Been lurking since yesterday when I bought my AVIC-F700BT. So I thought I'd offer my fix for it. Should make for a nice first post. Now this fix isn't 100%, or gonna be the solution for everyone.

The way I fixed mine is to use the ground in the wiring harness in my truck (99' s10) Run a pair of wires, preferably between 10ga and 14g, from the battery to the back of your unit.

**Disclaimer**

Make sure you use the appropriate fuse when you come off the battery. Do you self a favor and spend a few extra bucks here, you will thank me later. No fuse=bad. Such as shorting your electrical system (this includes your ecu, which is your cars computer) Wires shorting out, causing fires. Don't get me wrong. Its not a big deal, its safe as long as you do it properly. Not a whole lot different than wiring a system in your car.

One of those wires is going to go to the switch(toggle, push button, rocker, etc.) Doesn't matter what kind, whatever you think will look good in your car. Just make sure its a on/off, not momentary. Then from the switch to the red wire. This is your switch/accessory wire. This will allow you to keep the radio on. So that it doesn't reboot every time you start the car. The other wire is going to directly to the yellow wire. This is your constant/memory. The reason for this is you'll retain your settings. Like am/fm stations, time, all that stuff. Now you can turn the switch on when you get in your car for the first time that day, wait for it to boot, and go about your business. That way when your out running around you can stop and get gas, drinks, drop kids/movies off, etc. You won't have to wait for it to reboot. Then at night turn the switch off. When you park the car for long periods of time you you can go to the source list and hit the off button, or you can just turn the switch off. Depending on your battery and your vehicles charging system. I would guess you could leave the switch on, with the radio itself "off" for probably around 8-12 hrs. And still be able to start your car. Now depending on what kind of battery you have will determine how long you can leave the radio on. I've got a yellow top optima which is a gel battery. This will allow you to leave it on longer.

Don't quote me on these times but with my optima I can go quite a while without having to worry about it. With this you could get a battery cutoff as well. This would replace the switch. You wouldn't need the switch because the battery cutoff would stop sending power somewhere around 11.5 volts. Leaving you with enough power to start your vehicle. You'd need 2 fuses. Once for each wire running to the radio or put the battery cutoff after the fuse on the line for the red wire (switch/accessory) You don't want the battery cutoff to cut the power to the yellow wire (constant/memory) This would cause you to loose your settings. You could continue to use the switch, and the cutoff. The cutoff would just be a safety device to make sure you wouldn't have a dead battery unexpectedly.

You may want to run a new ground as well. You can find these all over the place. The shorter the better. Make sure to use the same size ground as power wire. My truck has a good ground in the factory harness, but other vehicles may not. I know When I had my 97' Nissan Hardbody (pick up) They had bad grounds in the harness. The factory radio was fine, but aftermarket radios wouldn't work with the factory ground.

I wish I could offer a more permanent/easier/faster/ solution to this problem. But this is what I'm using till Pioneer does there job to fix all these crazy problems. Spending a grand for something, only for it not to work is unacceptable. Before you start on how Pioneer can't or might not be able to do anything bout the boot up. Yes I did read the post about how they can't. I hope this helps. Not perfect, but its better than nothing

This has been discussed already.

1 - Giving yourself the ability to leave the radio on when the car is off is just asking for a dead battery, especially if you have aftermarket amplifiers hooked up to it. At some point in time, you're probably going to forget to turn it off.

2 - Depending on the car, even if an accessory is connected directly to the battery, it will power down when you crank the starter over, defeating the entire purpose of hardwiring it to the battery in the first place.

3 - It would be better to use a relay instead of a switch... one that works on a timer. If the power to the car is shut down, it will continue to supply power to the radio for say... 30 minutes or whatever, then it will power down the radio.

Its amazing how no matter what forum you go to you get these people that just don't read.

1. If you use a battery cutoff, no dead battery

2.

Depending on the car, even if an accessory is connected directly to the battery, it will power down when you crank the starter over, defeating the entire purpose of hard wiring it to the battery in the first place.

Now this fix isn't 100%, or gonna be the solution for everyone.

3. No relays. More complicated for people that don't know a whole lot about wiring and relays. Relays can and do go bad. Very seldom does a switch go bad. Plus the switch allows you to have it on for however long you'd like

Not trying to be mean but if you'd read the post carefully you would notice that with the mention of a battery cutoff, there's no worry of a dead battery

I agree with HIFISI

I think also this is not the solution, tomorrow I'm going to install my F900BT, and I've already got some ideas how I will do that, if I resolve this problem, then I post the result in my thread

I agree with HiFi, not a good option. Car batterys are not designed to provide long periods of time with a current draw, the more you drain it, the more your damaging the battery. Parasitic draws on batteries definetly can be damaging, and shorten the life of the cells.

Adding extra connections at the battery for a run down protection is asking for trouble, especially in cold weather climates.

When the run down protection engages, you would lose your presets.

well,

my idea is as follows, and I don't know if anyone have tried it, or thought of it yet..

