- My model of MX-5 is: NC
- I’m based near: Leatherhead
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Keeping head unit alive during engine starting
I have a new double din Pioneer 250dab head unit. The worst thing with this head unit is how long it takes to power up, recognise the attached phone, auto start the android auto and generally get back to where you were a second before you cranked the engine.
From googling I believe the accessories circuit is killed when starting the car, either to maximise current available for cranking, or to prevent damage to accessories through voltage spiking.
All the solutions on line seem to involve getting the soldering iron out and getting creative with capacitors, diodes, resisters and relays bridging the always on feed and the accessories on feed - but this is all a bit more than I want to mess with.
Does anyone know of a plug and play solution? I don’t want to hardwire a ‘constant on’ solution as I don’t trust myself to switch the unit off, and will end up with a flat battery. But there may be some live feeds I could tap that don’t go off on cranking? Sidelights?
Any thoughts? Thanks all.
This is a problem I have tackled on one of my other cars with an aftermarket head unit. It’s a Vauxhall so does not have a live feed anywhere from position 1. This is a pain when you are waiting for someone and just want to have the radio on you have to keep the ignition on. The solution to this is simple. I have a switch that I use when I just want the radio on. It is wired into the adaptor harness that converts from the Vauxhall fitting to the ISO of the head unit. Simply it connects the 12v always live feed to the ignition on feed on the radio [red wire to yellow wire on the adaptor loom]. When I want the radio on I just switch that switch and hope that I remember to turn it off when I get out of the car.
Your situation is slightly different so a momentary push switch mounted somewhere easily reached that you can operate whilst starting the car. This would keep the flow of juice into the head unit whilst cranking the car but remain entirely as normal the rest of the time, you would just have to remember to press and hold the switch whilst starting otherwise you just have to wait while the head unit boots.
Hope that’s of some use to you
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It is a good idea. Certainly simpler than a capacitor type solution. Just need to think about where to locate the switch.
I’d suggest the removable panel beneath the steering column. No one will notice a hole or a switch come time to sell it on and you could always grab a spare one.