Sound Systems - Car Audio

[Pullstart 62,913]

Any experts in this stuff?  I can install it, but haven’t ever gotten into the nitty gritty about it.  I installed a Kenwood eXceleron powered head unit, 4 Rockford Fosgate door speakers and a 10” powered Fosgate sub in my wife’s daily driver.  The deck is supposed to be able to push the speakers without an amp and the sub has it’s own.  Today, I ordered a 120 amp relay and assorted wiring to install for the sub power feed because if it sits for more than 2 days, it kills the battery. Seems the communication between the head and the sub never tells it to shut off?

 

Basically, her ‘15 LTZ suburban had a Bose sound system and it had nice crisp, clean sounds whether high, mid or low, and we are trying to duplicate that.

 

Without this… Another dead battery.

[WHX?? 48,833]

Can't help yah here Kev... I ripped all my audios out and Dan croons me.... 

[squonk 41,156]

Sister in law would crank her stereo in her car. She was also paranoid of the big rigs on the NYS Thruway and drove (and still drives) with horse blinders on.. So on her way to work she would get into the passing lane and floor it all the way to the Rochester N.Y. Exit. The less time next to a rig the better. She drove an 85 Chysler New Yorker 2.2 Turbo. One day she noticed the car starting to slow down but kept on truckin holding the pedal to the floor and made it to the toll booth. She would shut the radio off at the booth. When she did, she heard all of this clattering and banging going on. The oil lite was on too. When I tore it down No. 1 piston was missing and the rod for no. 1 was wrapped around rod no. 4! 

 

Working at Napa a kid come in and says he can't get his rear window in his hatchback to seal. I go out to the car with him and his system is cranking. The sub woofer is in the back and every pulse is lifting the window right out of the car! 

 I've also seen a car parked outside a building that had those big windows and the system was moving the glass in and out! 

 

All true stories! 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by squonk

[SylvanLakeWH 25,600]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

Can't help yah here Kev... Dan croons me.... 

 

Again with the visuals

 

Oh

 

My 

 

Eyes

 

 

 

[formariz 11,987]

It’s been many many years, but I believe there should be a remote wire connecting subwoofer and head. That wire should only be powered when ignition is on otherwise amp will drain battery when car is off.

[Achto 27,609]

50 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Again with the visuals

 

Oh

 

My 

 

Eyes

 

 

If you were in the truck with us it would be.....

 

OH 

 

MY

 

EARS.

 

[8ntruck 7,018]

One of the kids on the robotics team had a Ford Probe that he installed a stereo in.  Was big enough that he had to upgrade the alternator to run it.  

 

One day he and some other kids on the team jumped in the car during a break period to listen to the stereo.  I wandered by the car that was going thump, thump, thump.  They saw me, turned the stereo down and rolled a window down a crack.  I told him that he was pretty brave putting that system in an old Ford and wasn't he worried that the car would shake into pieces?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

3 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Seems the communication between the head and the sub never tells it to shut off?

 

Did you determine that by checking if it is actually not turning off?  Ammeter in line with the power to the amp?  You're not just guessing I presume?

 

How much current is it actually drawing in the off state?  Two days seems like an awful short time.  Is the battery new?

 

 

 

[Pullstart 62,913]

56 minutes ago, formariz said:

It’s been many many years, but I believe there should be a remote wire connecting subwoofer and head. That wire should only be powered when ignition is on otherwise amp will drain battery when car is off.

That was my thought too.  There is a controller wire, power, ground, two RCA’s and a signal wire.  Yet, the blue LED on the powered sub stays on all the day long.

[Pullstart 62,913]

1 minute ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

Did you determine that by checking if it is actually not turning off?  Ammeter in line with the power to the amp?  You're not just guessing I presume?

 

How much current is it actually drawing in the off state?  Two days seems like an awful short time.  Is the battery new?

 

 

 

The battery is a year old, alternator is new.  There is a blue LED on the powered sub that never shuts off, until I climb in the back (a funny sight for a short guy to jump into the tailgate of a lifted Suburban!) and unplug the huge 8ga. power and ground wire adapter.

[formariz 11,987]

10 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

That was my thought too.  There is a controller wire, power, ground, two RCA’s and a signal wire.  Yet, the blue LED on the powered sub stays on all the day long.

I believe your amp is on idle when that light is on and car off. Therefor the dead battery. A powerful amp on idle will draw a substantial amount of current. That light needs to be off. All components need to be controlled by ignition. You probably also have a large capacitor for amp that is always charging this way. You most have missed something. The remote wire should be the key to problem.

Edited August 1, 2022 by formariz

[squonk 41,156]

Anything over 100 milliamps is too much of a draw. I'm sure that sub woofer draws more than that. Put a disconnect switch on it. 

