Head unit and display installed separately -> problem with cable?

[Jay1980]

Hello, I'm new here. Hope this is the right place to ask my question...

My english is not really good, sorry for that.

My car (Ibiza from 2000) gives no real possibility for installing a standard din radio unit.

So, i thought about the following solution:

I installed the head unit below the steering wheel, and the display as the following pic shows:



Head unit and display are connected with a wire with a length of nearly 2m.

At the beginning absolutely nothing worked, i couldn't even turn on the radio.

After that i tried with a second, equal display (directly on the head unit), and turned on.

Now the lights of my display worked, the track number was shown, time, and so on.

But no button is working, can't change the volume, can't even turn off the radio.

There is a mechanical contact an the head unit for the display, which I pushed manually.

So, that can't be the reason.

If I'm right, there are only 2 possibilities remaining:

1. defective display (but I don't believe)

2. the wire is too long, but it's already as short as possible

What can I do now? Is there a solution for my problem?

Click to read more...

 

[blackgeltabs 5,000+ posts]

If the display is turning on then all buttons should be working properly even is it is having no affect on sound. This is the same principle as having a home theater hooked up with no speakers. Levels will change when you change them just nothing happens.

I would assume a defective unit

 

[Jay1980]

Thanks for your reply!

Mmmhh, unfortunately I'm not an electronic expert at all.

But the unit worked without any problem using the second display, without wire, but directly on the head unit.

I forgot to say that the display lights don't seem as bright as they should if the display is used normally.

Now I've heard I should use an IDE wire instead...

 

[blackgeltabs 5,000+ posts]

OK so the HU is working but the display is not?

 

[Jay1980]

That's right. With the second display the HU worked without any problems.

Unfortunately I did not try with mine in normal use.

But the last time it was in use I had no problems with it.

Only thing is that was some years ago.