tap into HEAD UNIT's power wire?

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

hey someone told me in the head units section that it would be safe to tap into the Head Unit's power wire to power my AudioControl EQx.. is this true? if so, this would be good for me because i want to install the EQ somewhere up front since i've read that the knobs move easily. your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

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[djjdnap 10+ year member]

Just use the HU's rem wire to power it, that way it will cut on and off with the HU.

If it needs a constant, which i dont, 12v then yes u can still just use the Hu's constant 12v source.(from the battery)

 

[jrz126 10+ year member]

I wouldnt use the remote wire of the HU, that wire is only rated for 500mA, just enough to turn on an amp or 2. Why not use the accesory wire (The 12V that is switched with the key) that goes to the HU? there shouldnt be a problem with that

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

why is it OK to tap the power from a distribution block but not OK to tap off the head unit? dont they all come from the battery post? is it because the Head Unit's power wire gauge size is too small?? i keep getting different responses so i'm still not sure how to power my EQ. i think it calls for a power, ground, AND remote wire. i think i may just order me a non-fused distro block and throw a small inline fuse on its line?

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

bump for a good price

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

goddamit.. you mexican't do that!! people arent going to answer my question if the last thing they see is "bump for a good price." imbecile!

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

Haha, vbcode>you

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

why is it OK to tap the power from a distribution block but not OK to tap off the head unit? dont they all come from the battery post? is it because the Head Unit's power wire gauge size is too small?? i keep getting different responses so i'm still not sure how to power my EQ. i think it calls for a power, ground, AND remote wire. i think i may just order me a non-fused distro block and throw a small inline fuse on its line?

 

[cjjackson85 5,000+ posts]

why is it OK to tap the power from a distribution block but not OK to tap off the head unit? dont they all come from the battery post? is it because the Head Unit's power wire gauge size is too small?? i keep getting different responses so i'm still not sure how to power my EQ. i think it calls for a power, ground, AND remote wire. i think i may just order me a non-fused distro block and throw a small inline fuse on its line?

Just do it from the block. If it pulls too many amps, dunno if it does, your deck will shutoff. The deck powerwire prob is too small.

 

[lotas 10+ year member]

the wire is very small.

When you add more accessories, you need to add something like a relay. A relay will allow you to control many acc. (two amps, maybe your EQ or whatever) with a small amount of current (the HU turn on or the power wire)

just go buy a Bosch 30amp relay from radioshack or http://www.partsexpress.com or http://www.cardomain.com

they are cheap, they are extremeley easy to wire and work with, you could even put in a switch that will control your EQ. My cooling fans are wired to a relay, which is wired to the HU...with a switch.

Therefore in order for my relay to have power, the HU has to be on, if my HU is not on, relay does not have power, and switch doesnt work. Once HU is on I can control the fans with my switch.

http://www.bcae1.com

http://www.the12volt.com

good luck

 

[noob with an RS 10+ year member]

ahhh ic.. so they are the same exact sources except using the HU is more risky becuz the wire is smaller therefore limiting the amount of current to pass through to all the units. but if i run off a distro the wire will be distributed off a 0-gauge wire.. enough wire size for multiple units.