help with 06+ JBL HU lights

[matroe11]

I recently purchased and installed an 06+ JBL HU for my '05 Limited. The first time I drove at night with it, I noticed that none of the buttons light up. The LCD is lit, but I can't see a darn thing when I'm trying to change stations, etc. While playing around with it, the lights would sort of come on and immediately go off. It seems like there is a short somewhere the way the lights blink when I press certain areas of the faceplate.

Has anyone experienced this and fixed it?

 

[drmorbius]

I recently purchased and installed an 06+ JBL HU for my '05 Limited. The first time I drove at night with it, I noticed that none of the buttons light up. The LCD is lit, but I can't see a darn thing when I'm trying to change stations, etc. While playing around with it, the lights would sort of come on and immediately go off. It seems like there is a short somewhere the way the lights blink when I press certain areas of the faceplate.

Has anyone experienced this and fixed it?

Remove the front panel of the radio. The front panel plugs into the radio main board and I would check the solder joints around this plug as well as try a shot of contact cleaner in the plug itself.

 

[matroe11]

So I just pulled it apart, checked all of the solder joints, and put it back together. Everything looked fine. I also removed and cleaned the wire connecting the LCD board to the button board (there are two boards in there). When I added power to the HU, it spit all of the cds out and won't work at all. when I press a button, some of the functions flash on the screen for a second and goes back off.

Any suggestions or am I screwed?

 

[drmorbius]

So I just pulled it apart, checked all of the solder joints, and put it back together. Everything looked fine. I also removed and cleaned the wire connecting the LCD board to the button board (there are two boards in there). When I added power to the HU, it spit all of the cds out and won't work at all. when I press a button, some of the functions flash on the screen for a second and goes back off.

Any suggestions or am I screwed?

Did you try any contact cleaner in the 2 plugs that plug in to the main board? I just got a Toyota #56836 HU w/ 6 CD player. I noticed that on these units the display processor is surface mounted in the center rear of the front panel board. This is very different from the single CD radios and may be the source of the heat problems experienced by others here. I would not use the Cramolin contact cleaner called Deoxit as I have seen this stuff eat too many electronic components. If yours is like the one I am working on it is made by Matsushita (Panasonic) and is absolutely beautiful inside. More later as I work on it.

 

[matroe11]

No, I didn't have any contact cleaner lying around, but I did eventually get it working. Still haven't verified if the lower set of LEDs from the front board are working, but the buttons are!

I basically pulled it apart again, reseated the connector between the boards and made sure the screws that hold the faceplate on were tight and that the faceplate was pushed in as far as it would go. Once I booted it back up, it seems to be operating as usual.

You're obviously very knowledgeable about electronics. I'm a take it apart, wiggle things around and reconnect everything kind of guy. Once that doesn't work, I claim total loss. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts upon further inspection.