[paul e]

Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[Captain Howdy]

You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[Captain Howdy]

The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Cap,

Just found this.. it should help, no?

http://www.bipster.zapto.org/Fun_Stu...8017/Page1.htm


paul e wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[Captain Howdy]

Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[Captain Howdy]

That should be of great help, nice step by step info. I think that pacparts
listed a number for that cable also. To be honest with you, I would spend the
extra few bucks and buy the cable that has the socket, not only because it
will save you some unsoldering and soldering, mostly because it is an older
unit and those sockets can get weak and lose connection as well.


In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

Just found this.. it should help, no?

http://www.bipster.zapto.org/Fun_Stu...8017/Page1.htm


paul e wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other
has a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com,
"paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Cap,

Im going out now to get the Head Unit and try and find the partnumber
of its ribbon cable. Id like to try and get the part that requires NO
Soldering. My soldering skills are not worth talking about, so if
theres a cable, as I thought I read, that has a plug at each end, and
therefore, no soldering would be required, I would prefer this.. Did
I understand it correctly, or is it not true that a solderless solution
exists?


Captain Howdy wrote:
That should be of great help, nice step by step info. I think that pacparts
listed a number for that cable also. To be honest with you, I would spend the
extra few bucks and buy the cable that has the socket, not only because it
will save you some unsoldering and soldering, mostly because it is an older
unit and those sockets can get weak and lose connection as well.


In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

Just found this.. it should help, no?

http://www.bipster.zapto.org/Fun_Stu...8017/Page1.htm


paul e wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other
has a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com,
"paul e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Hey Cap,

I was able to remove enough stuff, helped somewhat by that article link
I posted on another model, to get the part number of the ribbon cable..
its J84-0106-02, which I read is the same part as J84-0106-12, which IS
a part listed in one of the ebay websites.

The problem is, even though I can access and unplug the end of the
ribbon cable on the main circuit board, I am unable to access the other
end, hidden somehow behind the black mask of the rotating Excelon
unit's face plate. I think the ones that had no black mask were easier
to access, cause I cant get to the back of this one at all.. The
article said something about kenwood using double sided tape which you
have to pull apart, but without knowing if and where exactly it is, Im
not going to risk prying something apart that will likely break.

So, I guess either I find an exact procedure for the KRC-x858 kenwood
exelon head unit, or a local repair place who can do it on site, or
unfortunately Ill probably have to scrap it and buy a new one that they
guarantee will fit the existing harness via the rear connector which of
course is already hooked up to the car and ready to plug in.

what a bummer.


Captain Howdy wrote:
Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[Captain Howdy]

If you don't see any small screws, then you'll have to pry it open. If you are
at the point of thinking that you may have to scap it, then you have nothing
to lose. I would give it a try.


In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Hey Cap,

I was able to remove enough stuff, helped somewhat by that article link
I posted on another model, to get the part number of the ribbon cable..
its J84-0106-02, which I read is the same part as J84-0106-12, which IS
a part listed in one of the ebay websites.

The problem is, even though I can access and unplug the end of the
ribbon cable on the main circuit board, I am unable to access the other
end, hidden somehow behind the black mask of the rotating Excelon
unit's face plate. I think the ones that had no black mask were easier
to access, cause I cant get to the back of this one at all.. The
article said something about kenwood using double sided tape which you
have to pull apart, but without knowing if and where exactly it is, Im
not going to risk prying something apart that will likely break.

So, I guess either I find an exact procedure for the KRC-x858 kenwood
exelon head unit, or a local repair place who can do it on site, or
unfortunately Ill probably have to scrap it and buy a new one that they
guarantee will fit the existing harness via the rear connector which of
course is already hooked up to the car and ready to plug in.

what a bummer.


Captain Howdy wrote:
Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other
has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com,
"paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the
LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still
functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Hi Cap,

The article I posted the link to that talked about the dbl sided tape
that needed to be undone it access the faceplate end of the ribbon
cable... Well, I dont believe that applies to my excelon unit because
my faceplate has a black 'mask+' on the back side.. when you turn the
igntion on and off, it rotates in place, and when you pull out the
faceplate which is designed to be taken with you, you can see what
remains is a panel which holds the other end of the ribbon cable, ie,
the end I couldnt locate!!!

