Car Stereos: i have a pioneer DEH-P4100UB car cd player, car cd player, motorcycle fairing

Question
I have a pioneer DEH-P4100UB car cd player that I have installed in a motorcycle fairing. I have wired it to the battery...the text on the stereo face plate blinks on and off with no real pattern. I have power from the battery coming up and splits to yellow for constant power and then to simple toggle switch for red power. I can then just turn off the toggle switch to shut it down....I think. I have the ground to the battery ground. Have I done this all wrong? I know it should be connected to the ignition but is that a must?
thanks

Answer
Hi Steve,

I'm not quite clear on whether the unit is powering off entirely, or if you're just having trouble with the display.  

If it's a display issue, you might just be seeing the "demo" mode.  If you're seeing text flashing on the display when your toggle switch is off, press DISP on the faceplate to cancel the demo mode.  On the other hand, if your display is going blank while you're using the head unit, that points to either a poor connection between the faceplate and the chassis, or a defect in the faceplate itself.  The unit should have come with a security screw for locking the removable faceplate onto the unit; this is meant for store display, but it might not be a bad idea on a motorcycle either.  

On the other hand, if the unit is cutting off entirely, you'll want to double check your wiring and look for a loose connection.  There's really nothing wrong with your wiring scheme; the owner's manual recommends an ignition-switched power source for the red wire, because  this way you'd automatically be turning off the radio when you switch off the vehicle, so there's no chance of a dead battery.  However, a toggle switch works just as well provided you don't forget to turn it off.  The yellow wire should have a connection to the positive battery terminal, and the black wire to the negative terminal, so your wiring appears to be correct.  If you're losing power intermittently, the most likely explanation is a poor connection somewhere--either at the battery, the switch, or some other connector in the wiring.

Hope this helps!

Brian