1'st things 1'st.. sorry for my English.. (Especially my Grammar)

ok, this is my Idea..:

Get a Timer Relay.

connect it to your "Turn Signal Lamp"

and battery wire.

and output it to the ACC input for the HU..

the point..

on cars with Central locking, when unlocking your car, normally there's some lamps lighting up (Turn Signal, in-car Light etc.)

if that is connected to the timer Relay, then that timer relay will close the contact in some amount of time. and in that time, there will be 12 volts to the ACC wire for the radio, and it will start to boot up.

so, from you unlock your car, to you enter the vehicle, and starts the engine (if the crank do not take all the power from the radio)

atleast 30 seconds have past, and there should be sound, and you only need approx 30 seconds more, to be able to control the radio..

just remember to isolate the real ACC, while the relay is closed, so you don't have voltage any wrong places..

when you leave the car, and locks the doors, the HU will start up,

so make sure to use a timer relay that is set to 2 minutes or so..

hope you get the idea..

I agree with HiFi, not a good option. Car batterys are not designed to provide long periods of time with a current draw, the more you drain it, the more your damaging the battery. Parasitic draws on batteries definetly can be damaging, and shorten the life of the cells.

Adding extra connections at the battery for a run down protection is asking for trouble, especially in cold weather climates.

When the run down protection engages, you would lose your presets.

From me

You don't want the battery cutoff to cut the power to the yellow wire (constant/memory) This would cause you to loose your settings. You could continue to use the switch, and the cutoff. The cutoff would just be a safety device to make sure you wouldn't have a dead battery unexpectedly.

I agree with superjet to some degree. It would do a lil damage to the battery. But with a gel cell battery its not a big deal. Well worth it to me. Besides I've got a 2 yr replacement warranty. I'm also not worried about current drag either. I'm running 4 12v compressors for my air ride suspension, a 500 watt amp for highs, and a 1500 watt amp for my sub. Running 0 ga wire for the system, dual 4ga wires for the compressors, 200 amp alternator, yellow top optima battery, and 0 gauge grounds for the big. Truck starts like a champ.

People seriously underestimate the power of a gel cell battery. I've got a 140 amp alternator and red top optima w/4ga grounds in my show truck. Forgot I left my hid headlights and caddy lights in the rear on for 10 hrs and it still started my 350 small block chevy with high current/torque starter. Say what you will, but if stuff is wired correctly with proper sized wire, grounded properly, gel cell battery or 2, with a alternator with plenty of spare amps. You shouldn't have any problem. I've been in the car scene for a long time. I've seen some of the wildest stuff you could imagine in a car. Went to a local meet last night and saw a buddy of mine I haven't seen in a few months. He brought out his new audio competition van. Chevy 2500 cargo van, w/24 15" subs and 10,000 watts. His headlights don't even dim when it starts to drop. Because he has enough battery power+alternator+capacitors. This thing is loudddd. Its already cracked the door at the bottom of the window

i understand what blwnv8 is saying....the battery cut off is only on the power wire ran from the batt to the radio switch.

im going to rig up a pulse timer relay along with a dei 520t back up battery. itll keep the radio powered up while the car cranks, in case it drops the voltage too much. im gonna put it together once i order the pulse timer from my work. im also going to incorporate it into my remote start's extra channel so i can activate it before it get to my car. i park my car in a garage so i dont want it to be remote started while its inside.

Exactly offroaderf150. Thats a good idea you've got too. Its really pretty simple. I did mine this afternoon, and so far it works great. Had a bunch of things to do. Its been flawless. Not once did I have to wait to use the navi or listen to music. I'll keep you guys posted, let you know if I run into any problems

i understand what blwnv8 is saying....the battery cut off is only on the power wire ran from the batt to the radio switch.

 

im going to rig up a pulse timer relay along with a dei 520t back up battery. itll keep the radio powered up while the car cranks, in case it drops the voltage too much. im gonna put it together once i order the pulse timer from my work. im also going to incorporate it into my remote start's extra channel so i can activate it before it get to my car. i park my car in a garage so i dont want it to be remote started while its inside.

lol... just make sure you turn down the volume before you turn the car off and get out... because it would be funny for your car to be sitting there and the radio comes on all loud and blaring and there's nobody in it. Especially if there are people around, like in a parking lot or something.

ha yeah no kidding....i always turn the volume down when i get near parking lots or any public place that i plan on parking near. i wouldnt want anyone to hear anything coming from my car. not like i have subs in the trunk or anything, but yeah.

Here is my fix for the slow boot time and short car stop problem. I had most of these parts leftover from a car PC project. Use at your own risk.

