w7 power problem?

okay i have a 10w7 in a custom made box just for it and running off a jl 500/1 with a 1.2 farad tsunami cap my question is it sounds good and all but i think it can hit much harder but im not sure what all the advanced settings on the amp mean can anyone tell me what would be good settings to set the amp at?

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thakidp

The 10W7's user manual provides suggestions for most of the 500/1's settings.  It also tells you how to set the gain properly.  Here's a link: https://mobile.jlaudio.com/pdfs/7591.pdf 

i have a 10w7 runnin off a jl 500/1 with a tsunami 1.2 farad cap and a optima red to pbattery and everythings pretty much cool but when i play certain songs and and its supposed to be a really deep note or hard hit of bass the w7 sort of misses the note and then kind of comes in at the end of like its trying to catch up could this be some kind of power supply problem cause sometimes the cap drops down to like 8 or 9 on the readout i also have a lanzar 4 channel amp running off the same cap but im sure it doesnt draw that much power or could i just have some setting wrong on the amplifier?

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thakidp

Sounds to me like either an amplifier problem, (not happy with the voltage dropping that low), a charging issue (meaning you have to upgrade your alternator, which you should probably do ANYWAY), or an enclosure issue.

I'd lean seriously toward the charging issue, though. The cap, as you are discovering, isn't helping you. You must (as in: you don't have a choice, period.) upgrade your alternator.

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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."

drops down to 8 or 9 volts?? I'm surprised that your engine is stalling from the voltage dropping that low...thats way below the battery float voltage...a battery is "dead" at around 10 volts i believe

You seriously need to upgrade your charging system.

what kind of vehicle?

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2007 Acura TSX
SQ setup in the works

its a 94 camry

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thakidp

well not the battery i just put a red top optima back there but if i turn up the settings on my head unit to put the bass way up or on a song that has real deep notes then the voltage output just on the cap fluctuates from id say anywhere from 9-13 the battery voltage always stays around 14 so thats fine so like u said its probably an alternator issue guess ill have to upgrade but i have a 94 camry so its gonna be tough trying to find one

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thakidp

If you've got the 2.4L 4banger, you've got a 70 or 80 amp factory alt. If you've got the 3.0L, you've got an 80amp alt.

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2013 Kia Rio -90a alternator
DDX470HD GTO14001 GTO1014D (x3)
Big3 in 1/0G
1/0G to GTO14001

Did you say "back there?" does that mean that you have multiple batteries off of the factory alternator? If you search for HO alternator you will find many threads, and almost all of them with a suggestion as to where to get one for just about any vehicle.

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nah i have just one battery runnin off the alternator but whats HO?

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thakidp

High Output.

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If the voltage at your battery is around 14 volts and the cap is dipping down to 9 volts then the alternator is not the problem. You don’t need a new alternator to run a 500/1 in a Camry. It wouldn’t hurt (assuming that you can’t feel your wallet). You have a voltage loss between your battery and your cap. Inspect and up grade all points of connection on both power and ground between the alt, bat, and cap. Don’t forget to add a new heavy ground from the alternator to the battery and from the battery to the firewall. The red top is a good battery but is not designed for your needs. Get a yellow top. If you are not getting the acoustic response that you desire with that sub/amp combo you need to take a closer look at your enclosure and its position in the car. In your car the sub needs to be as close as possible to the rear of the trunk or the sub needs to be firing directly into the passenger compartment with the trunk completely sealed off and out of the equation. If you are looking too get the most out of a 10w7 you should be aware that Par (Displacement limited acoustic power output) for a 10w7 in a sealed enclosure is very low in relation to its power consumption. In other words you will not be amazed with the results in a sealed enclosure (unless your standards are very low). This sub is engineered from the ground up to be put in a vented enclosure (correctly designed). In the event that you have a properly designed vented enclosure your amp has several adjustments on it that are specifically designed to maximize Par for your sub in a vented enclosure. The particular settings are dependant on the specific enclosure that you have though. So any one who throws some arbitrary numbers at you for these settings is just guessing at best.

yea shouldve got the yellow top but the guy at discount told me the red would be better for music but yea ill check all the connections maybe even upgrade to a higher farad cap but i do have the custom ported box built to the specs of a 10w7 and it sounds great now although i have the amp gain set pretty low when i turn it up is when i have the power loss thats why i thought it was the alt cause thats the only time when the cap would drop down

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thakidp

drop the cap and see if that doesnt fix your problems...if the charging system is keeping up and your cap is droping that low then the amp is shutting down! that my be the reason it is "missing" beats.

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2007 Acura TSX
SQ setup in the works

I am convinced that you have two interacting problems.
1st your amp settings need to be dialed. Due to the flexibility that JL built into your amp it is capable of some pretty bad behavior if set incorrectly. If you can post the internal volume and port dimensions of your enclosure I can provide you with information on all of your settings that will be within 20%. In the event that you have access to a true RMS DMM and a laptop and are willing to get your hands dirty I can get you to within 1% of the optimal settings. In the event that your settings are very wrong your amp could be demanding in excess of 200% the current required to do the same job correctly.
2nd You are having power problems that are due to a combination of bad connections and the very wrong battery. The red top is designed to discharge slowly over a very long period of time and to charge slowly as well (great for trucks that run hours on end). On top of that it will not tolerate deep cycling, and deep cycling for that battery is any thing below 11.34 volts. Your factory alternator is simply not up to the task. On top of that your power hungry amp/sub/incorrect settings-combo is antagonizing the situation

Also to check your connections for voltage drop in real time simply connect one end of your DMM to the positive terminal of your battery and the other end to the connection or component that you would like to check. For example your cap positive terminal or your amps positive terminal. Your meter will show in real time any difference in voltage potential. If the numbers move to quickly to read you should use the peak hold setting on your meter to record the highest voltage differential.
This also works on the grounds. Try checking for voltage between your negative battery terminal and your alternator case, from your battery negative to your amps ground point etc.
This makes it very simple to track down bottle necks in the entire electrical system.
Of coarse this should be done with the engine running and the system bumping.