Subwoofer blowing fuses
#1
12-09-2009
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Subwoofer blowing fuses
I have 2 JL audio subs and a JL audio amp and when both subs are hooked up it blows the fuse. The amp is a JL audio e2150 http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/eSeries%20Amps/e2150.pdf , the subs are JL audio 10W0-8 http://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/10_12_15W0_MAN.pdf and the amp wiring kit is EFX 8-gauge Amplifier Wiring Kit Power and signal connections for your new amp at Crutchfield.com
Is the amp powerful enough to run both sub?
Also the amp says that an 8 awg power cord is the minimum size and that is what i'm using. Could that be the reason that it is blowing fuses?
Is the amp powerful enough to run both sub?
Also the amp says that an 8 awg power cord is the minimum size and that is what i'm using. Could that be the reason that it is blowing fuses?
#3
12-09-2009
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#6
12-09-2009
Is the amp powerful enough to run both sub?
You have 8ohm subs and you are running them off of a amp that is rated at 45 watts at 4ohm.
your subs have double the resistance so that almost cuts your 45watts in half...
if you bridge the two channels and only run only one sub it will run much better. then you will have around 90watts going to the sub instead of 25watts or so.
nevermind ... i think ..From the looks of the specs on your equipment .. i think you could run both subs.. but you have to bridge your amp then.. wire them in parallel. and you should get a 4 ohm load then with the amp bridged you should then be pulling a 2 ohm load which split between the two subs should be about 75w a piece.. which is recommended power range. soo yeah..
Last edited by RangOH; 12-09-2009 at 12:57 PM. Reason: might work..
#8
12-09-2009
positive on both subs to positive on chan 1
negative on both subs to negative chan 2
make sure the amp "filter mode" is set to LP = low pass
#12
12-10-2009
I am not a Audiophile or even remotely think I am but what about running the ground back to the battery, a bad ground can limit the current getting to the amp/system and in turn blow fuses.
Even if the Seat Bolt gets a good connection (or where-ever you have the ground connected) there is sssooo much resistance in the ground path back to the battery it will reduce the actual voltage/current being draw be the system.
The path to the battery is long and dirty, via the body, the body to engine strap, the engine to battery cable and all of the connections, corrosion, dirt and who know what else.
If after you do the stuff with the cross overs/parallel wiring of the amps and speaker you find the fuses are still blowing try a new ground back to the battery after that a new 4-ga power wire.
Again, I am not an audio person just thinking on the 12v/Max Current thing to the system.
Even if the Seat Bolt gets a good connection (or where-ever you have the ground connected) there is sssooo much resistance in the ground path back to the battery it will reduce the actual voltage/current being draw be the system.
The path to the battery is long and dirty, via the body, the body to engine strap, the engine to battery cable and all of the connections, corrosion, dirt and who know what else.
If after you do the stuff with the cross overs/parallel wiring of the amps and speaker you find the fuses are still blowing try a new ground back to the battery after that a new 4-ga power wire.
Again, I am not an audio person just thinking on the 12v/Max Current thing to the system.
#13
12-13-2009
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#14
12-13-2009
I am not a Audiophile or even remotely think I am but what about running the ground back to the battery, a bad ground can limit the current getting to the amp/system and in turn blow fuses.
Even if the Seat Bolt gets a good connection (or where-ever you have the ground connected) there is sssooo much resistance in the ground path back to the battery it will reduce the actual voltage/current being draw be the system.
The path to the battery is long and dirty, via the body, the body to engine strap, the engine to battery cable and all of the connections, corrosion, dirt and who know what else.
.
Even if the Seat Bolt gets a good connection (or where-ever you have the ground connected) there is sssooo much resistance in the ground path back to the battery it will reduce the actual voltage/current being draw be the system.
The path to the battery is long and dirty, via the body, the body to engine strap, the engine to battery cable and all of the connections, corrosion, dirt and who know what else.
.
the other thing that was not mentioned, is what fuse is blowing? the inline fuse in your wiring kit, or the one on the amp it's self?
#15
12-13-2009
I am not trying to be an a$$ just curious.
thanks for the knowledge.
#16
12-13-2009
it depends on who you ask, and the way current flows, the block is directly connected to the casing of the alternator
most people don't realize, but current flows from negative to positive, not the other way around... so the power comes out of the block, into the ground cable, into the amp, if you put your ground on the battery, true the wires make a direct connection, it's just MORE direct if you go to the chasis or frame.... and your positive cable returns the current back to the battery
most people don't realize, but current flows from negative to positive, not the other way around... so the power comes out of the block, into the ground cable, into the amp, if you put your ground on the battery, true the wires make a direct connection, it's just MORE direct if you go to the chasis or frame.... and your positive cable returns the current back to the battery
#18
12-14-2009
IMHO if the fuse is blowing there is usually a few things that can be going wrong:
1) Direct shot somewhere in the circuit or amp
Disconnect the power from the amp and check the voltage at the amp if OK then have the amp checked out by someone who is in the know.