 

I used to recon used cars for my BiL. They always had welding cable strung all over the place for the stereos

[Pullstart 62,913]

3 hours ago, Pullstart said:

Today, I ordered a 120 amp relay and assorted wiring to install for the sub power feed

 

2 minutes ago, formariz said:

I believe your amp is on idle when that light is on and car off. Therefor the dead battery. A powerful amp on idle will draw a substantial amount of current. That light needs to be off. All components need to be controlled by ignition. You probably also have a large capacitor for amp that is always charging this way. You most have missed something. 

 

1 minute ago, squonk said:

Anything over 100 milliamps is too much of a draw. I'm sure that sub woofer draws more than that. Put a disconnect switch on it. 

 

I used to recon used cars for my BiL. They always had welding cable strung all over the place for the stereos

 

I will hook the relay up between the fuse and the amp/sub and switch it by the keyed ignition 

[The Freightliner Guy 1,327]

My brother also has a led strip and a sub woofer and it doesn’t seem to die his car is a 2009 Audi A4 Quattro 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

@Pullstart

 

What model is the amp?

 

Does it have the "Auto turn on" switch?

 

 

Typically, the 12V source comes from the 'power antenna' wire on the head unit, some heads do have an 'amp trigger' wire for this purpose, but you can of course wire it to 12V IN RUN only circuit.

 

 

If so, what is it set to?

 

Are you using the high level, or Low inputs from the head?

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[Snoopy11 5,714]

18 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

Typically, the 12V source comes from the 'power antenna' wire on the head unit, some heads do have an 'amp trigger' wire for this purpose, but you can of course wire it to 12V IN RUN only circuit.

Anthropomorphic audiophile beagle present...

 

Usually... (I don't know how bowties operate)... but the 12v power trigger wire comes from an ignition source... or as Jeff says... 12v in RUN...

 

Often... 12v trigger wire will come from fuse block 12v ON/RUN circuit for radio, but for rewires can be parallel with windshield wiper circuit or other "ON/RUN" such as iggy-coil...

 

The problem with any kind of switch is... you have to remember to turn it off... every. time. to get out...

 

As someone who has installed switch panels in vehicles... a switch for the radio seems a little ridiculous for a trigger... maybe even a bit like... you tried to take the easy way out... LOL

 

Don

[Pullstart 62,913]

@Jeff-C175 it is a Rockford Fosgate powered 10” sub…. So the amp is in the sub box.  There are two sub rca cables out the head unit running all the way to the box in the back along with that powered trigger wire (I did verify it is switched) from the head to the sub… but no matter what the sub stays lit.

[Pullstart 62,913]

59 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

The problem with any kind of switch is... you have to remember to turn it off... every. time. to get out...

my thoughts for an in-line relay… ignition switched.  

[formariz 11,987]

So much trouble for a little boom boom.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

I would connect a High Current Relay - like you have now inline to the Mainpower to the Amp.

(  pin 30 with a 120Amps fuse to the Battery + terminal and 87 on the Relay to the Amp + terminal)

 

The Relay coil is switched with pin D+ or pin15 (ignition) and ground.

So the Amp will just get Power in case of pin15 if ignition is on

or in case of D+ if the Engine runns.

 

D+ signal can mostly be found in the Dashboard connector.

 

 Dont forget to use a protection diode on the Relay to kill unwanted powerpeaks if relaycoil releases.

They can rise up to 80Volts and destroy vehicle electronics quick.

 

 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

2 minutes ago, formariz said:

So much trouble for a little boom boom.

 

Don‘t underestimate a good Sound in a Car...😎

 

 

[formariz 11,987]

4 minutes ago, Tractorhead said:

 

Don‘t underestimate a good Sound in a Car...😎

 

 

I have one but as  with all of them impressive but inaccurate.

[squonk 41,156]

20 minutes ago, formariz said:

So much trouble for a little boom boom.

Nothing like driving by a bunch of houses and rattling the cupboards because you "Got it cranked"! I 'm thinking about becoming a hearing aid salesman. Got to be pretty lucrative! 

[Tractorhead 9,064]

I don‘t need it, for me my Car Stereo is my Engines, 

but Mrs. T need her Car Stereo dang loud, except when Leo is on Board.

Than she got my Prohibition to use it that loud, otherwise i cut the Lines.

 

What is sometimes practically, you can hear her from about 4Km far when she come...😎

This give me Time to hide things i bought for my Hobbies.. 😂😂

[Pullstart 62,913]

23 minutes ago, formariz said:

So much trouble for a little boom boom.

Cheaper than therapy