JL 500/1 Power Loss
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 1 Registered: May-04 | Hello, I have a JL 500/1 hooked up with 4 gauge from the battery, grounded with 4 gauge within a foot and a half, 30 amp fuse/block, and 3 JL 10w0's. They are run by a Pioneer Premier DEH-P730. With the gain completely down on the amp and no bass boost, +2 sub gain and lower settings for overall bass on the head unit, when bass hits hard, the amp completely phases in and out of power. The overload light never comes on, the low ohm light never comes on, the power light just flicks off for a few seconds (or longer depending on the song's bass) and kills the bass. The speakers never sounded very loud to begin with (for three in a factory sized and sealed box), and now this is beginning to frustrate me. Anyone have any ideas as to why power would just kill (while the head unit remains playing)? |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 2986 Registered: Dec-03 | 50A fuse for one, and a higher output alternator for that additional 50A of current for the amplifier. |
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 2 Registered: May-04 | Where are the "additional 50A of current" coming from? Or better phrased, how much current would the amp be drawing? Also, my car is a 2002 Honda Accord (is that a common car with alternator output being too low?) Thanks for the response! |
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New member Username: 172_dbKy Post Number: 3 Registered: May-04 | dont listen to the alternater b/s bigger battery biggest you can drop in it first and buy a 200 watt fuse holder an fuse from someone who sells rockford stuff. itll stay on.. always start with the cheapest stuff before droppin 300-1200 in a high output custom alternator. |
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Anonymous | Jered you are stupid Glasswolf is MECP certified you idiot and yes alternators do help where do you think your battery gets it charge from. you need to learn something before you come on here talking crap. |
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172 +- db Unregistered guest | rofl just cause he got a paper sayin he knows somethin dont mean change your alternator should be the response to EVERY post. ive counted at least 75 in a hour where change your alternator is the solution. i know a guy who has 8 lcd screens 10 subs 4 component systems and airbags on a truck with the stock alternator that keeps a 14+ volt charge constantly. CHANGING YOUR ALTERNATOR TO A NON STOCK- OVER SIZED ALTERNATOR COSTS A SH!TLOAD . COMPARED TO CHANGING A 30 AMP FUSE TO A 200 AMP FUSE WHICH COST ABOUT 200X LESS. K THX BTW who ever said im not MECP certified to you idiot? |
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Anonymous | you don't know anything. |
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172 +- db Unregistered guest | ok if youd rather waste 1000 bucks on somethin that can be fixd under 75 bucks then go for it. k thx you look dumb again  |
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iwish172+db Unregistered guest | you know NOTHING about car audio. |
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172 +- db Unregistered guest | replace the alternator ? |
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 3 Registered: May-04 | I agree with the "replace the alternator" as being bs. I have worked with enough car stereos to not jump on that bandwagon. I have also had much more demanding stereos in this car and others that had no problems with the alternator. This problem baffles me, so it sucks that I came here hoping to get a good technical answer and instead got a "go drop some more money" response. |
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Bronze Member Username: Jonnyboy420Post Number: 15 Registered: Apr-04 | i'd say to check the sub wiring, but i'm sure you've done that. make sure all connections are secure. check how many ohms the load is, using wiring diagrams. that's about all i can think of. or you could just have a faulty amp, although i doubt that's the case. |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 2996 Registered: Dec-03 | Jason, the amplifier will draw ~50A of current at full output. Maybe as much as 60A, since the JL is underrated, and can put out as much as 670wRMS on a scope. Your honda's stock alternator is about 70A for most civics and accords. Figure at least 50A of that 70 is used for the car, so you'll want to look around for an alternator rated at 100-130A for the car. Check eBay. I see drop-in replacement alternators there in the 100-200A range for $200-$300, which is not a big investment for what that'll do for you. Get the largest output alternator you feel comfortable buying. Bigger just means more reserve power, and room to add another amp later. The battery upgrade would only help you when the car's engine is shut off and the stereo is being played. A capacitor will help transient response times, but it won't compensate for a lack of sufficient current from the power source when the car is running. 