Help; amp goes into protect mode when input @ 50%

[SocialStealth]

I have the input for both sets of speakers at half way up (hu @ 100% volume)

The infinity speakers can go up to 3/4 input until they distort, but when I turn the JL Audios input up past 1/2, the amp shuts off? (protective mode?)

I read the trouble shooting manual that came with the amp, and it said it may be because of a short in the wiring.

What is a short? And what could possibly be the problem? (if it even is a problem...shouldn't the JL audios imput be 2x higher than the infinities though?)

btw, I soldered the terminals onto the speakers (because they were slightly too big) but they're tight to the pull now. I also put bare wire into the amp itself because the spade terminals I got didnt fit in it.

Amp puts out 75 watts rms

JL's handle 80 RMS

Infinities handle 60 RMS

Amp is: EA 4100 Eclipse

Click to read more...

 

[headless 10+ year member]

If your HU is at 100% volume, you shouldn't really need gain on your amplifier to be up very high at all. The gain pot on your amplifier is not a volume nob; just because it's set 'half way' does not mean the amplifier is generating 'half power'. read http://www.bcae1.com and return afterwards

http://www.bcae1.com/amplfier.htm

 

[snb778 5,000+ posts]

still shouldnt turn off just past 1/2 way...

funny thing.. im having the same problem

 

[bradknob 10+ year member]

i know some of the infinitys are 2 ohms (mine are) but i dont know which model u have. So there could be an impedence prob. would need some more specifics.

 

[SocialStealth]

I read that link, and according to their calculator, my amp gains should be at about 3.7 for the infinity speakers and 2.3 for the JL audios. Thats assuming my hu is putting out its rated preamp 2 volts.

The lowest gain setting is 8 volts and the highest is 0.2 volts.

The JL's are set in the middle and the infinities are 1 notch below the middle.

I'm no math wiz, but thats no wheres near 3.7 or 2.3

The built in clipping light on the amp does not turn on when at higher volumes, the amp just shuts off.

The infinities are 2 ohms, and the only problem they would present is causing the amp to run hotter.

Even so, the problem I'm having is with the JL audio's (4ohms)

 

[Shinju 10+ year member]

sounds like a low voltage issue.

 

[SocialStealth]

sounds like a low voltage issue.

Whats that mean?

What should I do?

 

[SicAudio 5,000+ posts]

what guage wire is running to the amps from the battery? you need to get at least 12+ volts at the amp positive terminal.

 

[SocialStealth]

what guage wire is running to the amps from the battery? you need to get at least 12+ volts at the amp positive terminal.

4g wire from the bat to amp w/ 4g ground. 12g speaker wire to all the speakers.

I've never performed the 'big 3', so I'm assuming its 8g stock wire in there.

would performing the big 3 solve a voltage issue?

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

If your HU is at 100% volume, you shouldn't really need gain on your amplifier to be up very high at all. The gain pot on your amplifier is not a volume nob; just because it's set 'half way' does not mean the amplifier is generating 'half power'. read http://www.bcae1.com and return afterwards
http://www.bcae1.com/amplfier.htm

Quoted directly from your second link.

You can not make a blanket statement such as 'gain controls are not volume controls'.

Also, you sir, are incorrect. Maybe with his headunit, the gain needs to be close to all the way up. You don't know, so don't make uneducated guesses.

OP, check your ground and make sure it's good.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Grinder, you're saying the EA4100 is built so that the gain is actually a volume control ? It gives 0 output from the amplifier, even with any amount of input when gain is set to it's lowest setting?

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

Grinder, you're saying the EA4100 is built so that the gain is actually a volume control ? It gives 0 output from the amplifier, even with any amount of input when gain is set to it's lowest setting?

No. I'm saying your logic is wrong. I was not talking about any amp in particular, just in general. The easiest way to look at gain is that it controls how fast your speakers get loud. You can turn the gain all the way up on your amp and just keep the volume low on the headunit.....That's the easiest way to get max power out of your amp but you lose the benefit of high input voltage. Its harder to set the gain with your headunit all the way up (or 3/4 of the way up) because without an O scope, its hard to tell if you're clipping or not. That's how people ruin their equipment. As far as gain goes with this situation, it's irrelevant. OP has a low voltage problem because of a bad ground (more than likely)

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Or, as you said, he could be clipping out his HU which is causing the amp to go into protect - likely, even, since the deck is at 100% output and i've not seen many decks that don't clip at 0db output. Even nice eclipse's will clip out ~10% under max volume. Setting your HU to max volume for setting gains kinda defies the purpose of setting gains at all, unless your HU NEVER clips at 100% volume. I suspect his panasonic isn't going to be that way.

I don't think it's a bad ground at all; i think it's just clipping and the amp is trying to save itself. I suspect re-setting gain w/ the HU at a reasonable volume will help - but of course, i could be wrong *shrugs*. So could any of us //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif we're getting barebones information from an internet post and we're all guessing.

 

[Grinder1989 5,000+ posts]

Or, as you said, he could be clipping out his HU which is causing the amp to go into protect - likely, even, since the deck is at 100% output and i've not seen many decks that don't clip at 0db output. Even nice eclipse's will clip out ~10% under max volume. I don't think it's a bad ground at all; i think it's just clipping and the amp is trying to save itself.

I've never seen an amp that shuts down because of clipping, ever. Maybe the eclipse does, but I wouldn't know. But I've seen many, many, many amps driven into severe clipping and not shut down. Indeed he may be clipping his amp by turning it all the way up, but his deck might be putting out low voltage even at high volume.....there's too many variables. I still think a bad ground is the culprit and I think it should be addressed before getting his stuff not to clip.

 

[SocialStealth]

Well I tried setting the amp's gains @ 3/4 hu volume and i found:

The amp did not shut off and go into protect mode

The amp did not show clipping (it has a clipping led on it)

Even at 100% gain it did not clip, however I think I could hear distortion after 75% gain so I put the gain at 70%

So most likely, I think the hu was clipping @ 4/4 volume and sending the amp into protect mode.

My next issue is...

I have speakers in my front doors, rear deck; and I want to add speakers into the rear doors.

The front speakers are 2 ohm the deck speakers are 4 ohm.

The amp is made for 4 ohm speakers; and runs a little hotter with 2 ohm speakers.

So I want to get 2 ohm rear door speakers and put their wires into the same amp terminal as the other front door 2 ohm speakers; right?

That will create a 4 ohm load; but how much power will it send to the speakers?

I figured I would put another pair of infinity references (handles 60 rms) into the rear doors.

The amp can send 75 rms

Will the speakers get about 37 rms each?

Or because they're 2 ohms, will they draw more than 37 rms, even though they add up to be 4 ohm?