Clarion VMA543, VMA743 Owner's Manual

VMA543 and VMA743

5.8” or 7” Wide Screen Color LCD Monitor

Owner’s Manual

Installation Guide

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About Installation

Installation of mobile audio and video components requires
experience with a variety of mechanical and electrical procedures.
Although this manual provides general installation and operation
instructions, it does not show the exact installation methods for
your particular vehicle.

If you do not have the required knowledge and experience to
successfully complete the installation, we strongly recommend
consulting an authorized Clarion dealer about professional
installation options.

Copyright 2004 Clarion Europe GmbH. All rights reserved.

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Contents

About Installation ....................................................................................................... 2

1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 5

Features..................................................................................................................... 5

Precautions................................................................................................................ 5

Please note................................................................................................................ 6

2. Using the monitor ...................................................................................... 6

Front panel controls...................................................................................................7

Wireless headphones ................................................................................................8

Playing a video or game ............................................................................................8

Adjusting the picture ..................................................................................................9

Turning the unit off and on .........................................................................................10

Switching between video sources ............................................................................. 10

Playing two videos or games at once........................................................................ 10

Changing the video output mode ..............................................................................1 0

Disabling automatic power on ................................................................................... 11

Returning adjustments to the factory settings ........................................................... 11

Using a remote control ..............................................................................................1 1

Connecting a video source........................................................................................11

3. Care and Maintenance ............................................................................... 12

Cleaning the cabinet.................................................................................................. 12

Cleaning the LCD panel ............................................................................................12

Servicing the monitor................................................................................................. 12

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Precautions

• Do not operate your monitor in ways other than those

described in this manual.

• Do not play a multimedia system when the car’s engine is

turned off. Doing so runs down the car’s battery.

• Do not disassemble or modify your monitor.

• Keep moisture away from the monitor. Water and humidity

may damage internal circuitry.

• Do not let the monitor become overheated.

If the temperature in the vehicle is high or the monitor has
been exposed to direct sunlight, cool the monitor (such as,
by running the air conditioning) before you turn it on.

• Keep all liquids, including beverages and cleaning fluids

away from the monitor. Liquids in the monitor can damage
the electronics and result in electrical shock or fire. If the
unit becomes wet, turn off all power and contact an autho­rized Clarion dealer to have the monitor inspected.

• Never press on the liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. You

may damage it.

Failure to observe these precautions may damage your car,
the monitor, or the video source, and may void the warranty.

2. USING THE MONITOR

These monitors are components in a full audio/video system
that may include a VCR, DVD player, game player, camcorder,
or other video source unit.

Note:

If you have any questions about compatible components,
such as system controllers, source units, FM modulators, or
other audio/video products, please contact your authorized
Clarion dealer.

To operate the monitor, the vehicle ignition key switch must be
in the ACC or ON (run) position.

ACC or engine
ON position

WARNING!

To prevent the battery from going dead,
always operate this unit with the engine
running, if possible.

The video source unit (such as a DVD player) may turn on
automatically when you turn the ignition on.

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Increases, decreases or selects
adjustment settings

Selects the viewing mode

Selects the
video
source

Transmit infrared signals to the headphones

Playing a video or game

The monitor is preset at the factory to turn on automatically
when you start your car’s ignition. The monitor remains dark
until it detects a video signal.

1. Insert the media (tape, cartridge, game or disc) into the
video source.

2. Turn on the headphones.

If this is the first time you’ve used the unit, make sure your
headphones have fresh batteries installed.

Note

Your headphones must be in view of the monitor for the
infrared transmission to work.

3. Press play on the video source.

4. When you see the picture, press

WIDE to select the display

mode. Depending on the video source:

CINEMA may stretch the image to fill the entire screen.

ZOOM may bring the image slightly closer.

NORMAL displays the image at its true aspect ratio (4:3)

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16:9

Adjusting the picture

If the temperature is normal and the picture still doesn’t look
right, you may adjust the tint, color, brightness, and contrast.

1. Press

PICTURE to display the adjustment menus.

The monitor displays the adjustment menus.

2. Press

PICTURE again until you reach the option you wish to

adjust.

The monitor displays the adjustment bar:

TINT adjusts the overall color of the monitor.

COLOR adjust the way each color displays.

BRIGHT adjusts the monitor’s brightness.

CONTRAST adjusts the differences between light and dark
areas.

3. Press the plus (+) end of the picture controls button to
increase the adjustment.

Press the minus (-) end of the picture controls button to
decrease the adjustment.

Playing two videos or games at once

If your vehicle is equipped with two LCD monitors in the
headrests and two video source units, two different videos or
games can play at the same time.

Each monitor transmits the infrared audio signal over its own
channel, A or B. When a vehicle has two monitors, the default
is to configure the monitor in the driver’s headrest to use IR
channel A, and the monitor in the passanger’s headrest to use
IR channel B. You can change this.

