am i just not getting something? mtx htx-v2

hey ive been working with systems for awihle on my second now running two alpine 12 inch type r 's on a alpine 1000 watt amp pioneer hu and keenwoods in the doors and rear deck im replacing those with type r's also and getting another alpine amp to run them and i just bought a mtx htx-v2 2 way crossover too. the problem is with that.... how the heck do you install it??? it says for car and home installs and comes with ac adaptor plug that gets connected straight to the unit but thats for home install. there is no spot for a 12 volt power connection or a ground wire either. i know how to connect all the rcas but not how to get power to the unit in my car. any feedback is appreciated. thanks

it says 12vdc 300ma

The power supply for the house is a 12 volt power supply.  Did the unit come with another plug like the one on the end of the power supply?  Maybe a plug with a few inches of wire?    Do you ever intend on using the device in a home audio environment?  Do you have a digital volt meter?

no i got it for my car. the unit itself has only an input for the power supply which is just a plug for a wall outlet, an on/off switch, s set of rca inputs, and two rca outputs one for high and another for lows. im puzzled because shouldn't it have an input on it for a power wire and ground wire like an amp does??

Seeing the pics of the unit at SonicElectronix, the power supply uses a barrel connector. There is a better than 95% chance that the inside of this connector is the positive, with the outer connection being the ground. Due to the very low current requirements of this particualr device, you can wire it directly to an accessory lead in the car, you won't need any remote.

Why they didn't provide you with any kind of power connector "pigtail" for powering it in the car escapes me.

If you can return that one, I'd look for something a little nicer, that one's capabilities are VERY limited, and I'm also betting that it's not a very clean piece, either...

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That item is so old, or so unauthorized that it doesn't even appear on the MTX website (anymore). Return it, before you get burned. That's just my feelings on it.

Two different websites list two different MSRPs on it, one is "closing it out" with a 90.00 savings, and the other just sells it with a 50% off "sale price", yet both of them are selling it at $29.00. Just seems a bit "fishy" to me.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

i am an idiot wrote:

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The power supply for the house is a 12 volt power supply.  Did the unit come with another plug like the one on the end of the power supply?  Maybe a plug with a few inches of wire?    Do you ever intend on using the device in a home audio environment?  Do you have a digital volt meter?

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This is the SECOND time in only a few short weeks that I haven't seen i am an idiot sounding off with some sort of suggestion...

I sure hope he's OK.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

I was able to find a much larger photo of that crossover, and I was right... the tip is the positive, with the sleeve being the negative. The power demands on it are still so small, that you can certainly run it directly from the accessory lead. In the case of some radios, you might even be able to get away with running it from the remote lead, along with your amplifier. Remote turn-on leads are current limited, so if it's too much, and it can't turn the amp on AND power the crossover, then insert a relay in the remote lead, and use it to power the crossover and switch the amplifier(s) on.

If you don't want to cut the lead off the power adapter that it was shipped with, Radio Shack can very likely provide you with a power supply with the same barrel connector, with the same dimensions. Cut the lead off one of THOSE, and using your VOM, discover which of the wires is connected to the tip; that wire will, obviously, go to the accessory lead in the car, with the other wire connecting to ground. I would suggest STRONGLY inserting a fuseholder with a 250mA fuse in it... Put it in the positive lead, and if it does NOT blow, then you have it wired correctly. If it DOES blow, try a 500mA fuse. If it still blows, then reverse the power leads, you have them backwards.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

alright thanks so much haemphyst  ill prob just use the power adapter it came with i dont ever plan on using it in a home application and i do realize its a cheap one i just thought id give it i try 30 bucks isnt gonna kill me so it is what it is

If he could see my posts, and has a meter, I was going to tell him how to use the meter and determine which is positive and negative.  But since I am invisible AGAIN.  Haem's T&E approach will work.

Perhaps you should have the mods change your user name to i am an visible

OOH! New poll! What should i am an idiot change his user name to?

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

so i tried exaclty what you said and well...nothing... the crossover would not turn on. i am just completely lost now i ran a wire from the aplifier turn on lead from the back of my hu to a inline fuse with a .5 amp fuse connected to one of the wires from the adapter i cut off. i then ran the other wire to a ground. when nothing happened i assumed i just mixed up the wires so i switched them. still nothing so here i am now, does anyone have any idea what is wrong??

The unit itself most likely has an internal fuse. open it and replace it.

I bet I am not invisible any more.

Did you use a meter to see what wire was connected to the tip BEFORE you just went plugging wires in?

You may have an internal fuse... Take the suggestion and open the box. Check for blown fuses.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."