I used the follwoing method very successfully:

1. Insert key into ingition.

2. Start the car.

3. Wait to see "Start up..." on AVIC-Z1

4. Pulse your light Once (turn headlight on and then off)

But now, after several months, an interesting thing has happened:

When I corner fairly hard, or brake hard, or accelerate hard, the video kicks out. The only thing I can think of is that the AVIC Z1 is getting G-Force information from its sensors to shut the video down.

That does not explain why it worked so well for so many months?

Anyone else experience this, and what can we do about it?

Bad wire connection.

That is a real puzzler. No offence to howarmat, but that doesn't scream bad connection to me.... I could be wrong.

The flash the light thing on June and earlier models is a bypass put in by pioneer. It's not some weird thing we made up, it was put in there by pioneer. When that flash is sensed it unlocks itself

So the fact that movement locks it back up makes me think that you aren't bypassing it with the headlight flash.

The only thing close would be that some people had the parking brake grounded all the time and THAT was what was bypassing the Z1, not the flashing. Over time (a few weeks or so maybe) it would realize the gyros were sensing motion and locking the unit back up. Yes, a new unit will work with just ground for a while.

I guess a few things to make me feel better, and before I continue coming up with things....

barrettsc, when was your Z1 made?

When you go to MENU - SETTINGS - HARDWARE - CONNECTION STATUS what does the PARKING BRAKE line say? Engage and disengage the parking brake, does it change?

How is your parking brake wire hooked up? If I am thinking correctly, you are using the flash method and therefore your parking brake wire should not be hooked up to anything. If this is somehow getting grounded if might cause the "bypass" to jump in and out. I know it would be hard but could you find out if you are loosing the map functions also. Leave the destination menu up and hit the brakes and see what happens.

Thanks Guys:

A few things:

1. Will check for loose wires

2. Parking brake has been grounded since day 1

3. Car is out of town right now, but I am pretty sure that the system says parking brake is engaged; not sure if anything happens when I pull the handle?

4. How do I know when my AVIC Z1 was made? I am not sure?

5. Parking brake is grounded, but there is a switch under the dashboard for opening and closing the circuit. I could try opening the circuit, and then try the flash by-pass?

6. Yes, I do lose map functions when the playing of a DVD cuts out due to hard braking / cornering, etc.

I will check things out with your suggestions. Thanks again

2. Parking brake has been grounded since day 1

That's your problem right there. The parking brake wire grounded causes issues with the bypass when flashing your lights is required. It will work for a while but then will screw things up.

Double check the manufacture date, if it's pre-july, then unground that parking brake wire, reset the unit with the recessed button to the right of the eject button, and flash your lights again. Then nothing will bring the lockouts back, no matter how the car moves.

Or if it's a post July unit, then leave the parking brake grounded and ground the second wire in connector 2 (like in all the bypass instruction posts) and stop flashing the lights.

Or if it's a pre july unit, you can update the unit with the bluetooth cd and then leave the parking brake grounded and then ground the second wire in connector 2 and stop flashing your lights.

When you were flashing the lights it wasn't really bypassing the unit cause you had the parking brake wire grounded. Kind of like I said in my first post here:

The only thing close would be that some people had the parking brake grounded all the time and THAT was what was bypassing the Z1, not the flashing. Over time (a few weeks or so maybe) it would realize the gyros were sensing motion and locking the unit back up. Yes, a new unit will work with just ground for a while.

1. Will check for loose wires

Don't bother, that's not it.

4. How do I know when my AVIC Z1 was made? I am not sure?

It's on a sticker on the unit itself and on the box it came in and on the warranty sticker.

5. Parking brake is grounded, but there is a switch under the dashboard for opening and closing the circuit. I could try opening the circuit, and then try the flash by-pass?

If this is the case, When you go to MENU - SETTINGS - HARDWARE - CONNECTION STATUS what does the PARKING BRAKE line say? Flip that switch back and fourth, does it change?

If so, switch it so it says OFF, and leave it there.

Then restart the car and try flashing the lights, NEVER SWITCH THAT SWITCH BACK. Are the lockouts there? Do you have access to the whole system?

If the system is locked out, then you have a newer unit and flashing the lights does absolutely nothing. Follow the 07/06 bypass http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html

If the system is UNLOCKED and you have access then leave that switch off and flash the lights, or buy my circuit and don't worry about flashing the lights, or try updating the Z1 with the bluetooth update cd and follow the 07/06 bypass.

Hey: my unit was manufactured in March, 2006. As I mentioned previously, my DVDs cut out while moving, and they did not do this a few months ago.

I checked the connection status, and the system shows that the parking brake is "ON" all the time. It does not matter if I flip the under the dashboard switch or not, and pulling the parking brake does nothing to the connection status.

I opened that circuit anyway and reset the unit, and that did nothing also.

Where do I get this Bluetooth Update CD? I am getting my Bluetooth adapter installed on January 9th, and the installer could "ground the second wire in connector 2"? Is there no going back from this, once it is done? Should the original parking brake grounding wire be removed altogether at this point?

Should I consider Ducatiboy's circuit? Does it come ready to install?

I am not the one doing the installing, as I have a guy at FutureShop that does all this for me, so he would have to know exactly what to do, so instructions would have to be real exact, and maybe with pictures?

Thanks again!

Hey: my unit was manufactured in March, 2006. As I mentioned previously, my DVDs cut out while moving, and they did not do this a few months ago.

Yes, if the bypass is not done correctly the Z1 will eventually figure out what's going on after auto calibrates and cut you off from watching while moving.

I checked the connection status, and the system shows that the parking brake is "ON" all the time. It does not matter if I flip the under the dashboard switch or not, and pulling the parking brake does nothing to the connection status.

Yep, that means that your unit was bypassed incorrectly. The parking brake should not be grounded like this.

I opened that circuit anyway and reset the unit, and that did nothing also.

You opened what circuit? The parking brake? If you do and reset it with the recessed button to the right of the eject button, then flashing the lights when you start will work. With the parking brake grounded all the time, I doubt that the flashing was doing the bypassing, the parking brake grounded permanently was and that was incorrect.

Where do I get this Bluetooth Update CD? I am getting my Bluetooth adapter installed on January 9th, and the installer could "ground the second wire in connector 2"?

http://avic411.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3039&start=0

Yah, that would work... once the CD is updated the Z1 2 wire ground will work.

Is there no going back from this, once it is done?

Nope, no going back... unless you unlock your hard drive and make a backup before you update it.

Should the original parking brake grounding wire be removed altogether at this point?

Well the vehicle's parking brake wire should not be connected to the Z1... Ever. If you have a pre July and Pre bluetooth cd, the parking brake wire from the Z1 should not be connected to anything. Post either of those, the parking brake sense wire should be connected to ground permanently.

Should I consider Ducatiboy's circuit? Does it come ready to install?

You can, but only if you don't plan on doing the bluetooth update CD or any other update from Pioneer. Chances are that since this update "fixes" my bypass to the new 2 wire ground, any other one probably will too.

I am not the one doing the installing, as I have a guy at FutureShop that does all this for me, so he would have to know exactly what to do, so instructions would have to be real exact, and maybe with pictures?

 

Thanks again!

They don't get too much better than these:

http://www.sminntech.com/z1flash.html

I finally got my vehicle in to get "fixed". All that was done was:

1. snipped the emergency brake grounding wire

2. reset the AVIC-Z1 (pre-july 06 model) using the reset button on the front panel

Now the video (DVD) works fine and does not cut out at all!

Thanks for eveybody's help.

I am now, however, afraid of applying any updates for fear that what I have going for me now will not work!