2) Amp is drawing more current that the circuit is setup for.
Check the current needed for this amp to operate, match your circuit to it and see if there is a difference; the circuit should have a safety factor or 10% or in that area somewhere.
3) Ground is insufficient for the current being used by the amp
Reroute the ground to a more direct path back to the battery, not to a body or seat or frame mounting bolt; go directly to the engine block or grounding block somewhere in the engine compartment.
IMHO the more direct the ground back to the battery the cleaner and more efficient the path will be.
Not being an audio-person I can’t tell you exactly but this is where I would start.
1) Direct shot somewhere in the circuit or amp
Disconnect the power from the amp and check the voltage at the amp if OK then have the amp checked out by someone who is in the know.
2) Amp is drawing more current that the circuit is setup for.
Check the current needed for this amp to operate, match your circuit to it and see if there is a difference; the circuit should have a safety factor or 10% or in that area somewhere.
3) Ground is insufficient for the current being used by the amp
Reroute the ground to a more direct path back to the battery, not to a body or seat or frame mounting bolt; go directly to the engine block or grounding block somewhere in the engine compartment.
IMHO the more direct the ground back to the battery the cleaner and more efficient the path will be.
Not being an audio-person I can’t tell you exactly but this is where I would start.
#19
12-14-2009
if you're running an 8awg wire and it says its the MINIMUM then im sure you can run a thicker one. Im guessing they mean its the minimum requirement for it. I usually run 4awg which will draw more power to the amp. Anyway, make sure (i know it may sounds stupid but some people make mistakes lol) that you have all your wires connected to the appropriate locations on the amp itself and CHECK YOUR GROUND.
Where did you ground the amp to?
Where did you ground the amp to?
#20
12-15-2009
ok, i just had this massive course of reasoning to make everything seem more simple in my mind...
if fuses are blowing, it means there is not enough resistance on your item (amp) to slow the flow of electricity down to keep the fuse from blowing (direct route would be a short) if the fuse is blowing after 20 minutes, chances are A) either your amp is drawing more current than it should be, B) you have a short inside the amp, which only happens every so often or C) the amp is actually rated for more than you think (most wire manufactures advertise how much their kits will handle, peak watts... your amp is generally advertised as rms (which is usually below half)
chances are your wireing kit isn't strong enough to handle your amp and sub combo, try turning your amp gain down to 50% for a while, see if you still have the problem.
if fuses are blowing, it means there is not enough resistance on your item (amp) to slow the flow of electricity down to keep the fuse from blowing (direct route would be a short) if the fuse is blowing after 20 minutes, chances are A) either your amp is drawing more current than it should be, B) you have a short inside the amp, which only happens every so often or C) the amp is actually rated for more than you think (most wire manufactures advertise how much their kits will handle, peak watts... your amp is generally advertised as rms (which is usually below half)
chances are your wireing kit isn't strong enough to handle your amp and sub combo, try turning your amp gain down to 50% for a while, see if you still have the problem.
#21
12-15-2009
Hey sorry to hear your still having problems.
you might have a intermittent short. Because if there was something wrong with the amp then the 20 amp fuse on the amp should blow first. you should check your main power line.
Yes you should have had the low pass filter turned on at the head unit it matters alot because you were only listening to a very narrow band of frequency. The gain control should only be turned up and adjusted after you confirm that you system is operating correctly.
If your amp is running for 20 mins does it get really hot?
Run just the one sub on the bridged channel.
Keep your gain down on amp and turn on low pass filter at headunit.
you might have a intermittent short. Because if there was something wrong with the amp then the 20 amp fuse on the amp should blow first. you should check your main power line.
Yes you should have had the low pass filter turned on at the head unit it matters alot because you were only listening to a very narrow band of frequency. The gain control should only be turned up and adjusted after you confirm that you system is operating correctly.
If your amp is running for 20 mins does it get really hot?
Run just the one sub on the bridged channel.
Keep your gain down on amp and turn on low pass filter at headunit.
#22
12-16-2009
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First and foremost check for any shorts anywhere on the wire.
After you're ruled that out, I'd get a new ground. That one has me a bit skeptical. Try to find something on the frame, or my personal opinion is to do a run straight to the negative battery terminal. THIS IS THE BEST WAY. Period.
If you're fuse is blowing, your amp is pulling too much current for the wire. That fuse is there to protect your POWER WIRE. It should be placed no farther than 18" away from the battery and you should also have one in line right before it gets to the amplifier. I know guys who run 8awg for they're subwoofer wires (not power, but their subwoofers).