So, I ordered a cable and a Service Manual, which hopefully will tell
me all I need to do to finish this repair. I found a kenwood auth.
srvc center a few miles from me, but, for the 75 bucks minimum they
would charge me, even though I could have it back the same day, Im
going to try it myself first.. Doesnt look to hard so long as I have
access to the back side I referred to when it rotates.

thanks for your pointers along the way.


Captain Howdy wrote:
If you don't see any small screws, then you'll have to pry it open. If you are
at the point of thinking that you may have to scap it, then you have nothing
to lose. I would give it a try.


In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Hey Cap,

I was able to remove enough stuff, helped somewhat by that article link
I posted on another model, to get the part number of the ribbon cable..
its J84-0106-02, which I read is the same part as J84-0106-12, which IS
a part listed in one of the ebay websites.

The problem is, even though I can access and unplug the end of the
ribbon cable on the main circuit board, I am unable to access the other
end, hidden somehow behind the black mask of the rotating Excelon
unit's face plate. I think the ones that had no black mask were easier
to access, cause I cant get to the back of this one at all.. The
article said something about kenwood using double sided tape which you
have to pull apart, but without knowing if and where exactly it is, Im
not going to risk prying something apart that will likely break.

So, I guess either I find an exact procedure for the KRC-x858 kenwood
exelon head unit, or a local repair place who can do it on site, or
unfortunately Ill probably have to scrap it and buy a new one that they
guarantee will fit the existing harness via the rear connector which of
course is already hooked up to the car and ready to plug in.

what a bummer.


Captain Howdy wrote:
Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other
has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com,
"paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the
LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still
functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Hi Cap,

I just received my ribbon cable from EastCoast parts, part number
J84-0106-12. My problem is I didnt realize the contact block behind
the faceplate was soldered onto that cable. I thought Id be able to
just remove the old contact blocks's screws and slip fit the new ribbon
behind it.. But no... Im not great at soldering, but even worse at
desoldering, so I think it best if I could order the contact block and
then eitehr solder it or have it soldered into my new ribbon cable..
Thing is, I do not know the part number for the contact block.. The old
ribbon cable had its number written right on it; the contact block does
not.. Any idea where I could find its number and where to order it? I
checked ebay and there is one vendor who offers the two together, but
his prices are ridiculous.. ie, about 33 US bucks for the two together;
I got the ribbon cable for just 12 bucks from Eastcoast; the ebay guy
sells the cable alone for 18 bucks. If I hadnt already bought the cable
by itself, I wouldnt mind paying the 33 bucks for the two together, but
now since I have the cable, Id like to just find the block by itself..
If someone had the part number it would make it alot easier.

Paul


paul e wrote:
Hi Cap,

The article I posted the link to that talked about the dbl sided tape
that needed to be undone it access the faceplate end of the ribbon
cable... Well, I dont believe that applies to my excelon unit because
my faceplate has a black 'mask+' on the back side.. when you turn the
igntion on and off, it rotates in place, and when you pull out the
faceplate which is designed to be taken with you, you can see what
remains is a panel which holds the other end of the ribbon cable, ie,
the end I couldnt locate!!!

So, I ordered a cable and a Service Manual, which hopefully will tell
me all I need to do to finish this repair. I found a kenwood auth.
srvc center a few miles from me, but, for the 75 bucks minimum they
would charge me, even though I could have it back the same day, Im
going to try it myself first.. Doesnt look to hard so long as I have
access to the back side I referred to when it rotates.

thanks for your pointers along the way.


Captain Howdy wrote:
If you don't see any small screws, then you'll have to pry it open. If you are
at the point of thinking that you may have to scap it, then you have nothing
to lose. I would give it a try.


In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Hey Cap,

I was able to remove enough stuff, helped somewhat by that article link
I posted on another model, to get the part number of the ribbon cable..
its J84-0106-02, which I read is the same part as J84-0106-12, which IS
a part listed in one of the ebay websites.

The problem is, even though I can access and unplug the end of the
ribbon cable on the main circuit board, I am unable to access the other
end, hidden somehow behind the black mask of the rotating Excelon
unit's face plate. I think the ones that had no black mask were easier
to access, cause I cant get to the back of this one at all.. The
article said something about kenwood using double sided tape which you
have to pull apart, but without knowing if and where exactly it is, Im
not going to risk prying something apart that will likely break.

