Question about Honda Audio wiring

**justintime** · 02-05-2006, 05:29 PM

I bought an Alpine CDE-9845 and I'm currently looking at the wiring diagram for the Metra Harness provided.

2 questions:

1) How do you normally hook up the Illumination and Dimmer wires? I think Honda only has an ILLUMI wire in the harness! I'm a little worried about this because I have heard that wiring these incorrectly can fry your dash/dimmer.

2) The Alpine harness has a black Ground cable, with a spade connector to be meant to screwed in place against the chasis metal. Is this what I should do, or should I instead connect it to the ground on the Honda harness?

**Legarcondemerde** · 02-05-2006, 05:45 PM

If your Alpine has a dimmer/illumination input, you will be fine connecting it to the orange/white wire. Just make sure you cap or tape off the other unused dimmer wire, that will certainly cause trouble if you don't. I have connected the ground to the factory wiring in MANY Hondas, with no ill effect. Good luck.

**justintime** · 02-05-2006, 07:17 PM

Thanks Legarconderme...
Orange+White *is* the dimmer wire. I assume you mean that I should connect the ORANGE (no white) wire, which corresponds to ILLUMINATION, and leave the orange+white wire unconnected and taped off?

**Legarcondemerde** · 02-06-2006, 02:49 AM

In all actuality, it will work fine either way. The Alpine deck's dimmer setup is meant to dim when 12 volts is sent to the dimmer wire on the deck...I usually connect aftermarket radios to the dimmer circuit if both are available. It really shouldn't matter. Dimmer wires are a big scare (in fact a lot of installers I have worked with just won't connect them) because of all the people that have been careless with them. Just cap off the one you're not using, make sure nothing will ground/short out, and you'll be fine with either the orange/white or orange in almost all cases.