What it does:

1. Starts boot up of radio when the car is unlocked

2. Lets the radio survive crank when the engine is started

3. Delays shutdown of the radio when the car is turned off (adjustable from 1 sec to 60 mins)

Parts:

12V SPDT Bosch type auto relay

1.3AH 12V SLA battery

ELK Delay Timer/Relay (ELK-960)

Two 1A diodes

Fuse and fuse holder

12V SPDT auto relay hook up:

The 12V SPDT auto relay, SLA battery, and fuse are all used to survive crank. The relay connections are:

85=12V from starter circuit

86= car ground and neg lead of SLA battery

30= 12V battery lead on radio and pos lead of SLA battery (fuse used on pos lead of SLA battery)

87a= connected to car 12V pos lead from battery

87= NC

How it works: When the car is cranked, relay terminal 87a is disconnected and the SLA battery powers the radio. Once the car is running, 87a is closed again, the radio is powered by the car's battery and the SLA battery is charged from the car's battery. Some people like to see a circuit here to control the charging of the SLA battery but I have never had a problem charging SLA batteries this way.

ELK Delay Timer/Relay hook up:

The ELK Delay Timer/Relay and diodes are used to boot up the radio when the car is unlocked and to delay shutdown once the car is turned off: The relay connections are:

POS=87a of relay above

NEG= car ground

TRG (trigger)= 12V ACC lead from car and any 12V circuit that's active when car is unlocked (I used my turn signal lamps). The two diodes are used here to isolate the circuits

N/O (normally opened)=connected to POS terminal of relay

COM = connected to ACC lead of radio

N/C (normally closed)= NC

How it works: When the car is unlocked, the relay receives a 12V trigger from the turn signal lamp and it supplies 12V to the ACC circuit of the radio for the delay period. If the car is started the delay period does not start until the car is turned off. Once the delay period is over, the relay turns off and turns off the radio. The delay period does not start until the trigger is removed and start over again if any trigger is reapplied. When the car is started the ACC circuit triggers the relay and the relay supplies 12V to the ACC circuit of the radio. Once the car is turned off the delay period starts and turns off the radio once the delay is over.

Notes:

A switch can be added to the trigger lines to turn the delay feature off temporally.

My amp is not connected to this relay so no sound comes out of speakers until I turn on the car.

SLA battery can be sized for the delay period desired. I am using 6 mins.

easiest thing to do is just buy an adjustable time delay relay. Don't trouble yourself trying to find the right capacitor; buy the type that actually allow you to set a time in minutes to shutoff after losing +12vDC. These rarely go bad; theyre made for years of service and when they do go bad, its typically in the open position

Found this one after a quick google search, but there are thousands more available

http://www.kussmaul.com/091-103-012.html

The other trick is to keep the radio from cutting out when the car is started. This is accomplished by having a second battery in the car and running the constant +12vDC from aforementioned battery. Put a diode between the main car battery and the secondary battery. voila

What i got from this is that a relay to your sidemarkers will start the radio's boot when the car is unlocked remotely. If I'm wrong then stop reading now and correct me.

So what happens when you lock you car? my lights flash when I lock it as well, so is it safe to say it will turn on even when you lock the car?

Its a good effort, but IMO its like trying to fix a severed arm with a band aid.

What i got from this is that a relay to your sidemarkers will start the radio's boot when the car is unlocked remotely. If I'm wrong then stop reading now and correct me.

 

So what happens when you lock you car? my lights flash when I lock it as well, so is it safe to say it will turn on even when you lock the car?

Yes, you are correct this will turn on your radio on if the delay period has timed out and you lock your car. Most of the time I only lock my car after I have just turned it off and got out of it so the delay is still active. If you lock and unlock your car many times without driving it then I would make the delay very short or look for another solution.

Its a good effort, but IMO its like trying to fix a severed arm with a band aid.

I'm an engineer so the funs comes in trying to reattach an arm with band aids and chewing gum.

I have a fix. Take the radio out and put the factory radio back in.

my fix is to get a remote start and start your damn car before you get in...

Yes, you are correct this will turn on your radio on if the delay period has timed out and you lock your car. Most of the time I only lock my car after I have just turned it off and got out of it so the delay is still active. If you lock and unlock your car many times without driving it then I would make the delay very short or look for another solution.

Well then jus so that method makes a lil more sense (not that it does) but it'd be better to go off one of your interior lights...I'm pretty sure that in everyone's car your interior lights turn on when you unlock it and dim off when you do lock it, so that would take care of that issue. Still not a helpful fix though.

my fix is to get a remote start and start your damn car before you get in...

This is by far the best temporary fix so far but also get an alarm with remote start.Not only will your unit be fully booted up but you'll have a top of the line alarm system as well.You can start your vehicle while in the house or checking out of the store and by the time you get to your vehicle you're fully booted.Make sure you get the alarm with the so call mile range.I have one(Viper 5900) I wouldn't say the range is a mile but I can start it about 4 blocks away.

dang thats crazy, im updating my alarm soon and im goin for the best i can. its about $500 ands its got it all lol and yeah i think its like a mile

i've got remote start...by the time you reach the car is already up n running...

Well then jus so that method makes a lil more sense (not that it does) but it'd be better to go off one of your interior lights...I'm pretty sure that in everyone's car your interior lights turn on when you unlock it and dim off when you do lock it, so that would take care of that issue. Still not a helpful fix though.

Like I said in the original post you could use any circuit that is active when the car is unlocked...interior lights, door locks, etc. This fix is helpful for me because my radio would reboot every time I started my car. Now it does not.