Kenwood head unit not dimming at night [SOLVED]

Got my DMX1057XR install completed today! Everything works... except dimming at night (of course.)

Anyone seen this before? Of course I can open it all up again and examine the harness but I'm 99.9% sure it's wired correctly.

Thanks

Reference, Orange wire pair

 

Lol you need a megathread for your stereo install...

But you’ll either need to pull out the HU and verify the wiring, or check your settings for dimmer-related options. @1lowlife will probably know since he’s got a Kenwood and is really helpful for audio stuff.

 

Ok I figured it out! (No need to pull the HU) There was a Reddit thread that explains the Kenwood thinking behind the dimmer control. Rather than taking a queue from the dash light sensor Toyota provided Kenwood looks merely at the headlight status. Lights off, screen bright; lights on, screen dim.

By default of course both night & day brightness are the same - for whatever reason.

The recipe:
- Set dimmer control to SYNC
- Turn on the lights
- Press the volume control button (it doubles as a context-sensitive Menu button)
- A strip of icons will appears, the far left is the brightness control
- Set your desired screen brightness, ie. how Dim you want the display to be
- Press back

Now turn your lights off. You should see the display get back to full brightness. Turn lights on, it should dim.

Done!

 

Dammit, I need to try this on my DMX906S.
My HU dims down with the lights on, but nearly enough.
There is a setting that will dim it up or down 4 settings, but it's really bright at night even dimmed down.
I'll see if that works.
But you've got fancy big HU, it probably has more options for lighting.

That's one thing Pioneer exceeds at on HUs is screen control.
Colors, dimness, ease of adding your own startup screen, etc...

 

Yeah the DMX1057 might be fancy but it's not very customizable. Want a clock on your screen? Sure you can have one but the only choice is a large analog model that looks like my dad's old skool alarm clock Can't shrink it, change the face, pick a digital model, no options whatsoever.

 

You have been moved to hero status! I have the

$1,399 DNR1007XR eXcelon 10.1" High Definition Navigation Car Stereo Receiver with Capacitive Touch Panel

DNR1007XR and this worked GREAT! Nothing in the manual about this, nor the other hidden option for controlling Nav and CarPlay / Google Maps volume balance....

Thank You!

 

Anyone ever figure out a way to turn off the clock that's always on the bottom right while displaying videos? I can't find a setting anywhere.

 

Glad you figured this out, I sure couldn't. Just what I needed. Thanks

 

Thread Revival for my Kenwood HU shopping knowledge.
Sort of related to the topic:
Can a manual over-ride switch [SP-ST type rocker] be installed to Disable the HEADLIGHT trigger.?
IE: I dont want to have to turn headlights ON or OFF to DIM or Brighten HU Display; to me more convenient to have control switch over triggers like 'Reverse DIM', etc...
Seems like one of 'Big 5' has a dedicated or assignable shortcut [long press button] to turn DIM ON or OFF, no matter what headlights or Reverse, etc?

 

Its a few years now...wonder how you like the KW now?
I see it was a few menus to navigate to end up w/ 2 levels of Brightness, based on Lights ON or OFF. I guess Im trying to find a HU that lets me decide how BRIGHT and WHEN; and it should only be a single LONG PRESS key to scroll betwn the 2 levels [or however many the end user wants programmed].
This shouldnt be a heavy lift for these companies, especially not at the +$1K level.

 

Dude!!! I apologize for reviving this old thread, but thank you so much for posting this! I have the exact same HU & I always wondered if the screen could be darker when the headlights were on, & I just happen to stumble into this thread. Legendary!