sorta funny story that just burns me up

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grant2207

Member - Posts: 24

Joined: July 08, 2008

Location: United States

Posted: April 11, 2009 at 12:29 AM / IP Logged

It all started when i decided i had the money and the time to hook up another amplifier in my car to power my door speakers (were running directly off head unit before this....). I found a cheap amp (really really cheap, but power was not a huge factor) used on eBay. The seller said it was in 100% working order so I figured the steal of a deal was worth a shot...

It came and i did all the wiring i needed to do, along with an Equalizer that i bought brand new... I hooked everything up... but no sound out of the speakers... i rechecked all the wiring... and nothing.... the new amp, which i had daisy chained teh power to from my sub amp had a bright glow from the "power" LED (god knows why?!?!), so i checked all other wiring EXCEPT the amp power wires...

I found another used amp from a friend thats working potential was in question. I hooked it up in the exact same way as the last amp, figuring the first was just a dud.. this one didnt work either, not even powered up even though the last one said it was. it just affirmed my belief that the first and second amps were duds.

I go on line and find a super cheap amp, small but did the job. 30 bucks all said and done. I hooked it up... and NOTHING! thats when i started freakin out and check every wire. Came down to this minor detail................................................ when daisy chaining the amps i hooked the power wire slot of the new amp to the ground wire slot of the old amp!!!!!! switched them, and all three amps worked!!!!!!!!!!! i was so wized.... i bought 2 amps totalling $75, borowed another amp, and wasted over 2 weeks waiting for things to be delivered.... cause i was in too much of a rush to check all the cables...

Moral of the story: when you are saying to yourself "I checked all the wires, why isn't it working?", make sure you checked ALL the wires.... even the ones you think dont matter or that you told yourself "there is no way i screwed that up". It will save you alot of anguish in the long run... trust me

-Grant

4-6 1/2" Alpine S types; 2-10" Pioneer Premier Subs; Sony Head-Unit; Soundstorm 4 Band EQ; Crunch 1100 watt 2-channel amp, Pyramid Reno Series 800 watt 4-channel

bigjohnny

Copper - Posts: 293

Joined: September 23, 2008

Location: Ontario, Canada

Posted: April 24, 2009 at 8:41 PM / IP Logged

its always those things that you say "no way in hell did i love that up" that go wrong.

thats why I always make sure that I triple check everything I said that about :)

stevdart

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Joined: January 24, 2004

Location: Pennsylvania, United States

Posted: April 24, 2009 at 9:02 PM / IP Logged

True dat, Grant. It happens all the time.

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

kassdog

Copper - Posts: 257

Joined: March 09, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: May 07, 2009 at 3:42 PM / IP Logged

I always love checking an amp install i did and the one item I usually forget to check is the ground. Even though most of the time it is the ground I for some reason convince myself its the ground.

joch1314

Copper - Posts: 301

Joined: March 25, 2008

Location: Texas, United States

Posted: May 07, 2009 at 7:31 PM / IP Logged

I had a similar situation with an installer that i worked with at a big box store. Customer brought in a Dual 2ch. amp(yes Dual the brand) he purchased at a pep boys. So, said installer hooks it up and the fuses blow on the amp. The box was kind of jacked so he sent the customer back to pep-boys thinking the amp was bad. Customer brings back the new amp and low-and-behold....new amp blows the same fuses. He replaces the fuses and hooks it up again to find they blow again. I asked him if he checked all his wires, and he said that he's triple checked them. He's stumped and asks me to look at it and what do i see....the power and ground wires are hooked into the wrong terminals on the amp. I tell him to switch them and replace the fuses and what do you know......BASS!! Something so easy can be a pain in the butt if your not looking at it with a clear head! I then thought that the amp he originally hooked up was good too. Customer made an unnecessary trip, but hey we all have our different learning experiences. I don't work there anymore but when he calls with questions i always ask if he's checked his wires 4 times, as triple checks didn't work....haha! You'll be able to laugh about it one day....as i am now!!

...half of the truth can be worse than a lie. <----Roger Russell said that..

js305

Member - Posts: 26

Joined: April 29, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2009 at 3:08 PM / IP Logged

You guys are all lucky there was reverse polarity protection of some kind. Many devices destroy themselves if hooked up backward. Yes, I know from my own experiences.

Joe in Texas

lspker

Silver - Posts: 503

Joined: November 23, 2003

Location: Canada

Posted: June 07, 2009 at 9:36 PM / IP Logged

I thought if you hooked up power and ground backwards you need to change the phase switch to get the sound right.;)

js305

Member - Posts: 26

Joined: April 29, 2007

Location: United States

Posted: June 07, 2009 at 10:04 PM / IP Logged

Are you talking about power to the speakers or power to the amp? Two different things...

Joe in Texas

tommy...

Gold - Posts: 1,901

Joined: December 10, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: June 08, 2009 at 8:40 AM / IP Logged

lspker wrote:

I thought if you hooked up power and ground backwards you need to change the phase switch to get the sound right.;)

Funny...I always get...Hey, come here...why every time i try to put the positive lead on battery it there is a huge spark...MECP question...what happens when you put the battery's in backwards in a flashlight? Light comes on...Dim light...No light...?

M.E.C.P & First-Class

Go slow and drink lots of water...Procrastinators' Unite...Tomorrow!

stevdart

Platinum - Posts: 5,816

Joined: January 24, 2004

Location: Pennsylvania, United States

Posted: June 08, 2009 at 8:17 PM / IP Logged

tommy... wrote:

...what happens when you put the battery's in backwards in a flashlight? Light comes on...Dim light...No light...?

You get a black hole, don't you?

Build the box so that it performs well in the worst case scenario and, in return, it will reward you at all times.

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