First time

 

Silver Member
Username: Mixneffect

Orangevale, Ca. USA

Post Number: 589
Registered: Apr-05
Kyle use this step by step guide to wire up your amp and subwoofers to your existing HU.

DISCONNECT YOUR BATTERY.

Make sure there is no power going to any circuit at all. Even your lights should not be able to come on.

Run a 12 gauge red wire (preferably) from the amp + to the + of the battery. Install an in-line fuse on it in case of a short circuit, the fuse will blow and not the entire network.

Run a 12 gauge black wire (preferably) no longer than 18" from the amp - to a bolt that you can screw into the car chassis or body (anything that makes a connection with the battery -). Make sure that this connection is tight. Scratch the paint and make sure your wire is touching bare metal.

Run a 12 gauge blue wire (preferably) from the amp rem (remote) to the HU rem. This wire will activate the amp every time you turn on your HU.

Run RCA cables from your amp to your HU. Just snap them in. Keep left and right balance correspondingly. Make sure that you route your RCA cables away from the power wire or remote wire. If the RCA cables are close to "any" power wires, you may get extra noise coming from your speakers later on. So keep you RCA cables away from power wires.

Run 18-12 gauge wires from your amp + and - to your speakers or sub + and -. Make sure that they correspond. Repeat the same process for the next speaker and so on, if you have more than one channel on your amp.

Now it is time to set the knobs and settings on your amp.

Set the gain at its lowest setting for now. It may be at the counter-clock-wise-most direction.

Select stereo or mono (bridged) mode if applicable. Stereo means you will have more than one speaker hooked up, and the balance corresponds to left and right, just like the HU. Mono means that you will be hooking up only one speaker and you will not have a balance option. You will only hear the music that comes on just one channel.

Next select LPF for a subwoofer. This will cut off any frequency above the sub harmonic frequencies. Select HPF for a tweeter (if applicable). Otherwise select in the middle for non filter. This will play all frequencies low, midrange and highs.

Select the bass boost (if applicable) to the lowest setting.

Now CONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL BACK ON. CONNECT THE POSITIVE TERMINAL BACK AS WELL (if both were disconnected).

Listen for popping sounds and look for sparks. Make sure all is well, and there is no smoke and/or burning smell.

Proceed by turning the ignition key until you HU is capable of being turned on. Select a CD (preferably) that has an excellent recording and has a lot of bass as well as clean mids and highs, i.e. Creed, Tina Turner, or Allan Jackson, just to name a few. Don't use Electronica as your initial testing source. Keep the volume low at first just to listen for any malfunctions. When everything is ok proceed to turn the volume higher.

Set the balance and fader to neutral position.

Set the bass and treble to neutral position at first. Do not activate the loudness button. This button should only be used at extreme low volumes when bass and highs are weaker signals than midrange. Continue to turn the volume higher until your mids and highs start to sound forced and distorted. Now back off the volume button just a tad until the sound is clear again. REMEMBER THIS VOLUME SETTING. Never go above this level from here on out. It will cause damage.

How is the bass volume compared to your mids and highs? If it is too weak, then go ahead and turn the gain up slowly until the subs are starting to sound forced, then back it off just like you did with the HU setting on the mids and highs. Do not turn the gain button more than 70% of the way up. Anything past 70% will distort.

Is the bass too loud compared to the mids and highs? Then turn down the gain on the amp. If not, then select the next level of bass boost if applicable, and so forth. If the bass boost distorts the subs, then just back the gain off until it is good.

I hope this was helpful.
 

New member
Username: Kykle

Las vegas, Nevada Usa

Post Number: 4
Registered: Nov-05
thanks man it was very helpful thank u much
 

Silver Member
Username: Big_oso

Post Number: 581
Registered: Jun-05
Um why would you use 12 gauge wiring for power and ground on the amp?
 

Silver Member
Username: Mixneffect

Orangevale, Ca. USA

Post Number: 592
Registered: Apr-05
To allow the amp to draw enough voltage and amperage from the charging system. It is better to have extra when it comes to this department.

Truthfully, this is the minimum a starter system should have. As you go up in wattage consumtion, the current draw gets bigger as well. Dont be surprised when you are required to use 4 gauge and lower for power wiring.

When using a ditribution block for multiple sources, the wiring from the battery, or ground must definetly be big. Start a new thread or read up on "the big three" in the accessories section of this forum.
 

Silver Member
Username: Mixneffect

Orangevale, Ca. USA

Post Number: 593
Registered: Apr-05
Copied from www.bcae1.com section 14 (Fuses) halfway down the page.

Wire Gauge Recommended
Maximum Fuse Size
00 awg 400 amps
0 awg 325 amps
1 awg 250 amps
2 awg 200 amps
4 awg 125 amps
6 awg 80 amps
8 awg 50 amps
10 awg 30 amps
12 awg 20 amps
14 awg 15 amps
16 awg 7.5 amps
These are the recommended maximum fuse ratings for the corresponding wire size. Using a smaller fuse than what's recommended here will be perfectly safe.

I should have posted this earlier. Hope this helps.
 

Gold Member
Username: Mikechec9

Http://www.cardomain.c...

Post Number: 1661
Registered: May-05
i wouldn't dare use anything less than 4 awg.
also, for anything extra:
http://electronixwarehouse.com/education/amplifiers/practicaltips.htm
http://www.mmxpress.com/technical/ampinstall.htm (mind ground cables regarding guage)
http://electronixwarehouse.com/education/amplifiers/installamp.htm
« Previous Thread Next Thread »



Main Forums

Today's Posts

Forum Help

Follow Us