I would use a minimum of 4awg wire for your set up.
Do you have your gains set properly?
After you're ruled that out, I'd get a new ground. That one has me a bit skeptical. Try to find something on the frame, or my personal opinion is to do a run straight to the negative battery terminal. THIS IS THE BEST WAY. Period.
If you're fuse is blowing, your amp is pulling too much current for the wire. That fuse is there to protect your POWER WIRE. It should be placed no farther than 18" away from the battery and you should also have one in line right before it gets to the amplifier. I know guys who run 8awg for they're subwoofer wires (not power, but their subwoofers).
I would use a minimum of 4awg wire for your set up.
Do you have your gains set properly?
#23
12-16-2009
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#24
12-16-2009
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Turn your bass boost ALL THE WAY OFF. NEVER EVER EVER EVER use that.. :)
Set your low pass to around 50.
I'm borrowing the following from "ANeonRider" on SSA Forums:
Most audio equipment dies for one simple reason. Most people push their equipment beyond its limits. Whether it is the amplifier, subwoofer or full range speakers, clipping is the number one cause of failure. To prevent clipping, use this tutorial.
To figure out what voltage you should set the gains to, multiply the RMS power of the amplifiers output by the impedance of the speaker, then find the square root of that number. If you are using an amplifier that has an RMS rating of more than your speaker(s) can handle/rated for, then use the RMS rating of the speaker (instead of the RMS of the amplifier) to determine the voltage to set your amp to. This is also referred to as gaining down.
Gain Setting Equation
Voltage of the output = sqrt(RMS Power X impedance of the speaker)
Example
Say the amp provides 100WRMS into a 4 ohm speaker:
Voltage = sqrt(100W X 4 ohms)
Voltage = sqrt(400W*ohms)
Voltage = 20V
Again, that was only an example, use the ratings of your amp to figure that out.
Setting the Gain(s)
To set the gain(s), you need two things:
1. A DMM (digital multi-meter) that is capable of measuring AC voltage (needs to be able to measure up to a range of 200V).
2. A test tone CD to use to set the gains at the correct setting.
Now, to set the gain(s):
1. Start the vehicle, and pop the test tone CD in the head unit.
2. DO NOT hook up the sub(s) or speaker(s) to the amplifier while doing this, just leave the outputs unused at this time.
3. Now, time to set up the head unit.
a. If the loudest you listen to your music at on a regular basis is 22/35 with bass @ +3 and treble @ 0 with MX (or any other sound processor) on, use those settings. NEVER turn the headunit above 3/4 of the maximum volume.
b. Remember to have the car turned on.
c. If you want to use bass boost on a sub amp, set it prior to setting the gains on the amp and use the center frequency of the bass boost (45 Hz for most amps) as your test tone.
d. Please remember that if you have a subwoofer volume control on the headunit and/or a bass **** for the amplifier, set it to the maximum before you set the gains on the sub amp.4. Take the leads from the DMM and but them on the outputs from the amp.
5. Set the gain so that the outputs of the amplifier equal the voltage you found above. This is a MUST.
Here is JL Audio tutorial on their site:
http://www.jlaudio.c...ensitivity.html
Here is where you can download some test tones for system testing/gain setting:
Stereo System Test & Analysis Tones by Nino B.
http://www.eminent-t...imediatest.html
For test tones higher than 80Hz, download this program and you can create your own:
Adobe Audition Trial Version
It is best to use 50 Hz tone for a sub amp (unless you have bass boost, use the frequency that is boosted as the tone), and a 1kHz tone for a full-range amp.
This is a good way to set the gains, but if you have access to an oscilloscope, by all means use it. Then you can set the gains to their absolute maximum as you can see when the amplifier clips.
If you are wondering what exactly clipping is, and what it looks like, read this:
Too Little Power Blowing Speakers
If you have any questions about this, post up, I�ll try my best to answer them.
Also, remember a sub can only handle what it can, if you set the amp to its RMS you have to remember that the sub can handle only so much. It is box dependant, but it is best if you are not experienced to follow the manufacturers recommendations.
Enjoy, and remember to thump responsibly!
Set your low pass to around 50.
I'm borrowing the following from "ANeonRider" on SSA Forums:
Most audio equipment dies for one simple reason. Most people push their equipment beyond its limits. Whether it is the amplifier, subwoofer or full range speakers, clipping is the number one cause of failure. To prevent clipping, use this tutorial.
To figure out what voltage you should set the gains to, multiply the RMS power of the amplifiers output by the impedance of the speaker, then find the square root of that number. If you are using an amplifier that has an RMS rating of more than your speaker(s) can handle/rated for, then use the RMS rating of the speaker (instead of the RMS of the amplifier) to determine the voltage to set your amp to. This is also referred to as gaining down.
