioneer's errors programming that unit from day one). And Pioneer didn't offer ANY replacement Bluetooth solution for the obsolete BTB200.

So yeah, they might be less expensive and better for a short time. But your own history is evidence that Pioneers might be more expensive in the long run because they get outdated faster and their customers are forced to upgrade the entire unit when something goes obsolete (MSN) or is underpowered (F Series).

How much you want to bet that Pioneer will offer something like a $1500 X999BT or something with the MSN-like services instead of a simple $200 add-on replacement accessory to get you to upgrade (yet AGAIN, in your case) in a year?

It did not fix the issue because apparently Pioneer did this on purpose. but the 2.003 update did make it less of a problem because they made it so the unit tells you that you need to press the OK button before you can use VR.

Wait a second. I'm confused.

Are you saying the "fix" was simply them changing the warning message to warn users ABOUT the problem????

I thought they actually FIXED the problem....what's going on here? Am I misinterpreting your post???

If someone's phone connects before they press OK, even with the updated wording of the message, will the problem still occur?? That can't be right...if you're correct, it sounds like there WAS NO fix...they just changed the warning message for legal, cover-their-ass purposes...

I guess I'll go read all the posts about the update now...this seems weird.