Amplifier help

[rickyfromthe407]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

EDIT: and why your subs heat up, because low voltage could induce clipping as well.

Edited July 23, 2011 by rickyfromthe407

[VathanaKim]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

Ok thank you again for your help. I have been installing small systems for a long time but I know very little about batteries and voltages and all that. If its not the battery could it be the wiring on my stock electrical? As in big 3 upgrade, would that help with voltage drop?

[rickyfromthe407]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

Ok thank you again for your help. I have been installing small systems for a long time but I know very little about batteries and voltages and all that. If its not the battery could it be the wiring on my stock electrical? As in big 3 upgrade, would that help with voltage drop?

Big 3 helps current flow. With more current flow allowed, it can be better regulated. Thats pretty much as simple as I can say it for the Big 3. Imagine if you will, trying to stick a golf ball through a garden hose, the golf ball representing the excess current not built for stock electrical. then try rolling a marble through a garden hose, it would just naturally slide through, marble representing what stock electrical is meant to handle. When putting the extra load on it, those wires usually 4ga or 8ga are just too small to handle the extra load.

Not to be rude, but you say you've been installing system for quite some time but dont know much about batteries and voltage.. hm well...your amp wants between 12-18v. most common being 14. if you run the system with the car off and not being charged, or if the system is sucking a lot more power than the car car charge at, its going to drain the battery power if the battery gets too low, it causes the system to mess up..

Anybody else care to chime in. My fingers are tired

[VathanaKim]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

Ok thank you again for your help. I have been installing small systems for a long time but I know very little about batteries and voltages and all that. If its not the battery could it be the wiring on my stock electrical? As in big 3 upgrade, would that help with voltage drop?

Big 3 helps current flow. With more current flow allowed, it can be better regulated. Thats pretty much as simple as I can say it for the Big 3. Imagine if you will, trying to stick a golf ball through a garden hose, the golf ball representing the excess current not built for stock electrical. then try rolling a marble through a garden hose, it would just naturally slide through, marble representing what stock electrical is meant to handle. When putting the extra load on it, those wires usually 4ga or 8ga are just too small to handle the extra load.

Not to be rude, but you say you've been installing system for quite some time but dont know much about batteries and voltage.. hm well...your amp wants between 12-18v. most common being 14. if you run the system with the car off and not being charged, or if the system is sucking a lot more power than the car car charge at, its going to drain the battery power if the battery gets too low, it causes the system to mess up..

Anybody else care to chime in. My fingers are tired

Well if you have to say "not to be rude" your being rude lol. I said I have installed small systems that have not required much power, so I never had to worry about battery voltage and whatnot, hence is the reason I came here asking for help. I have never did a big 3 upgrade or anything like that so I am new to that whole sort of thing.

[rickyfromthe407]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

Ok thank you again for your help. I have been installing small systems for a long time but I know very little about batteries and voltages and all that. If its not the battery could it be the wiring on my stock electrical? As in big 3 upgrade, would that help with voltage drop?

Big 3 helps current flow. With more current flow allowed, it can be better regulated. Thats pretty much as simple as I can say it for the Big 3. Imagine if you will, trying to stick a golf ball through a garden hose, the golf ball representing the excess current not built for stock electrical. then try rolling a marble through a garden hose, it would just naturally slide through, marble representing what stock electrical is meant to handle. When putting the extra load on it, those wires usually 4ga or 8ga are just too small to handle the extra load.

Not to be rude, but you say you've been installing system for quite some time but dont know much about batteries and voltage.. hm well...your amp wants between 12-18v. most common being 14. if you run the system with the car off and not being charged, or if the system is sucking a lot more power than the car car charge at, its going to drain the battery power if the battery gets too low, it causes the system to mess up..

Anybody else care to chime in. My fingers are tired

Well if you have to say "not to be rude" your being rude lol. I said I have installed small systems that have not required much power, so I never had to worry about battery voltage and whatnot, hence is the reason I came here asking for help. I have never did a big 3 upgrade or anything like that so I am new to that whole sort of thing.

Don't worry man. I am a chill guy.

Check your voltages though for sure.

[VathanaKim]

Pick up the SMd dd-1 unit and learn how to set your entire system. You are clipping the signal badly if you are heating up the coil that fast

x2 its clipped somewhere. make sure when you adjust everything you have everything at 0 or flat. you dont want no negative eq or anything on the head unit and you dont want anything turned up on the amp.

you say you have the subwoofer setting on 15? im guessing thats max? turn it down to 0 and readjust your gains..your clipping like a mofo on that

I have tried setting the gains with it on 0, and it still does the same thing, I am not new to car audio I have been doing this for years but I have never ran into a problem like this, all my eq settings are flat, no bass boost or anything turned on, crossover set at 75 hz, subsonic is on, etc... I'm really at a loss. I am running 4 ga. power/ground wire, 2 100 amp fuses (one by battery one by amp) Ground is fine I would say because it never cuts out or goes into protect. Its grounded to the chassis about 10 inches from the amp. I'm thinking it is probably the electrical in my car, its a 07 honda civic. when I turn it up all my lights are dimming even the illumination on the HU.

Any chance you checked your voltages...grab a DMM and check the battery voltage with the car off, hopefully you see 12.# then crank the car up and make sure it reads between 13.5-14.4.

I don't have a DMM lying around though do you know anywhere that would have one I could use? maybe like auto zone or something?

Discount Auto Parts SHOULD have one, call them and ask.

The absolute WORST thing you can do is charge a dead battery with your alternator. It can hurt your battery and your alternator. If your battery has been resting at 9v or something then it is severely hurting your amp and subs and rest of your car, which explains why your lights dim..

Ok thank you again for your help. I have been installing small systems for a long time but I know very little about batteries and voltages and all that. If its not the battery could it be the wiring on my stock electrical? As in big 3 upgrade, would that help with voltage drop?

Big 3 helps current flow. With more current flow allowed, it can be better regulated. Thats pretty much as simple as I can say it for the Big 3. Imagine if you will, trying to stick a golf ball through a garden hose, the golf ball representing the excess current not built for stock electrical. then try rolling a marble through a garden hose, it would just naturally slide through, marble representing what stock electrical is meant to handle. When putting the extra load on it, those wires usually 4ga or 8ga are just too small to handle the extra load.

Not to be rude, but you say you've been installing system for quite some time but dont know much about batteries and voltage.. hm well...your amp wants between 12-18v. most common being 14. if you run the system with the car off and not being charged, or if the system is sucking a lot more power than the car car charge at, its going to drain the battery power if the battery gets too low, it causes the system to mess up..

Anybody else care to chime in. My fingers are tired

Well if you have to say "not to be rude" your being rude lol. I said I have installed small systems that have not required much power, so I never had to worry about battery voltage and whatnot, hence is the reason I came here asking for help. I have never did a big 3 upgrade or anything like that so I am new to that whole sort of thing.

Don't worry man. I am a chill guy.

Check your voltages though for sure.

For sure, thanks again for your help. I want to eventually set this car up so I can hit in the 40's but I know I have a looooong way to go and a lot to learn so I appreciate people that will give me advice, do you think its possible to hit in the 40's with one 15 and 1000 watts? or more like mid-high 30's? It's a trunk car so I know its hard to get up that high.