pionner head unit

[jamiekratin]

ok im hooking up mi headunit and im unsure were to get power from to i use the wires that go into the steering column or what if someone can plz explain it would be much appreciated i have a vk commi and a pionner head unit thankyou

[azzfox]

im not sure bout VK's but did/does it have a existing radio... if so, use the existing wires.

[azzfox]

if not... you could run new wires from the ignition barrel (steering columb). Im not sure if its safe to run new wires from the ignition barrel for the constant wire (wire to power the HU). Id ask for someone like 12vKing's opinion first but most probably have to run a new fused wire directly from the battery. For the accessories wire (aka. turn on wire) you can tap into the ignition for that. The Earth from the HU is just attached to the chassis (make sure its metal where your attaching it to). On my VP Commy (Lexcen) the 12v Constant Wire is RED and the Accessories is BROWN (2 of the 4 wires in the ignition barrel). I would test them first on yours to be safe. Hope that helps a bit.

[jamiekratin]

thanks mate and what wiring should i by to extend from the headunit to the wires on the ignition barrel cause they wont reach

[azzfox]

Im still not sure if its ok to run the constant wire from the ignition barrel. I have never heard anyone do this before so I will recommend you run a new constant wire directly from the battery and make sure you fuse it within 30cm from the battery. I would use the same size wire as whats on the back of the HU or slightly larger to avoid voltage drops due to resistance. Measure how long it is from the battery to where the HU will be mounted and unclip the wires on the HU and go to your local electronics shop or hardware and buy however much you need. But also buy however much you need from the ignition to the HU (this can be a thin-ish wire seeing it only tells the HU to turn on).

[azzfox]

btw, on most cars the cigi lighter only works when the ignition is turned on. you could run the ACC wire from it if you dont wanna tamper with the ignition barrel. test it with a multimeter or testlight first.

[jamiekratin]

when hooking up the wires what is the best way too go about it i heard its badd to cut insulation away and just tap into it is there another way to do it

[azzfox]

Are you talking about the ACC wire from the ignition? Iv never done it from the ignition before but have you considered the cigi lighter for HU ACC? (thats if only it comes on with ignition ACC). For the cigi lighter i would cut the wire, strip both ends, twist the acc and one half of the cigi wires then twist the other cigi wire on from the other direction, solder it together and put heat shrink or just electrical tape over it.

[jamiekratin]

i was told taking power from the constant power wire on the ignition is fine aslong as i use an inline fuse true or false if true how should i go about it

[azzfox]

My opinion is true and false. True you can do it and false about fusing it because the ignition is fused anyway. if you fuse it inbetween the HU and ignition, if there is a short the ignition fuse will blow first anyway and the car will stall even with extra fuse so I recommend running a new wire from the battery (your decision, you choose). Even if the ignition is fused for a higher amp rating, the current has to travel through the ignition fuse first (you could put in a extra in-line fuse anyway to be on the safe side). Im still not sure what the best way would be to tap into the ignition. Anyone elses got any ideas on the best way to tap into the ignition? Probably the usual Cut, Twist, Solder, Tape routine.