DC 2.0 Protect mode

[PapaGeno21 10+ year member]

Ok long story short.

Just installed the following.

DC 2.0

FI BL

XP 3000 rear batt

D3400 front batt

Rear batt is grounded to chassis. Both batts resting around 12.85. Voltage is sitting at 14.4 when running. sometimes 14.2 if I have all my accessories blaring.

So I get all this crap installed, and the MB amp is fine, the interiors are working fine. I set the deck the way it was and everything is good.

Now I go and hook up the DC amp, and I go to set the gains using my DMM and as soon as I power it up the bass knob just says clipping and then after the song hits anything that would go over 10V the amp goes into protect.

I went and bought another DMM thinking it was my cheapy harbor freight unit just being a POS but it was not. My nice new unit does the same thing. 10V ish and then it goes into protect. Mind you this is with the gains LOW.

I'm at a loss here.

The amp works fine with the sub attached to it. What worries me is I have no idea how accurate this stupid clipping light is and I honestly don't think it knows crap. IF I go by this clipping light the sub is basically not working. Any decent bass notes the thing at least flashes. I know this sub will pound about twice as hard as it is now once it is broken in and I am just not sure what to do with this. I feel I am operating at 50% and this clipping light thinks Im at 150%.

I honestly am not comfortable setting up the gains without at least the DMM.

How do I go about getting this setup? Is this normal? Is there a way to trick the amp to thinking there is a load on it? Do you think the amp is seeing no load and going into protect?

Thanks!

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[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

did you read the outputs on the amp with a DMM?

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Is the the original bass knob? Did you use the included cord for the knob? I know I used a different one, and the pinout was wrong before I reterminated it, and the clipping light came on right away. I've been told, but never verified, that the clipping light is pretty accurate, coming on just before actual clipping on an oscope. Have you tried without the bass knob? If that's the only problem, then you might have to do without it until you figure out the problem.

 

[PapaGeno21 10+ year member]

Just tried it without the bass knob. Same exact thing happens.

Whole setup works fine otherwise, but I have NO idea where my gains are set. Well I have an idea, but I really would like to know how far over or under I am.

This is the original bass knob, no the cord is not the same. However I spoke with DC and the cord I am using is fine. I should say the clipping light only comes on with the DMM, when I am running the BL off the amp the clipping light comes on when there is pretty heavy bass going on. I just feel there should be WAY more bass before this stupid light is actually coming on. AS of right now the 2 12's I just removed running off 1K is raping this 15 on 2K.

imtjnotu what do you mean read the outputs?

 

[Imtjnotu 5,000+ posts]

set the DMM to AC and put the leads on the speaker output leads or the speaker wire leads that connect to the box....tell me what number you get

make sure u do this with the highest volume u want to go to and a 50hz tone

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

How is your HU set? Bass boost off, EQ flat, what volume you setting gains at? Not sure how accurate that knob is, but if you're sending a clipped signal from the HU then the amplifier is only going to make it louder and add to it. Have you tried setting gains with the sub attached and the DMM on it? Do you know what your voltage is like at the amp?

 

[PapaGeno21 10+ year member]

Voltage at the amp is basically not going to drop at all, due to being hooked to the xp3000.

I have not tried setting it with the sub attached but that is my next option.

Yes I now know I was supposed to use AC volts and I was using DC on the DMM.

imtjnotu I am going to try that using the sub wires maybe they will cause some resisitance that the amp wants to see who the hell knows at this point.

Tomorrow morning I Will try this crap as its just too **** cold right now and dark.

My deck goes to 40, I set this stuff at 28. I never listen to it over 30 so I like having the bass at like 90% at the 30 ish mark that way I can dial it up or down a bit with the knob.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

Voltage at the amp is basically not going to drop at all, due to being hooked to the xp3000.
I have not tried setting it with the sub attached but that is my next option.

Yes I now know I was supposed to use AC volts and I was using DC on the DMM.

imtjnotu I am going to try that using the sub wires maybe they will cause some resisitance that the amp wants to see who the hell knows at this point.

Tomorrow morning I Will try this crap as its just too **** cold right now and dark.

My deck goes to 40, I set this stuff at 28. I never listen to it over 30 so I like having the bass at like 90% at the 30 ish mark that way I can dial it up or down a bit with the knob.

So you were setting gains using DC from the speaker outputs? Switch it to AC. The wires won't make a difference. Also, if you set gains at 28, don't go above 28. Don't go above the number you set your gains at. That's the whole point.

 

[pro-rabbit 5,000+ posts]

Those clipping lights are just there to flash and look "cool" nothing more nothing less. Do they work? Meh, depends on your definition of "work".

We do not install them in 99% of applications here. They offer a false since of security and the knobs like to fail at any given time.

However, all amps (even my prototypes) have them. Seems the industry demands that an amp has to have a remote of some kind or they are not good. Not sure how that works just yet though.

 

[splwj47 10+ year member]

my nob with my dc 2.0k with the clipping light worked pretty good. the only reason i used it was because the 80 prs doesnt have a sub level when running active mode. i found that if the clip light just flickered you were pretty safe, but if the light went solid i would smell coil pretty quick.

 

[gckless 5,000+ posts]

my nob with my dc 2.0k with the clipping light worked pretty good. the only reason i used it was because the 80 prs doesnt have a sub level when running active mode. i found that if the clip light just flickered you were pretty safe, but if the light went solid i would smell coil pretty quick.

This is what I have experienced as well. I asked this question a little while ago here:

http://www.caraudio.com/forums/amplifiers/559387-dc-audios-bass-knobs.html

Not much to read except this:

I have a DD1 and a DC 3.5k........The clip indicator comes on just a split second before the DD1 distortion light.......

 

[PapaGeno21 10+ year member]

I like this knob.

PAC LC1 Universal Remote Level Control via RCA Audio Interconnect

 

[splwj47 10+ year member]

This is what I have experienced as well. I asked this question a little while ago here:
http://www.caraudio.com/forums/amplifiers/559387-dc-audios-bass-knobs.html

Not much to read except this:

i had the same experience when setting my gain on my 2k with dd1, clip light came on just a fraction of a second before the dd1.

 

[PapaGeno21 10+ year member]

Personally where my clip light is coming on I firmly believe it is wrong.

There is not a chance in hell that I am sending clipping to the sub at the points when it says it is. This setup should be doing SO much more before the remote chance of clipping is possible than what its doing right now.

I am deff going to buy the remote knob in the link I posted earlier, and am going to ditch this bogus light fixture that they call a bass knob.

Tomorrow morning I shall check the gains with the DMM attached with the sub running and I will go from there. I know I am operating at about 60% I would say.

 

[rebelfromva 10+ year member]

I used that same DC knob Doug had on that 2.0k. It worked pretty good for what it is. Only time I ever sent that 2.0k into protect was from gain too high.