So, I guess either I find an exact procedure for the KRC-x858 kenwood
exelon head unit, or a local repair place who can do it on site, or
unfortunately Ill probably have to scrap it and buy a new one that they
guarantee will fit the existing harness via the rear connector which of
course is already hooked up to the car and ready to plug in.

what a bummer.


Captain Howdy wrote:
Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other
has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com,
"paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the
LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still
functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..

[paul e]

Cap,

Found the socket number:
E58-0903-05 RECTANGULAR RECEPTACLE

Paul

paul e wrote:
Hey Cap,

I was able to remove enough stuff, helped somewhat by that article link
I posted on another model, to get the part number of the ribbon cable..
its J84-0106-02, which I read is the same part as J84-0106-12, which IS
a part listed in one of the ebay websites.

The problem is, even though I can access and unplug the end of the
ribbon cable on the main circuit board, I am unable to access the other
end, hidden somehow behind the black mask of the rotating Excelon
unit's face plate. I think the ones that had no black mask were easier
to access, cause I cant get to the back of this one at all.. The
article said something about kenwood using double sided tape which you
have to pull apart, but without knowing if and where exactly it is, Im
not going to risk prying something apart that will likely break.

So, I guess either I find an exact procedure for the KRC-x858 kenwood
exelon head unit, or a local repair place who can do it on site, or
unfortunately Ill probably have to scrap it and buy a new one that they
guarantee will fit the existing harness via the rear connector which of
course is already hooked up to the car and ready to plug in.

what a bummer.


Captain Howdy wrote:
Not a problem, good luck with it.

In article .com, "paul e"
wrote:
Cap,

How can I thank you enough.. This is the first time Ive ever used
this group, and already it looks like youve given me a fix that I can
persue. Tomorrow, Ill pull out the headunit , bring it inside, get the
part number off the cable like it says on the ebay site for one of the
part numbers you quoted:

"If you remove the top cover, then remove the tape/cd deck you will
find the socket where this ribbon plugs into. This is where kenwood
print the part number"

Once I have the partnumber from the ribbon, if it looks in tact and not
fixable by massaging it somehow, it says that I can get the partnumber
off of it , and then I guess I should order it from Ebay or from the
site you listed.. But first I guess I do have to get the specific pn
off my current ribbon cable.. Hope its printed on it like it says it
should be.

If I can fix it this way, Ill be ecstatic....

thanks again ...


Captain Howdy wrote:
The ribbon cable on most kenwoods unclips. This cable runs between the
faceplate connector and the mainboard of the head unit. You will have to
remove and take the head unit apart to replace it. I just checked
www.pacparts.com and they have the cable in stock. But before you buy the
cable check to make sure that the cable just didn't come lose out the
connector. I found a couple on ebay, one is just the cable and the other has
a
replacement socket. Ebay item # 110005635539 and 110005635537





In article . com, "paul e"
wrote:
Captain,

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! I never thought Id find an answer.. What a pain
that the owners manual is so 'weak' on problem solving stuff.. So,
anyway, Im much better at dealing with my M3's aftermarket Blower
system than I am with my stereo.

Can you possibly tell me where I can find more information about this
'ribbon cable', where I may find it, where it goes, and how I go about
replacing it? I can remove the headunit from the dash using the
Kenwood suppled 'prong' thingies market L and R, but as for the 'ribbon
cable' Im at a loss.

Help??

thanks again.


Captain Howdy wrote:
You need to replace the ribbon cable. It's a well known problem with
motorized
kenwood flip face head units. I think a new cable is about $12




In article .com, "paul
e"
wrote:
Ive enjoyed this unit for about 5 yrs now, and all of a sudden, the LED
readouts on the screen which show me virtually everything about my
unit, ie, what station Im watching or clock time, all the presets, all
the menu choices including balance, ie, EVERYTHING, is just missing..
The screen went totally black. And yet, the unit is still functioning..
The presets are still set, and even though I dont remember that they
are set to, and cant tell by looking any more, theyre all there.

The fuse is fine, and hitting the 'reset' button only managed to reset
everything, but not the black screen! Just try and selecting 15
presets without being able to see what station youre setting!

So, has anybody seen this problem before, or have any idea whats going
on with it? Am I going to have to get a new unit? I run it with a
Kenwood Excellon 4x75w amp, and til now, its all been working great.

Thanks for any help..