No sound from subwoofer, but amps powering on

[Lakota 5,000+ posts]

you should buy a dmm... you can get a good one for $20 at walmart and it would have solved your problem in less time than it took to write this post. also, you can set the gains right //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

x2, they are great investments.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

I didn't change any settings on the amp. I simply took it out 2 weeks ago. Took out my subwoofer STILL IN THE BOX and set them inside. I then reconnected the amp to the new power & ground and the amp to the subwoofer terminal cup. I don't see how anything could have gone wrong during that time.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

So then what kind of answer are you looking for? A cosmic equinox is causing your subwoofer to not move? Aliens have seized control of your amplifier?

You're in troubleshooting denial. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dkguitarist 5,000+ posts]

you're amp could have blown rca jacks.

like they said, take a 9 or 12 volt battery to the subs. if they move, then it's your AMPLIFIER.

amps can still receive power, but not output signal if they're fuxored.

 

[DaveT 10+ year member]

did you try this yet??jl1001.1? was it new? they like to blow up, as do all regulated amps that i have seen. never saw one make a year yet, but in all fairness i've only sen 2 jl's, and the rest have been pg's.

my JL 250/1 has been a champ for more than 2 years (got in jan for my 16th burthday now 18) it has never missed a beat

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

You're in troubleshooting denial. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

pretty much, haha. I haven't had a chance to go buy a 9v battery to test the subwoofer. I'll check that this afternoon. One thing I did notice is that when I switch settings (eq, lp) on my amp, the subwoofer pops but, nothing plays.

After I get that resolved, I have to work on the horrendous noise I'm getting from my fronts. I power the h/u off and I still get it. I don't understand how I can receive noise from my speakers if the h/u is off? I've had system noise before and shortened the grounds a lot and it all but went away. During the install I did all the things I know of to reduce likelihood of noise (short grounds, power wire away from rca's/speaker wire, ground to bare metal) so I'm not sure what can be causing this.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Fronts:

1) Are they amped?

2) If yes, do the amps shut off when your headunit is off?

3) Does the sound change tone up and down in relation to your RPMs?

Do your big three, or keep trying better grounds. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

Fronts:
1) Are they amped?

2) If yes, do the amps shut off when your headunit is off?

3) Does the sound change tone up and down in relation to your RPMs?

Do your big three, or keep trying better grounds. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

The sub works now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif . I honestly have no idea what it was. I went outside with some gator clips, 9v battery and dmm. I checked for power coming from the amplifier. Using P=I^2*R I got about 880 watts at 1/4 volume. I thought, okay... So then I put a 9v battery to the corresponding speaker wires off the box's terminal. The sub jumped. I reconnected everything and nothing happened. Hmm. Then I rechecked power off the amp again and I had no values show up. Now I was getting worried. I was about to give up and put the speaker wire from the amp back into the box's terminals and I heard a soft "thump". I turned the volume up and it worked fine. I took the keys out of the ignition and put them back in after a few seconds and still everything was fine. Weird...

All I can think of is that the sub was somehow frozen into place from sitting there and it took a shock to revive it. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif I've seen/heard crazier things.

Now, I have to fix this noise problem and the car is going to the shop this weekend to get deadened. I've never been told the noise is alternator whine, but from the sticky in another forum I assume that's what it is. I'm going to double check my grounding spots b/c I'm not 100% they're part of the chassis although, I'm quite certain it is.

1) yes

2) no (i have the remote turn on fused and connected to the +12v power wire on my headunit since my auto bypass on the dvd is consuming enough power to keep my amps from getting it off the remote turn-on alone,

3) YES, which is why I believe it is alternator whine.

I actually just posted in another forum about the whine getting higher pitched when accelerating. Good call.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

Congratulations man! You'll have the kinks worked out in no time.

Now stick that nine volt in your audio toolbox. Or your smoke detector. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

Maybe just a shoddy connection on the other side of the terminal cup - those things can be a *****. You mentioned that you'd soldered the wires; There's a circumstance called a "cold solder joint," which basically means the resin wasn't heated enough to fully tin out, thereby creating some interference with the connection.

You'll find this in cheap electronics that fail or are DOA for no apparent reason. e.g. $20 DVD players.

If all else fails, and you experience more intermittance, give that solder joint a nice hot kick in the nuts with your iron. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Enjoy!

*edit-

If you've pretty much tapped out the ACC wire at the headunit for your other hardware/etc, check for the presence of a power antenna lead from the headunit.

Alternatively, you can use your ACC to switch a relay, and when the relay is made/true, it'll supply plenty o 12v juice for your remote leads.

 

[bikinpunk 10+ year member]

If you've pretty much tapped out the ACC wire at the headunit for your other hardware/etc, check for the presence of a power antenna lead from the headunit.

Do you think this could be causing the interference? I never had this problem before when it was connected like this. I'll post back after checking my ground position. I hope that it's a poor grounding spot, but at the same time, if it is, I'm going to have to reposition my amp. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Thanks for the help, Cybe.

 

[theCybe 5,000+ posts]

It's possible. Remember that nine volt - it works on remotes too. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif