sound systems
Thread started by
lackflag at 08.23.08 - 4:00 pm
i'm assembling a sound system. i kind of know what i'm doing, but i've never done this before so i've got some questions:
do i ground the battery to the bike frame?
if so, do i also ground the amp to the bike frame?
do i really need to wire a REM switch for the amp?
thanks!
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NO, NO, AND NO!
DO NOT USE YOUR FRAME AS A GROUND, FOR NOTHING, USE ALL DEDICATED WIRES, VOLTS, AUDIO, VIDEO,
----> NEVER SHARE ANY WIRE FROM ANOTHER DEVICE, EVERYBODY GET IT'S OWN WIRES, AND FULLY INSULATED.
MY SYSTEM HAS BEEN WORKING NON STOP OVER 2 YEARS.
eddieboyinla08.23.08 - 4:18 pm
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How do you ground Eddie?
marino08.23.08 - 4:48 pm
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yeah, i was just about to ask the same thing.
lackflag08.23.08 - 4:48 pm
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so let me get this straight - the positive battery terminal gets sent to the amp - and the negative teminals (one on the battery, one on the amp) they don't get connected to anything?
lackflag08.23.08 - 4:55 pm
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I wouldn't recommend doing anything unless you're really comfortable with 12VDC.
It's easy to make expensive mistakes.
kyber08.23.08 - 5:01 pm
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OK Brendan. I'll shut off my computer right now.
marino08.23.08 - 5:09 pm
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really? but it seems so simple. amp, battery, speaker. and if eddie's no ground method isnt too good to be true its even easier. hmmmmm....
lackflag08.23.08 - 5:11 pm
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Marino, don't shut it off.
Just use this:
kyber08.23.08 - 5:30 pm
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this is super simple. don't be confused with the word GROUND here.
Pos from battery to pos on amp.'
Neg from battery to neg on amp
that's the power system.
Now, connect the speakers. you're done.
richtotheie08.23.08 - 5:32 pm
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word - that makes sense - thanks richtotheie
lackflag08.23.08 - 5:41 pm
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shall i milk the populace for advice on fuses?
a 20 amp fuse on the pos wire. good idea?
lackflag08.23.08 - 5:43 pm
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How big is the amp?
Mook08.23.08 - 6:39 pm
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100 watts going into one speaker @ 4 ohms
lackflag08.23.08 - 7:31 pm
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just to bring this happy little tale to a close. it works.
i DID have to wire the REM switch. i don't know if that's exclusive to fosgate amps or what. but its just another wire to the positive terminal on the battery. it pretty much tells the amp to actually make noise once its powered up.
thanks for the input everybody. i may have done this by myself, but i wasn't alone!
now i just have to get an ipod.
lackflag08.23.08 - 8:35 pm
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SE I TOLD YOU:
this is super simple. don't be confused with the word GROUND here.
Pos from battery to pos on amp.'
Neg from battery to neg on amp
that's the power system.
Now, connect the speakers. you're done.
richtotheie
^
I
I
I
I
I
THIS DUDE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A "GROUND".
LIKE I SAID "NO GROUND"
WHY MUST YOU NOT BELIEVE WHAT I SAY?
eddieboyinla08.24.08 - 7:50 am
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nice setup! Sweet and compact. Good you remembered the REM to the + terminal. Now for the test turn. Ride it for about 1 mile and then re-tighten things up again.
Another thing.... keep extra hardware w/ you for the battery connections. I've lost 2 already and I'm glad I had the back up.... zip ties, with some tweaking, work too. Oh and fuses...
It sucks to carry all that stuff and have a little screw or fuse f you over. Are you gonna add some of your tunes to the playlist? Would be dope!
digablesoul08.24.08 - 9:24 am
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HMMM Eddie would probably know more about this than me,
but you can parallel batteries if you have multiple, and give both amps dedicated wires to pos and neg.
ask eddie first! :D
richtotheie08.25.08 - 2:18 am
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SEPARATE BATTERIES FOR EACH AMP, DONT ME FIRST, ASK MY BUDDY RICHIE2THEIE FIRST.
eddieboyinla08.25.08 - 10:49 am
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Does a system in a car need a ground because the battery is also connected to the engine?
trickmilla08.25.08 - 11:26 am
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Do you guys mind if we back up just a bit here?
What are the preferred components of such a system? What are you guys using as far as amp brand/wattage and is there a place to buy them that is better/cheaper than others? I'm assuming most speakers will work if the ohms match up with the amp yes?
Right now I'm using a combination of small portable guitar amps just because I already had them but they distort badly at higher volumes. (which is good if you're playing guitar through it. I'm not) Anyway, I want to upgrade and you seem to have these components down to a science. Oh yeah. What's a REM switch?
frumble09.5.08 - 10:49 am
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It's easy to make expensive mistakes.
Easy to make dangerous mistakes too!! Shorting a 12vdc battery can result in explosions and burns.
Answering frumble's questions now:
What are the preferred components of such a system?
- 1 12 vdc SLA (sealed lead acid) battery no less than 9 amp.-hours
- 1 12 vdc car audio amplifier capable of producing 80-120 watts while running in bridged monophonic mode.
- 1 speaker that matches the impedence (ohms) rating of your amplifier (while in bridged mode). The maximum power handling of this speaker should meet or exceed the number of watts that the amplifier is capable of producing.
What's a REM switch?
REM stands for 'remote'. These amps are used in car audio applications, so the cd player in the dash of your car needs a way to tell the amp to turn on. It does this by sending a constant 12v signal to the REM terminal on the amp. Since we're not using cd players or switches (maybe Eddie is), the simplest solution is to bend a short piece of wire from the amplifier's +12v terminal to the REM terminal (to clarify, that means that there's 2 wires coming out of the amp's +12; one goes to the battery and the other goes right next door to the REM terminal.
Eric Hair09.5.08 - 1:18 pm
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Great! Thanks for the info. I'll start shopping around. I'm sure my "pignose plus" system will be happy to be off my bike and back in the music room as well.
Cheers. J
frumble09.5.08 - 1:36 pm
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