Hey everyone long time member and havent been around in awhile. My system is a JL12w7 and a 500/1 amp. I had this system for almost a year now and the amp for probably over 2 years. My amps been fine lately and i would play at low music levels annd occasionally turn it up. I noticed when i did turn it up the lights in my car would dim everytime the sub hit (I have a little nissan frontier truck btw). ANyways the nice whether rolled around this week and i decided to get some music in there and turn it up. it played fine for a bit then the amp started blinking. It didnt go into protection mode from what i could tell just teh ON button blinks on for a second then off waits a little while then blinks on again. I checked my grounds and all my wired connections and checked the fuses. I also upened up the amp dosnt smell or look burnt out. What could possibly be the problem. I thought alternator but my truck dosnt have any problem starting up. Any help would be greatly appreciated
alright its not the subs either i just hooked up a different sub to it and it did the same thing. I noticed it was a lower quality sub and played at lowest levels but when i tried to crank it up same problem. DO you think it is my battery or the amp? anyone?
i took it to the sub shop today and he tested it on some different speakers with different ohm loads. so its not the speakers then he checked the grounds again and i regrounded it and it wasnt that. I did notice the power button glowing faintly and everytim it would hit on low level volume it would fade in and out. I am wondering if my battery is starting to go or if it is sucking to much out of it. The lights on my car dim very noticably to. Ill have to check it out with a cheap battery before i invest in an optima. any other suggestions if it is the amp ill probably be putting a nice 12w7 thats been used lightly for 6 months up for sale. that would be just depressing.
I'm responding to an old post, so you have probably figured it out by now. You need to run a capacitor in front of your amp. Your audio shop should be able to help you with this.
that dimming of lights every time your subs hit is a sign that your amp is drawing massive power from your battery like jason haslett says get a capacitor the capacitor surts out energy to your amp as needed compared to not having one and it constantly draws power from the battery, also remember if you got a huge sound system that draws a lot of amperage be sure to upgrade the alternator or at least get a new battery rated over 850 cold cranking amps they run about 50-80 doallrs but are worth it.
DO NOT GET A CAP!!! once that cap discharges, what charges it back up? THE ALTERNATOR! if you get a cap, its just gonna put more strain on your system. DONT DO IT.
if your drawing too many amps, its time for a HO alt. theres no other way to get around it, no short cuts..
M.S. your A Moran Everyone should have enough common sense to know if you get a capacitor then you need to upgrade alternator to 250 amp(depending on total amperage used in your system). and a cap wont strain your system if you hook it up right and have all nessacery things with it. if you get a cap then UPGRADE your alternator. dont listen to these SAPS who arent certified to work on car audio for a living, a cap is needed for high amp and hgh power systems unless you like to not be able to start your car!
x3 caps are not needed they are pretty much a gimmick. for 500 rms and 1000 rms it shouldn't strain though, anything is possible most nissans and toyotas and other small cars have tiny alts and need a upgrade. do as was said invest in a high output alternator if the trucks worth it. the price of a cap u could just get a alternator and be about 10 times ahead of the game plus if you ever want to upgrade to a few thousand watts and go nuts you will have the power that NO cap will ever provide.
I would not call a capacitor useless. Capacitors as you all know store power and use it when it is most crucial saving your alternator from overworking itself to death. I have a system that only requires 400w RMS and I have a capacitor. My headlights were flickering and the bass would bog out too often. I added a capacitor and my strain is better and bass response is excellent for my budget. Also most amps provide the maximum RMS at a voltage of 13.8. There is no way to sustain that with all your accessories without an an amazing alternator which is expensive and even more expensive for European cars like mine. Systems don't need to be high power to cause strain. Also, power hungry amps are a huge cause to this problem. Kicker especially. I am not telling anybody here what they already don't know. I do agree that a capacitor has not business in this discussion, but their are people who have written countless articles and sound magazines stressing their importance in the most lucrative of situations. The main issue here is that his amp has crapped the bed. I had the same problem with 3 amps in the past. Something is gone. No matter how much strain and with all the things you have done, there is no way that the amp should not turn on unless it is internal. Also, a new alternator is in your future.
If fixed my electrical system. My 140amp alternator is less than a year old from whence I installed it. A half farad capacitor now makes it possible for me to avoid the strain being it takes the pressure and drain of the battery and alternator due to it's pulsing. I saved money and I don't regret my decision, being my gas mileage is normal meaning that the resistance of my stock alternator has been cut to a minimum. Matt if you got the money go with a beefed up charging system but as of right now you need a new amp and if you want a cheaper fix stick with a capacitor until you have the money to afford the beefed up charging system. There are many different ways to solve these problems and many different variables to take into effect. Good luck with your issues and good luck with the money you will have to spend for the stuff you may need, especially in this economy.
well MS i am an industrial electrican residential electrican and an electronics major in college and just like rob kowalski said it helps relieve power strain but doesnt solve It! id rather buy a capactior than a ho alternator i dont have money trees out behind my house!
any watys its all personal preference on how you want your system ran! i use a capacitor cuz my budget doesnt allow for a pricey ho alternator so a cap is a cheaper alternative and like rob and me said it relieves strain on your stock alt to a minimum and isnt to difficult to install. any one reading these posts must consider all opinions and facts before installing any thing! and MS you are right it does mask the problem but not everyone has 100 dollar bills in there pocket! most peole use budget systems and thats all they can afford but if you got the money then MS is right go with the ho alternator and skip the cap if possible!
