Audio Systems: Problem with installation of head unit., sony cassette player, antenna control

Question
Hi Tom,

The after-market Sony cassette player on my 92' Honda Prelude quit working so I got this cheap CD/MP3 player unit. I simply used the wiring harness left from the Sony and hook it up. The wire colors (standard) match totally except that the CD/MP3 player does not have the orange wire (dimmer).

Right after I hooked it up, the CD/MP3 player worked (played CD) for a few seconds then quit. The screen then was flashing with "12:00" and no botton was responding. After I left it alone for a while, the clock started going (no more flashing). But once I pushed any button (including the power), the CD/MP3 screen went back to flashing with "12:00" like just being reset, and the clock on the car dashboard got reset to "1:00".

Could you please let me know whether it is a problem with installation, the unit, or eletrical system of the car? I have connected the following wires:
4 speakers, ignition, battery, ground, power antenna --12 in total.

Thanks a lot!

Answer
David,
Double check all the connections, especially the speaker wires. make sure that none of the speaker feeds are crossed, or grounded to the chassis ground. Are you using the antenna control wire to operate a power antenna or an external amp? As for the 12volt hot at all times and the 12volt switched with the key on, from the vehicle wiring harness, verifiy that you have the stereo connected to the correct wires. Please let me know what you find out!

TOM,
T&D ELECTRONICS
tdeser@zoominternet.net