1. Press PICTURE several times to locate the IR CH option.

2. Press plus (+) or minus (+) to alternate between A and B.

Note:

You don’t need to select the IR channel if your vehicle has
only one monitor or only one video source.

Changing the video output mode

1. Press PICTURE several times to locate the VIDEOSYS
option.

2. Press plus (+) or minus (+) to alternate between NTSC and
PAL.

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PICTURE

Using a remote control

The LCD monitor comes with an IR receiver that works with
Clarion remote control devices. Aim the remote control at the
IR receiver during use.

Note:

The IR receiver only functions with select Clarion multime­dia equipment.

Connecting a video source

The video sources you are using may be preinstalled for you,
or your configuration may be designed to allow you to change
devices.

For example, returning from a day at the beach, you may
disconnect your game from the game port and connect your
camcorder to view the video you just shot.

Caution

Always take care when disconnecting and
connecting electronic devices.

Servicing the monitor

In the event that trouble arises, never open the case or
disassemble the unit. The internal parts are not serviceable by
the user. Opening any components will void the warranty.

CAUTION!

Changes or modifications to this product not
approved by the manufacturer will void the
warranty.

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Before Starting

Disconnect the minus (-) terminal on the vehicle’s battery.

WARNING!

To prevent short circuits
during installation, be sure
to disconnect the battery.

Precautions

• This unit is exclusively for vehicles with a negative ground,

12V power supply.

• Do not open the case. There are no user-serviceable parts

inside. If you require assistance, consult your Clarion dealer
or an authorized Clarion service center.

• Use a soft, dry cloth to clean the screen. Never use a rough

cloth, thinner, benzene, alcohol, or other solvent. The
screen surface is easy to scratch—do not rub it when
cleaning.

Flush mounting in the headrest

You may use the included trim bezel to flush-mount the
monitor.

1. Ensure that you will have sufficient clearance for the
monitor and its rear-located wiring harness.

2. Cut the opening.

3. Route the DIN-connector end of the wiring harness into the
opening from the rear out the front.

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Wire harness opening

7. Gently insert the monitor into the bezel.

Press only on the edges of the monitor, not on the screen.
You should hear a few soft clicks as the monitor locks into
place.

CAUTION!

NEVER press on the surface of the
screen! Gently press on the edges of
the monitor case. If you find that you can­not insert the monitor without excessive
force, you may need to check your wire
harness position for interference with the
insertion process. You may also need
make the opening slightly larger.

102 mounting stand or

Wiring the monitor

Precautions

• Disconnect the negative battery terminal before making any

wiring connections.

• Be particularly careful where you route wires. Keep them

away from the engine, exhaust system, etc. Heat may
damage wires.

• If the fuse should blow, make sure all connections are

correct and no wires are damaged before replacing the
fuse. Always use fuses that are the same amperage value
as the original. When replacing a fuse, never let the battery
side touch any metal part or any other wire.

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4. Connect the ground lead (black) securely to a clean metal
plate on the vehicle.

Use sand paper to remove any paint from the surface
where you attach the ground terminal.

5. Reconnect the negative (-) lead to the battery.

Monitor connections

CAUTION!

Some non-Clarion automotive D VD and VCP
source units use a similar connector for an
external IR receiver, b ut use different pin po­larity than the Clarion uses. Connecting non­Clarion source equipment to this connector
could cause equipment damage not cov­ered by the warranty!

IR connector polarity:

(+) V ACC

IR DATA LINE

1. Audio L

2. IR GND

3. Audio R

4. VIDEO GND

5. VIDEO

6. 12V GND

7. IR

8. 12V

9. GND

or

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To monitor

- (negative)

+ (positive)

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PICTURE. If the menu appears,

F). If the temperature is outside

With a DVD player and a widescreen DVD disc, there are
black bars above and below the picture.

Change the TV display mode to “Wide” in the DVD player’s
Setup menu.

After changing this setting, if there are still black bars, press

WIDE on the front panel of the monitor and select WIDE.

The screen is dark

The brightness is set too low. Press

PICTURE and adjust the

BRIGHT option.

The interior of the vehicle is too hot or too cold. The monitor’s
operating temperature is -1 degree to 45 degrees Celsius (30
degrees to 113 degrees Fahrenheit).

Picture “rolls.”

Check that the VIDEOSYS setting is correct for the monitors
and DVDs being used (see “

Changing the Video Output

Mode

”). PAL video often “rolls” on NTSC monitors.

VMA743 General Specifications

Power requirement: 12V DC (9V-16V)
Power consumpaion: 6.5 watts, power on

0.6 amps (600mA)

Weight: 445 g

Dimensions (w x h x d): 183.2 x 128 x 29 mm
Included parts: LCD monitor

1 16P Main cable
2 8P AV cable
1 8P Game port cable
2-pin Molex power connector
Mounting bracket

VMA743 Specifications

Display type: Color TFT Active Matrix LCD
Screen size: 7”
Pixels: 1440 x 234
Screen resolution 336,960 dots
Video input level (RCA) 1.0 volts peak to peak, NTSC

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