Has anyone ever had this V1 concealed display problem?

[stealth9]

Wondering if anyone has ever had this issue. Got a concealed display in December. It is a full-color display I ordered from someone (I won't post the link but he is very reputable and provided good customer service). Everything with the concealed display is hooked up fine, wires are in good shape, connections are clean and good.

When I get in my vehicle in the morning or after work, my main V1 unit comes on like nothing is connected to it. The concealed display remains black. Within 3-10 minutes of driving, the lights and such switch from my main V1 unit down to my concealed display, and my main unit goes dark. This is what should happen from when the vehicle is first started, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why this 3-10 minute delay happens. This happens very consistently - every time. The only exception is if the vehicle is shut off for 5 minutes or less before turning back on (stopping at a gas station for example.)

The concealed display functions perfectly, it just consistently takes a few minutes for the display to transfer from my main V1 unit down to the concealed display as it should. I have tried wiring the display with the short 3 inch cord, so there is no possibility of a wiring problem, with the same results.

I sent the display back to the guy I bought it from, who tested it in his vehicle for a week with no problems. Even so, he agreed to, and did, send me a new/different concealed display unit. I get the same results. So it MUST be something with my vehicle.

Last weird thing is that the mute button on the concealed display works immediately, even if the lights and such are still functioning up on my main V1 unit.

I know this sounds crazy - but it is true. Anybody have this happen or have any ideas?

Since I have ruled out bad wiring and a bad concealed display unit, the only thing I can think of is that something is wrong with my cigarette adapter plug.

Thoughts?

[ukchris]

If the voltage fluctuates strange things happen with the concealed display, when I am modifying displays I test a lot with my V1 plugged in to a 110v to Cig Lighter adaptor and can get some very odd results. Maybe the delay is due to the voltage on your battery and it kicks up once it has been charging for a while.

I would test it in another car, maybe it's a sign hat your battery is on its way out.

[srtga]

Do you have really long cords? Have you tried different cords?

[OldGoat]

No, never anything like that . . .

connections/contacts

check all four RJ-11 connections[both male and female] for impurities, corrosion, moisture and distorted contacts. Sometimes merely reconnecting each a few times will clean them

[stealth9]

The voltage issue sounds like a possibility...I'm guessing that may be it...kinda sucks...

Will try to try it in another vehicle and see...

[crease-guard]

Could also be a cold solder joint in the CD. When you fire it up, it's cold but after a few minutes of drawing some current, the circuit heats up and connects the joint and the displays then function. Would also explain why after turning the car off then on once the display is functioning correctly it works again.

Jay

[PhillyBlunt474]

Get a new rj-11 cord and run it. I had issues with my display as well, and went to home depot and bought a new cord and ran it and it fixed my issue. Was a cheap 10 dollar fix and running the cord doesnt take too long. Thats where i would start if i were you.

[kpatz]

It's most likely the cord or one of its plugs or a solder joint in the CD.

The mute button is on a separate RJ11 pin from the data/sense pin that causes the V1 to switch from the internal display to the CD. So, if the data/sense line is broken, the V1 will remain on its built-in display but the mute button on the CD will still work.

[stealth9]

Thought I'd provide an update in order to help out in case anybody else runs into the same issue. The issue SEEMS to have been with my battery. I recently installed a new battery in my truck, and surprise - the concealed display has been working properly ever since.

My guess is that my prior battery was getting old, wasn't adequately holding a complete charge, and therefore was slightly affecting battery voltage at vehicle cold start. After driving for a little bit, the alternator would charge the battery back up to where it should be, and then the display would start working fine.

This also explains why the concealed display worked fine if the truck had been sitting off only 5-10 minutes (warm start, gas stop for example) and it didn't function properly if the truck had been sitting off for several hours (cold start, day at work for example).

What is confusing is that my battery always had enough juice to start the truck. And I have a battery voltmeter display in my instrument cluster that never displayed anything strange. Who knows, all I know is that new battery = concealed display working properly now.

So apparently the V1 concealed display can also be used as a "when it might be time to replace your battery" indicator as well - ha.