07 SportChassis A/V System

[Rhyph]

Howdy all,

I'm trying to figure out the A/V system in our new to us 2007 SportChassis RHA-114.  Everything seems to be working well with a couple exceptions, here is the set-up best I know it.  The head unit is the Pioneer Avic Z1.  In the dash below the head unit amongst the various other truck controls is the 4-input A/V switcher button.  It has the Pioneer 12-disc changer. Kicker amps and subwoofer under/behind rear seat.  Ceiling mounted TV for rear seat passengers. On the rear of the center console, it has the game a/v selector, 150w inverter outlet, a/v input set-up and compartment to stash a gaming console.  

Here's where the exceptions or potential trickery that I can't seem to figure out come in.  I attempted to hook-up a game console to the A/V inputs on the rear of the center console here:

I set the little selector switch on the panel there to game.  On the TV on the ceiling, I figured out that with it set it to the "sub" input (the head unit in the dash is on AV1 and comes through fine as well).  With everything set this way, I get the game console on the TV screen on the ceiling to display fine - no problem, but I have no game console audio anywhere.  So I then move to the head unit in the dash and I've tried all sorts of various combinations of it's A/V input-Video, EXT, etc etc and can't seem to get at least the audio from the game console to the head unit in the truck so we can hear what's going on.  Specifically with the head unit set to A/V input, it just gives us a blank/black screen.  I have also tried changing the AV selector on the dash between inputs 1 through 4, but I know our backup camera is on input 1, so I suspect that switcher isn't related to the actual in-truck A/V system at all?  For obvious reasons I'm not looking for video up front from the game console, just the audio to play throughout the truck.

Now, here's one other little factor on an issue I have that might matter.  The truck came with a pair of headsets for listening to the ceiling mount TV I presume, they look like an IR type headset and when I look up at the TV on the ceiling I can see what appears to be IR emitters in a panel up there.  The batteries in both of these headsets exploded at some point in previous ownership, so they do not work.  My guess is, this is one way to hear audio from that game console source as I imagine it's at least being piped directly to the TV?

So to recap and directly ask my questions:

1. How do I get audio from the game console to run throughout the truck?
   1. What if any magic combination of input selections do I have to choose to make that happen?
2. Does anyone know where I might source replacement headsets if that's the only way to get that audio?
   1. Maybe these, they look a lot like the old ones?: XO Vision Universal Infrared Wireless Foldable Headphones for In-Car TV
3. What's the deal with the 4-input A/V switcher in the dash, does it have anything to do with the video system in the truck or is it for backup/exterior cameras only?
   1. Where is the 'box' located with the inputs and outputs for whatever the 4-input A/V switcher in the dash is actually controlling?
4. How do you open up that center console between the front seats without doing damage (I suspect a lot of the wiring runs through it and I could chase things if I knew where to start opening her up)?

Sorry for the huge batch of questions and info to sort through, but as new owners we're trying to figure out where to start sorting all this out.  I've tried contacting SportChassis directly and they haven't gotten back to me, and that was over a week and a half ago.  Also, thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can render!

[ms60ocb]

I can't help on the TV/Sound system.

My Sports Chassis is 8 years newer so if the consoles were built the same. For the console removal, I didn't remove but lifted it up a bit looking something lost.To do that task remove all cup holder and the door covers. Also remove the floor of the front compartment. By this time you possibly removed some screws or can see the screws that need removed. I had a connector or two to disconnect. but as I remember the top is removed from the base first.

Clay

[Rhyph]

Thanks for the info!  I haven't done any real removal of anything yet, mostly just looking around and peeking at what I can without starting the whole process.  I'm a believer in do it all once if you can when R&R'ing on older vehicle panels and such to minimize breakage risk.   From what I've seen so far while exploring in that center console, the rearward compartment has two philips head screws, below its door which hold the top of the console on.  Down inside that compartment are what look like two larger bolts going through the floor of it, I'm assuming that's holding down part of the main console box to the floor of the truck.  In the forward smaller compartment, there is a trap door which opens to a lower compartment, but I didn't see any other screws or bolts in there that were obvious.  Are they hiding under the carpet maybe?

Thanks!

Ps. I joined the club and I'm awaiting our member #, yay!  

[Rhyph]

Well I have an update on this.  I got brave and took things apart!  I figured out what the A/V switcher in the dash does and it has nothing to do with the actual a/v system itself, but rather it is actually for the back-up cameras.  On the rear of my truck, there is a second round-pin style receptacle (I think 8 pin, I counted a few weeks ago now already).  That receptacle is labeled "Voyager 2 Camera Input".  I noticed that when I switch the switcher, with the head unit set to view the rear camera mounted on the headache rack of the truck, it would drop out if not set to input 1.  So that's what it is for, switching between cameras, and apparently there is a set-up you can add two hard-wire additional rear view cameras on your trailer and then use the switcher to swap views between them on the head unit.  

I also figured out that there is no sound or video input hooked up from the game switcher on the rear console to the head unit at all - puzzling.  In fact, it only goes to the overhead TV.   But I know why and more on that in a minute.  So, there was nothing hooked up to the auxiliary A/V input on the head unit at all.  When I pulled the head unit out, I found the aux A/V input leads taped up and zip tied to the wiring bundle.  So while I had everything pulled apart, I ran a new A/V cable set from that input to the rear game console storage cubby and solved that dilemma directly.  

Now here's why they may not have felt the need to directly hook up the A/V aux input on the head unit.  That overhead TV has a built in FM transmitter apparently.  You can set it to transmit on a certain FM radio station and in theory send audio that is being sent directly to the TV (in this case from the game switcher input on the rear of the console) to your truck's audio system by simply tuning to the FM channel the TV is broadcasting on.  However, it seems my TV's FM transmitter is not working. I've tried the different offered FM channel options and the radio will not pick-up a peep of sound.  Oh well, I have it bypassed and I can send video from the game console directly to the head unit's aux A/V input, and that goes back to the TV as well.

Mysteries solved, and let be recorded in internet history.