200A fuse is too large for the 500/1. a 50A to 60A ANL type fuse or even AGU fuse would do the trick. Remember, you want to match the fuse rating to what the amplifier can draw continuously. That way the fuse lets all the needed current through, but it won't allow any more than that. |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 2997 Registered: Dec-03 | If you think you can draw 50A of current for an amp from a car with a 60A or 70A alternator, and not suffer problems, you really have no business anywhere near anything electrical. ever. yeah I'm an mecp master installer, and an electrical engineer, and I have over a decade of experience in the car audio profession. That aside, this is a case of simple math. he blew the fuse because he had a 30A fuse on an amplifier that can draw over 50A of current continuously. His lights dim because he can't supply enough current to the amplifier and the voltage rails are sagging. I wonder if most of you even have the most basic concepts of how an alternator functions, or any knowledge of basic electrical principles. try here for starters, unless you think Mister Babin is an "idiot" too: http://www.bcae1.com/charging.htm |
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 4 Registered: May-04 | Except that I never blew a fuse, thats where I am confused. I could understand the power cutting out because of a blown fuse, thats logic. However, my power is shutting off and coming back on randomly based on the bass in some songs. I made the mistake of leasing my car, and my lease ends in November (I believe), so its WAY too much work swapping out alternators for some bass. However, on that same note, it disturbs me that my 1990 accord had no trouble power-wise with 4 IDQ (image dynamics) 12's, from a Fosgate Punch Power 800. |
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Anonymous | alternators do help............... |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 3027 Registered: Dec-03 | if ya didn't blow the fsue, it simply means you're not running the amp at full output. however, you can still be drawing more power than the car can supply, which will cause a JL amp to shut itself down since both the power supply and output stage of the amp are regulated to avoid clipping and damaging your speakers. As much as I hate to say this, since the car is leased, and it is a JL slash series amp, why don't you try a half-farad or even a 1Fd capacitor, and see if that helps, if this is only happening occasionally, and only for brief moments when the bass is hitting hard. If it were a constant problem I wouldn't suggest this, but since it's pretty much a temporary fix for a leased car, and it seems to be an occasional thing, the capacitor may stop the amplifier from shutting down on you. see if it helps, but I won't guarantee anything there. At least that fix should only set ya back about $60 |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 3028 Registered: Dec-03 | by the way one reason the subs aren't that loud is you're using the low end W0 subs, in a sealed box, and they are only ten inchers. If you want more bass, think about using those in ported boxes, or moving to a pair of 12" subs in a vented box, where each sub is rated for about 250wRMS. that'd give you more deep bass. |
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 5 Registered: May-04 | Also interesting to note is that both amp and head-unit were purchased from reputable dealers, yet some inconsistencies exist. For example, I have phoenix gold tantrum cable running from the sub out on the back of the head unit to the input of the amp. After double checking all my connections, I turned the amp on only to find that there was no power/signal. Upon examination, the problem was that I had the input voltage switch set to high instead of low. The head-unit is supposed to be 4v out, so I would figure that should be high enough to be considered high (yes, high could potentially be 8v, etc..) Next, my other complaint is that I originally hooked up the amp with no remote, as it has a remote sensing capability and does not need the remote. Witht this turned on and no remote, the amp never powered, like it was not receiving signal (this occurs regardless of what input voltage switch is set at. So maybe I have junked equipment. Or I need a second opinion (I moved to the middle of Amish country, not many shops or knowledgable friends around here.) |
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New member Username: NobelPost Number: 6 Registered: May-04 | Yes, I regret not finishing the ported box design I had (got too busy moving, but will probably finish it now). I will try a cap, sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the support, sorry if I sound bitter and angry in some of my posts (I am not) |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 3031 Registered: Dec-03 | yeah the remote sensing doesn't work for all setups.. better to be sure and just run the remote trigger line. I believe that no remote setup is for using the high level inputs though, not RCAs |
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