blinking lights on head unit...

[Rio]

I have an Alpine CDA-7893 and the lit buttons on the unit blink when the system is on and playing music...like too much power is being used by it or there is not enough power available to power it when playing music. Is this a sign ofa bad alternator or battery?

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Hey man, i have a 7893 also, sweet unit isnt it? First pull it out and check your grounds in the stereo connections because if your other lights arent blinking then thats most likely your problem. Do you see the display face dim when you hit hard bass notes? Because mine did at first then i fixed the ground and now it does not dim, even when my 1000W sub amp hits a serious boom. I find that when the alternator is going then the climate control randomly shuts off and resets, so it sounds like your ok for now. But i would say if it is either your battery or your alternator then its your alternator, and not your battery. Otherwise I would say bring it back if its under warranty and get a new one.

<small>[ December 15, 2002, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: BlackOnBlackATX ]</small>

 

[Rio]

**** yea, it is a NICE deck. thumbs_u I installed it myself and I am definitely an amateur, so yea I will check my ground. How do I take the deck out now? the clips on the deck are securing it into the dash...

 

[Rio]

hey BlkonBlkATX, can you post a pic of your car. A black on black Gen 2 is what I ALWAYS wanted. I ended up getting a black/grey 93, it's cool. If you have any pics, please post em 4 me. I havent found any blk on blk gen.2's yet.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

yeah ill try and post a pic, i tried before but i couldnt do it right, but i will put them on yahoo for you to see, just gimme a day and check the post. but when you pull the face off the deck on either side you will see two retaining clips, take a ballpoint pen and lift up the little metal rod to release both side of the deck, then you can pull the deck itself out. next youll have to take a tiny screwdriver or something to pry down the metal tabs that hold the retainer cage in place. if you need more help email me and ill try and send you some pictures of it all

i actually got my car on Ebay of all places i was lucky that it was so close by here in NY so i didnt have to go far from where i live to get it.

heres one photo, but i dunno if it will post though, but maybe you can copy and paste the link if it doesnt.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

D'OH!! ok it didnt post, but heres the link:

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/spastikjack6/vwp?.dir=/SHO+Water+** using&.dnm=front+yard.jpg&.src=ph&.view=t&.hires=t

Double D'OH! ok i couldnt access it on the link either, i will think of something

<small>[ December 15, 2002, 05:02 PM: Message edited by: BlackOnBlackATX ]</small>

 

[Rio]

I got my car off of EBAY as well... it wasnt so close though, it was in Boca Raton, Florida... shrug I still only paid 550 for shipping though, so it wasnt so bad. Anyway, ok man thanx

I'm lookin 4wards to the pix wink

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

Hey Rio, heres some pics of my car:

Yahoo Briefcase Link

a little dirty from the snow but you get the idea wink

 

[projectSHO89]

Getting back to your original question...

Flickering display lights on the head unit when the audio is drawing peak current (ie, loud bass, etc) indicates an inadequacy in your power system. Either there is a voltage drop across a bad or inadequate (excessive resistance) connection or conductor, or the battery and charging system is not capable of providing the peak current draws without an appreciable sag in the supply voltage.

This can be due to:

Too small of power/ground cables (use cables that are heavier)
Dirty/corroded battery cables (clean/service connectors)
Weak battery/alternator (test and replace as needed)
Voltage sag (add a large capacitor)
Music is too damn loud (turn it down)

Steve

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

hey Steve, yeah i too second your opinions, but from having this same stereo myself i think we can help Rio out a little more here because i actually used an aftermarket wiring harness which doesnt have a very thick ground at all and my stereo doesnt *ever* dim. now i do have a fairly new alternator and i did have my battery recharged at the auto store when i killed it in july, so that may be helping. but the stereo he has is much more than equipped to handle high power drains. so yes, i agree he should check his battery grounds and his alternator. but if lights really *blink* then im beginning to think maybe he should return it, dimming is one thing, blinking is just plain malfunctioning

 

[Rio]

thanx guys, let me clear this up...

the buttons do not "BLINK", they however get dimmer while I am playing music...bright, dim, bright, dim...

it is not VERY noticeable, but i noticed it the first day I installed it.

 

[Jayman]

What about your dash lights and the climate control. If they are 'flickering' as well you probably have a faulty regulator. I just went through this with my car as the alternator was overcharging and the voltage could no longer be regulated. Now if you are only experiencing this condition on the deck alone you should definitely follow the advice of BlackOnBlackATX and projectSHO89.
Good luck,
Jayman