Gain Setting Equation
Voltage of the output = sqrt(RMS Power X impedance of the speaker)
Example
Say the amp provides 100WRMS into a 4 ohm speaker:
Voltage = sqrt(100W X 4 ohms)
Voltage = sqrt(400W*ohms)
Voltage = 20V
Again, that was only an example, use the ratings of your amp to figure that out.
Setting the Gain(s)
To set the gain(s), you need two things:
1. A DMM (digital multi-meter) that is capable of measuring AC voltage (needs to be able to measure up to a range of 200V).
2. A test tone CD to use to set the gains at the correct setting.
Now, to set the gain(s):
1. Start the vehicle, and pop the test tone CD in the head unit.
2. DO NOT hook up the sub(s) or speaker(s) to the amplifier while doing this, just leave the outputs unused at this time.
3. Now, time to set up the head unit.
a. If the loudest you listen to your music at on a regular basis is 22/35 with bass @ +3 and treble @ 0 with MX (or any other sound processor) on, use those settings. NEVER turn the headunit above 3/4 of the maximum volume.
b. Remember to have the car turned on.
c. If you want to use bass boost on a sub amp, set it prior to setting the gains on the amp and use the center frequency of the bass boost (45 Hz for most amps) as your test tone.
d. Please remember that if you have a subwoofer volume control on the headunit and/or a bass **** for the amplifier, set it to the maximum before you set the gains on the sub amp.4. Take the leads from the DMM and but them on the outputs from the amp.
5. Set the gain so that the outputs of the amplifier equal the voltage you found above. This is a MUST.
Here is JL Audio tutorial on their site:
http://www.jlaudio.c...ensitivity.html
Here is where you can download some test tones for system testing/gain setting:
Stereo System Test & Analysis Tones by Nino B.
http://www.eminent-t...imediatest.html
For test tones higher than 80Hz, download this program and you can create your own:
Adobe Audition Trial Version
It is best to use 50 Hz tone for a sub amp (unless you have bass boost, use the frequency that is boosted as the tone), and a 1kHz tone for a full-range amp.
This is a good way to set the gains, but if you have access to an oscilloscope, by all means use it. Then you can set the gains to their absolute maximum as you can see when the amplifier clips.
If you are wondering what exactly clipping is, and what it looks like, read this:
Too Little Power Blowing Speakers
If you have any questions about this, post up, I�ll try my best to answer them.
Also, remember a sub can only handle what it can, if you set the amp to its RMS you have to remember that the sub can handle only so much. It is box dependant, but it is best if you are not experienced to follow the manufacturers recommendations.
Enjoy, and remember to thump responsibly!
#25
12-18-2009
First and foremost check for any shorts anywhere on the wire.
After you're ruled that out, I'd get a new ground. That one has me a bit skeptical. Try to find something on the frame, or my personal opinion is to do a run straight to the negative battery terminal. THIS IS THE BEST WAY. Period.
If you're fuse is blowing, your amp is pulling too much current for the wire. That fuse is there to protect your POWER WIRE. It should be placed no farther than 18" away from the battery and you should also have one in line right before it gets to the amplifier. I know guys who run 8awg for they're subwoofer wires (not power, but their subwoofers).
I would use a minimum of 4awg wire for your set up.
Do you have your gains set properly?
After you're ruled that out, I'd get a new ground. That one has me a bit skeptical. Try to find something on the frame, or my personal opinion is to do a run straight to the negative battery terminal. THIS IS THE BEST WAY. Period.
If you're fuse is blowing, your amp is pulling too much current for the wire. That fuse is there to protect your POWER WIRE. It should be placed no farther than 18" away from the battery and you should also have one in line right before it gets to the amplifier. I know guys who run 8awg for they're subwoofer wires (not power, but their subwoofers).
I would use a minimum of 4awg wire for your set up.
Do you have your gains set properly?
...the block is directly connected to the casing of the alternator
most people don't realize, but current flows from negative to positive, not the other way around... so the power comes out of the block, into the ground cable, into the amp, if you put your ground on the battery, true the wires make a direct connection, it's just MORE direct if you go to the chasis or frame.... and your positive cable returns the current back to the battery
most people don't realize, but current flows from negative to positive, not the other way around... so the power comes out of the block, into the ground cable, into the amp, if you put your ground on the battery, true the wires make a direct connection, it's just MORE direct if you go to the chasis or frame.... and your positive cable returns the current back to the battery
trust the brands, stinger, for instance, is one of the biggest names in wiring kits and components for audio (stinger caps for instance) there is a reason the stinger wiring kits come with a 2 foot ground cable... do you really think it is because it's cheaper than giving you 10 feet of cable? they charge how much for the kit, the most expensive part is the inline fuse...
