Pioneer HU glare fix!!

Been pretty happy with my new pioneer HU, but the one major problem I had with it was the excessively bright nightime button illumination. It's a model DEH-6850MP, very similar to the DEH-77 and suchlike.

In reviews the considerable glare has been reason for product returns and choosing other headunits over Pioneer. Setting the dimmer only dims the display, not the button illumination..

After a careful search, I stumbled on a fix.

Full credit for this fix goes to Xav (I've seen firsthand what the guy can do with electronics!)

Needless to say, you are your own warranty after doing this.

Remove the detachable faceplate and put face down on soft material (used a microfibre cloth).

In the back are 4 small phillips screws that come out easily. Insert a watchmaker's flat bladed screwdriver under the three slots at the very top and carefully prise open, working along the edge. The whole back will pop off as a single piece.

Without turning it over, lift out the entire circuit board and flip that over onto the cloth. It comes out easily in one piece and seems pretty sturdy.

You will see the tiny flat LED's on the board (they look white), one under each push button. Stick three layers of regular masking tape together and then cut out tiny squares. Using tweezers, stick on top of all the LED's. Replace board gently and close up.

Three layers of masking tape (as in the original post) make the buttons' brightness match that of the dimmed nightime display perfectly.

Joy!

Cheers:thumbup:

Bas