Setting the clock on a JVC KD-G420 in dash CD player – This definitely falls under the “way harder then it needs to be” category. Months ago, I replaced the battery in my old bronco and reset the clock on my CD player. Normaly, this would not be a problem except the designers of this particular device decided it was better to have cute flashing lights, lots of buttons, and constant advertisements (Gee, like I forgot my stereo has an Aux input and I need to be reminded every 15 seconds…) then a usefull user interface.

Anyway, to set the clock… (While the unit is on)

  1. Press and hold the S (or SEL) button for a while until the display reads DEMO (usualy)
  2. Turn the volume knob until the display reads DEMO OFF
  3. Press the v|<< / >>|^ button (yes, that’s what it’s called in the manual) until the display reads CLOCK H
  4. Turn the volume knob to set the hour
  5. Press the v|<< / >>|^ button until the display reads CLOCK M
  6. Turn the volume knob to set the minute
  7. Press the S (or SEL) button to save

I guess I could add a step 8 here: Bookmark this post because you may not remember this sequence 6 months from now when the time changes and you have to reset the clock.

By the way, I found the users manual (in PDF) here.