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Is this the right way to disable an amp?


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vbel 
Copper - Posts: 246
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 2:50 AM / IP Logged  
I want to test my new amps in my current car, which already has amps. I will simply run 2 short wires straight to the battery for my power and ground to the new amp, and unhook speaker wires from current amp and connect them to the new amp. If I understand it right, this will create a 0 ohm load on the current amp. Would disconnecting the remote turn on wire on the current amp be enough to temporarily disable it? I don't want to disconnect its power/ground wires.
Also, is it ok to run a temporary remote turn on wire to the new amp straight from the battery's positive?
i am an idiot 
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 6:06 AM / IP Logged  

       Yes you can do exactly what you are wanting to do   the only problem I see is removing the remote wire from your current amp    if you remove it there is a chance it will touch ground   just disconnect the speaker wires and connect them to your new amp.  yes it is OK to run the remote wire to the battery terminal on your amp if this is just a temporary test situation.            

      Make sure you disconnect the speaker wires from your current amp    

            The ohm load on your current amp will not be 0 OHM  it will be infinity   A 0Ohm load is a dead short. 

wvsquirrel 
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 9:23 AM / IP Logged  
Agreed.
If it's an aftermarket amp (your current one), you could just pop the inline fuse on the hot lead. That will eliminate the amp coming on as well.
How short do you consider "2 short wires straight to the battery".
Also remember that even though it's a "test" only remote line, the amp will be on as long as it's hooked up. Watch your battery voltage if the car is off.
Squirrel
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vbel 
Copper - Posts: 246
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 1:27 PM / IP Logged  
Oh, so nothing will happen if I ONLY disconnect the speaker wires?
Disconnecting a fuse in the distribution block would actually be better than unhooking wires, since it is easily accessible. But if I don't have to disable the amp, then won't bother with it at all.
The "2 short wires straight to the battery" would be no more than 1.5-2 feet long. I don't have a spare power cable laying around, so I am forced to make it short. I'll place my amp under the hood near the battery and hook it up from there.
wvsquirrel 
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 2:18 PM / IP Logged  
If you only disconnect the speaker wires from the amp, then the amp will still turn on and process any signal sent to it. It shouldn't affect the battery voltage much since it's not pushing anything.
How are you planning to send the new amp a signal for testing? Are you unhooking the RCA's from a current amp or are you just trying to make sure the new amp turns on?
The only reason I asked about the cable length was because I always stress fusing the hot lines no matter what the scenereo. I caused a fire in my car back in '92 from not fusing the hot lead *laughing* Lesson learned.
Squirrel
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If its too loud, then you're too old
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vbel 
Copper - Posts: 246
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 2:50 PM / IP Logged  
I will unhook rca cables from the back of hu and hook up new rca cables that will go to the test amp. Now that I think about it, the amp will have no signal sent to it, since rca cables are unplugged.
I do not see a reason to fuse. What could possibly go wrong?
wvsquirrel 
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 2:57 PM / IP Logged  
Exactly, you don't need to do anything with the current amp if you discommect the RCA's. I'd still pull the fuse from the distro block just to make sure no ambient noise gets sent to the other speakers since you're not going to disconnect the speaker wire from it.
vbel wrote:
I do not see a reason to fuse. What could possibly go wrong?
That's the same thing I said. Then I got to play with a fire extinguisher Is this the right way to disable an amp? -- posted image.
Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
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vbel 
Copper - Posts: 246
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 5:06 PM / IP Logged  
Perhaps, I wasn't clear, but I will disconnect the speaker wire, because it is inaccessible at the terminal cup on the sub box.
What happened to you and your car? I know sometimes we do stupid things like cutting cigarette lighter wires at the same time without disconnecting the battery :-)
wvsquirrel 
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Posted: October 13, 2006 at 5:28 PM / IP Logged  
*laughing* Mine was a dumb mistake when I was younger and still relatively new to amp installs.
I had bought a small 50watt Kenwood amp from a friend to push 2 old 8's. I ran an 8-guage power wire through the firewall, but didn't install an inline fuse at the battery. The amp didn't work (later I would realize that I never hooked up the remote!) so I took out the amp but left the cable for a future install. I did disconnect it from the battery though.
About a month later I got a hold of (2) Crunch 12's (leave me alone I was only 17!) and a 2-channel Pioneer amp from another friend for $100. I reused the previously installed power wire (and remembered the remote this time).
After hooking it back up to the battery, the first time the amp came on white smoke started pouring from under the dash. After several minutes of trying to blow it out *laughing* I got a fire extinguisher.
Come to find out the wire had been rubbing against a metal brace under the dash for a while. It finally rubbed through the insulation and was a short just waiting to happen. As soon as the current ran through it....
The wire actually burned itself in half and stopped the short, but not before melting the insulation off of over half the wire (exposing more points to spark under the dash). That smell still haunts me today! Talk about learning a lesson the hard way!
A simple $1.25 inline fuse would have prevented it all!
Squirrel
"No more Cpt. Kirk chit chat"
If its too loud, then you're too old
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