ingnition circuit wire needed

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=14829
Printed Date: July 20, 2025 at 7:01 AM

Topic: ingnition circuit wire needed

Posted By: jacksprout
Subject: ingnition circuit wire needed
Date Posted: June 12, 2003 at 1:12 PM

i have just bought a new cd receiver and was trying to install it when i came upon a wire that my old receiver did not have. i had all the speaker, positive, and ground wires hooked up, but it said i also needed to hook up a wire coming from an "existing ingnition circuit or switched 12volt source." i hope someone can assist me in describing what exactly an ingnition circuit is, or possibly give me some advice on how to connect the receiver to it.

p.s. my old receiver came only with a battery positive, ground, and also battery negative.

thanks again for any tips.

dan

Replies:

Posted By: the12volt
Date Posted: June 12, 2003 at 1:47 PM

A switched 12 volt source is just that, it's switched. Most likely the power lead you tied into is a switched power lead that only shows 12V+ when the key is in the Accessory or Run positions. Your new unit, however, will most likely require a constant 12V+ lead as well. This wire needs to be connected to a lead that shows 12V+ all the time, regardless of the key position. BTW, what radio and vehicle are you working on?

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Posted By: jacksprout
Date Posted: June 12, 2003 at 7:35 PM

my car is an 87 vw golf, and the radio is a Dual xd6200. To further try and give any useful information, the old receiver used a positive, negative, and ground wire to power it--which meant that the radio could play or be turned on even if the car was off and the key was not in the ignition. this -i believe- is why i don't have an ignition wire running to the receiver.