Radio Memory

[ncnmra]

The stock headunit on my 2008 212X finally gave up the ghost, and I was excited to replace it with a new Sony unit that has bluetooth built-in. To my dismay, the "Marine" unit does not retain any settings (including BT pairing!) after the battery has been disconnected.

I have a dual battery system and a switch to disconnect them.

Has anyone ran into this issue and has a fix? I'm considering running a small dedicated "standby" wire to the battery input of the unit to retain its settings, and then have a relay that will engage with the master switch to disconnect the standby wire, and connect to the main battery wire.

I've read of some people installing a small standby battery, but that seems crazy overkill.

 

[biffdotorg]

Call Crutchfield, as I believe they have a small battery that you can put behind the dash to hold settings. And I mean really small, like just enough juice to do the job. I was happily surprised, that my new Fusion unit seems to have a built in battery for this purpose
Good luck!

 

[ncnmra]

Crutchfield support (at least the guy I talked to) didn't know of a product like this, but I'd be shocked if one didn't exist. I'll have to take a closer look. If you happen to find a link, I'd love to check it out!

Had I known that this would be an issue, I would certainly have looked at other units. I've heard good things about Fusion units. It doesn't even need to be a battery to hold settings. Most microprocessors already have flash memory, so it is dumbfounding to me that in 2021 there are units that can't store their settings in NV memory. Losing the clock is one thing (I don't particularly care), but radio presets, sound settings and ESPECIALLY BT pairing should be in NV memory!

 

[Babin Farms]

Are you looking for something like this??

Amazon.com: Battery Memory Saver | >> Save : Computer Code, Radio Code, OBD11 | Code 12 Volt Attaches to Power PortCar/Truck/Van : Automotive

Buy Battery Memory Saver | >> Save : Computer Code, Radio Code, OBD11 | Code 12 Volt Attaches to Power PortCar/Truck/Van: Battery Testers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Are you looking for something like this??

Amazon.com: Battery Memory Saver | >> Save : Computer Code, Radio Code, OBD11 | Code 12 Volt Attaches to Power PortCar/Truck/Van : Automotive

Buy Battery Memory Saver | >> Save : Computer Code, Radio Code, OBD11 | Code 12 Volt Attaches to Power PortCar/Truck/Van: Battery Testers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Pair that with this and you are good to go:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/peripheral-12v-dc-adapter-black/8294179.p?skuId=8294179&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&extStoreId=55&ref=212&loc=1_mobileaccessories&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIibKRsMnF8wIVT2xvBB0VgwJWEAQYCiABEgIO-_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[ncnmra]

Hmm. at 500mAh for a typical alkaline 9V battery, and an approximate draw of 5mA (I'd have to confirm this), the 9V battery would last about 100h, which is less than a week. Good for short periods if working on a car, but my boat stays off for longer periods. Given this, I think I may go the route of a dedicated "standby" line with a relay that switches when the battery gets turned on.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

What is the model of the radio?

 

[ncnmra]

Sony DSX-M55BT

From what I can tell, this is an issue with most of the radios. I think their "top end" DSX-M80 features "backup memory", but I'm not about to spend $200 for that feature considering I don't need the other stuff (I have an amp on board, so don't need the head unit to drive speakers directly).

 

[ncnmra]

As a followup.....I contacted Kenwood, as they have a unit that competes with the DSX-M55BT. It is their KMR-M328B.

I asked: "Does the KMR-M328BT require constant power to save settings, presets and BT pairing information?"

They replied:
"Radio will keep the important info . Stations and Bluetooth paired units as well as audio settings . Clock will not stay current ."

So seems its only Sony that's living in 1980.

 

[1BadTundra]

Got an pics of the install? I'm thinking of unloading this problematic Clarion

 

[zipper]

A similar thread... https://jetboaters.net/threads/deck-that-remembers-input.25251/#post-422187

 

[ncnmra]

Got an pics of the install? I'm thinking of unloading this problematic Clarion

Unfortuantely I didn't take any and the boat is in winter storage. The original HU was the Sony and I've been a Sony fan overall for sound/value. I was a bit put off because I thought it would be an easy in/out swap, but Sony changed their wiring harness connector, so I had to redo that, as well as this losing settings issue is maddening (especially on a "Marine" unit). Additionally, the Sony has only REAR preouts, so I needed to add a line converter, as I have a Wetsounds amp that powers all my speakers. In hindsight, I should have gone with the Kenwood directly, but it was out of stock, and you know....20/20.

EDIT: I also needed to design a faceplate, since the original hole cutout was way too big, and they (the factory?) used screws through the front, which would have been visible around the smaller bezel of the Sony (and any DIN stereo). I 3D printed an insert that would fill the void and add a surrounding frame, but I saw that you can get DIN bezels online too.

If you can wait until April, I'll take some photos

A similar thread... https://jetboaters.net/threads/deck-that-remembers-input.25251/#post-422187

Thanks for the link!