Help! Sub/Amp wiring?

[spd_dmn]

Okay, so I was havin a browse through RiceBarn looking for some cheap bass. I found a US Audio 12" sub in box with 2-channel amp for $180, so I picked it up and got a 2-channel amp wiring kit. So I get home open it all up, thinking it'll be a plug and play job and realise I have NO idea where to begin or what I'm doing.

Looking for instructions or something, I know next to nothing about this but I'm pretty good at logically matching the **** up. I've installed immobilisers, alarms, HU, etc. from getting info on the net.

I have the following:
- 400wtt 2 channel amp wiring kit;
- 6m 8GA Red Power Cable
- 1.2m 8GA Black Ground Cable
- 6m 18GA Blue Trigger Cable
- 1x 6m Performance Series RCA Lead
- AGU Fuse Holder with 60 Amp AGU Fuse
- US Audio 12" SUB, (no idea what wattage)
- US Audio 250W 2-chnnl amp.

I think I'm meant to:
- Run the Red power cable from the positive terminal on the battery to the B+ terminal on the amp with the fuse hooked in somewhere.
- Connect the Black Ground to the amp and the chassis, (firewall?)
- The amp is already connected to the sub using the bridged connection.
- (Dunno what to do with the trigger cable)

[253@7k]

Power to + battery with fuse as close to batt as possible.

Earth to a GOOD earth point (a solid good clean area of metal not some flimsy little bit of sheet metal)

Remote/trigger wire to head unit (will have remote amp wire on it if not use h/u power wire)

RCA's to h/u.

Run the RCA's down the other side of the car to the power as this will reduce interferance.

[spd_dmn]

Cheers, seems pretty simple. Now I'm 50/50 on wanting rain tommorow, lol.

[spd_dmn]

Bloody Rain!

Just another quick question, if I put a switch on the remote trigger wire somewhere to turn on/off the sub would it work? I think it would only turn off the amp but what would the sub do?

I was thinking of using something like this...Toggle Switch

[sganro]

Why do you want the switch in the remote line?

The remote wire is what turns the amp on when your HU turns on and turns the amp off when the HU turns off, so it acts as a switch.

Unless you are wanting to be able to turn your sub off while the rest of the stereo is still going?

[sganro]

Bloody Rain!

I think it would only turn off the amp but what would the sub do?

[/URL]

Yeah thats right it will turn the amp off. The sub will just do nothing like what happens to all the other speakers when you turn your ignition off.

[spd_dmn]

kool, yeah I wanna be able to run the rest of it without the sub.

Couple more questions, the clutch cable gromet is where I've put the power wire but the damn thing fell out in the process. I'm having a **** load of trouble getting it back in, is it neccesary? I've got it there it's just not 'fixed' in.

And secondly I've got the fuse near the battery, was gnna mount it to the fuse box cover but had no success, would it be okay to just tape it to the hose going over the battery?

And finally, is the blue wire with a white line coming from the back of the HU with a tag 'System Remote Control' is that for the remote wire? It's a Pioneer HU, and it doesn't have a remote.

Cheers, thanks for the help.

[calais_cruzin]

If you cant get the grommet back in just coat the hole with sum sinkaflex or silicon.

There hard to get in i used a screw driver handle to push it on, hand just couldnt put on enuff pressure.

[spd_dmn]

Will give the screwdriver a go, if not I've got silicone laying around somewhere.

Anyway she's all up and running. How can I find out the potential of the sub, I don't wanna blow it. And how far up can I turn that boost thingy on the amp without blowing the sub. Like I said it's a 250w amp but not sure about the sub?

[kopper69]

Are you talking about the gain? Read the instructions that should have come with the amp. Most head units put out a standard peak to peak voltage, so the amp should have a standard marking that it will amplify. Its not so much the sub that you should be worried about, more the amp. If you set the gain properly, the amp should run happily all day without overheating etc. If you turn up the gain too much, the amp will overheat very quickly and there will be hardly any improvement in sound anyway.

[Torquative]

let us know when you do work it out!

When I went looking about 6 months ago no one had sub/amp combos for under $200 so I ended up buying a Sony Xplod sub with a Sony Xplod 4 channel amp but it runs out of puff very easily

[sganro]

And secondly I've got the fuse near the battery, was gnna mount it to the fuse box cover but had no success, would it be okay to just tape it to the hose going over the battery?

And finally, is the blue wire with a white line coming from the back of the HU with a tag 'System Remote Control' is that for the remote wire? It's a Pioneer HU, and it doesn't have a remote.

Cheers, thanks for the help.

It doesnt really matter if the fuse isnt mounted. Mine just sits in near the black fuse box. As long as its out of harms way ya will be right

[pumba]

make the earth as short as possible and as said, connect it to a good solid point in the car. if the amp is in the boot, connect it in the boot somewhere. the shorter the better.

if u dont no what your doin, take it to someone that does. it may be a friend or a professional, but yea, get someone that knows what there doin... otherwise if u hook it up wrong, then it could all blow up within a week

[spd_dmn]

Yeah, the gain. No instructions with the amp or sub, it was a display item. Got it set half way atm.

It's all running fine, but I'll have to fix the sub in place somehow, was thinking velcro to the carpet in the boot.

The earth is screwed into a metal bracket thing that's welded to the firewall. The length is pretty long as I didn't shorten the earth cable, will do that tommorow after work.

Getting some decent bass now.

[aiKzo6]

Fuse holder should be about 30cm from the positive battery terminal, so itll be hard to mount it to anything. Just chuck it somewhere around the edges, easy to access in case you ever need to replace the fuse.
I'm not a big fan of the USaudio stuff to be honest :P
Then again, its pretty cheap for a sub/box/amp package


Wheres the amp mounted? If its in the boot, dont run the earth cable back to the battery, just bolt it to any point in the boot. As long as its as short as possible, and touching the chassis, it should be fine.

[spd_dmn]

I'm not a big fan of the USaudio stuff to be honest :P
Then again, its pretty cheap for a sub/box/amp package

Yeah, was just going for a baseline package to begin with, so I have something to upgrade from when I get the money.

Wheres the amp mounted? If its in the boot, dont run the earth cable back to the battery, just bolt it to any point in the boot. As long as its as short as possible, and touching the chassis, it should be fine.

Amp is mounted to the sub box, the earth is 1.2m long but I can/will shorten it down to about 30cm when I get the chance.

Is it crucial? Like something I should get onto NOW, or can it wait?

[aiKzo6]

It can wait. It's just a general rule to run the earth cable as short as possible, to avoid interference, and ensure a good solid ground from the amp.

[spd_dmn]

Ahh, ok, thx.