dimming a car radio

[garmonbozia]

A couple months ago, the radio in my car got fried.  I wouldn't have worried about it except I sometimes go on trips that are eight hours each way.  One such trip without the radio, and I decided to replace it.

The new one is the cheap VR3 model they stock at Target.  I let the mechanic put it in and it works good.  I made sure I got one that plays MP3s (be it on CDs, SD cards, or thumb drives).  Just one thing, though.  The panel is too bright.  It's lit by blue LEDs, which is nice, but damn they're bright.  In the manual, it mentions that one of the wires on the harness is supposed to go to the dashboard dimmer switch, but I guess they bypassed that.  Has anyone here messed with car radios enough to know a simple solution?  I thought maybe just splice a resistor into that wire, or does it not work that way?

[El]

A couple months ago, the radio in my car got fried.  I wouldn't have worried about it except I sometimes go on trips that are eight hours each way.  One such trip without the radio, and I decided to replace it.

The new one is the cheap VR3 model they stock at Target.  I let the mechanic put it in and it works good.  I made sure I got one that plays MP3s (be it on CDs, SD cards, or thumb drives).  Just one thing, though.  The panel is too bright.  It's lit by blue LEDs, which is nice, but damn they're bright.  In the manual, it mentions that one of the wires on the harness is supposed to go to the dashboard dimmer switch, but I guess they bypassed that.  Has anyone here messed with car radios enough to know a simple solution?  I thought maybe just splice a resistor into that wire, or does it not work that way?

Non-technology-oriented solution- put semi-transcucent tape over the display?

[TheoK]

Putting silver tape o'er the wench's mouth will do too.

[Callaway]

I would run (or go back to the mechanic and have him do it) the appropriate wire to the dimmer switch because the radio panel should be brighter in the daytime so it can be seen but not at night.

[garmonbozia]

Non-technology-oriented solution- put semi-transcucent tape over the display?

That might make a good theft deterrent.  The tape over the panel would make it so ugly that nobody would want to steal it. 

I want it to look good, at least dim those LEDs down so they're about the same brightness as the rest of the dashboard.  I tend to get pet-peevish about what's on the dashboard.  Also earlier this year, I replaced the control panel for the air conditioner.  The levers were all busted up inside the old one and it was very hard to adjust between warm and cold settings.  The new one works fine, but in this particular make/model of car, there's a little blue light that's supposed to tell you when it's on a/c and not just vent.  (Can't see the button for that at night.  I once accidentally left the compressor on when using the heater because of that stupid light not working.)  The bulb in the blue light is on sometimes when it's supposed to be but not all the time.  I looked at that same part in the old unit (it's in a bin in the back of the car) and saw that it's a tiny incandescent bulb in a twist-in-back fitting.  I suppose the connection just keeps getting loose and then back again with all the mechanical vibrations.  I suppose when I feel like messing with it, I'll open that head unit back up and tighten that lamp fixture.  Maybe I'll do that at the same time as dealing with the radio brightness.