Testing Volts/Ohms

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Awesome multi meter http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Auto-off-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Non-contact/dp/B00NW62L88/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1439611872&sr=8-5&keywords=etekcity+dmm

probably a nice meter but i like this more, the clamp is useful

7 Function Clamp-On Digital Multimeter

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

There's some cheap handheld o-scopes on the classifieds cheaper than that, I'd rather have a used portable o-scope at that price, but thanks!

Multimeters and oscopes aren't substitutes for eachother, and what good is having a multimeter if it gives false readings?

 

[The_Quiet_One 10+ year member]

im pretty any eq that uses 0 as neutral - i.e. it goes negative, should be set with the subw at 0. most headunit subw settings use 0 to a positive integer and they should be set with it maxed out. i.e. my jvc hu goes from 0 to 8, i set my gains with 8

That's probably a good rule of thumb. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

probably a nice meter but i like this more, the clamp is useful
7 Function Clamp-On Digital Multimeter

Amazon.com: Etekcity Digital Current Clamp Meter & Multimeter with Voltage, Resistance Measurements, Continuity and Diode Testing: Home Improvement

I run both that clamp meter and the dmm i suggested earlier. Etekcity makes some great equipment. Reads right on par with fluke for a fraction of the cost. Auto ranging, back lights, very sturdy and heavy case.

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Amazon.com: Etekcity Digital Current Clamp Meter & Multimeter with Voltage, Resistance Measurements, Continuity and Diode Testing: Home Improvement
I run both that clamp meter and the dmm i suggested earlier. Etekcity makes some great equipment. Reads right on par with fluke for a fraction of the cost. Auto ranging, back lights, very sturdy and heavy case.

noice, looks like thatll be my replacement if the centech breaks.

 

[The_Quiet_One 10+ year member]

Hmmm.. I tried different volume levels, 26//35 which is 75%, some (I guess i shouldnt say most) head units should go up to 90% before clipping. So I set it to 28. And still have a bit of distortion with my gain set low.
What forumula should I use my AC voltage, testing my amp using 40hz tone, since there was a 'wrench throw into my calculations' lol ;p

You're not going to be able to measure the phase angle with your equipment and without the phase angle you're going to have a difficult time. You can likely get closer using RMS readings on a DMM. Depending on the music recording level and quality it's a crap shoot anyway. BTW what db level is your sine wave that you're using?

 

[LongThrow]

Multimeters and oscopes aren't substitutes for eachother, and what good is having a multimeter if it gives false readings?

Ah, you're right. Cant do things a dmm can do on an oscope, and same for vice versa. I'll get that dmm.

Thanks for the help, guys.

 

[LongThrow]

You're not going to be able to measure the phase angle with your equipment and without the phase angle you're going to have a difficult time. You can likely get closer using RMS readings on a DMM. Depending on the music recording level and quality it's a crap shoot anyway. BTW what db level is your sine wave that you're using?

I believe it's neutral, I use a frequency generator on an app on my phone. (Stupid, I know, probably sending a unpure signal.)

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

well you can measure voltage with an oscope but its easier with a DMM because these small oscopes are a ***** to deal with. the higher quality oscopes will give an accurate voltage reading with less hassle.

souldrop made a good point, the level you're using is important. 0db vs -3 or -10 etc. your best bet is really by ear, clipping isn't this terrible thing for subs everyone says unless you're really dumb and have it maxed out ridiculous. a nice soft clip makes for good sound imho

 

---------- Post added at 12:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 AM ----------

 

I believe it's neutral, I use a frequency generator on an app on my phone. (Stupid, I know, probably sending a unpure signal.)

i use frequency generator without any issues

 

[LongThrow]

well you can measure voltage with an oscope but its easier with a DMM because these small oscopes are a ***** to deal with. the higher quality oscopes will give an accurate voltage reading with less hassle.
souldrop made a good point, the level you're using is important. 0db vs -3 or -10 etc. your best bet is really by ear, clipping isn't this terrible thing for subs everyone says unless you're really dumb and have it maxed out ridiculous. a nice soft clip makes for good sound imho

 

---------- Post added at 12:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 AM ----------

 

i use frequency generator without any issues

I do enjoy just a TAD bit of a clip, more just adds enough more of an "umph" Just isn't good for SQ, especially on my kicker comps..

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

i have a taramps hd3000 on two kicker compvt's - the shallows. they eat up the power until i clip it, then the coils get stinky as hell. but consider the amount of power they took clean.. lol

i also calculated my rise to be nearly 3 ohms and i have a clipping indicator and gains set with a -6db sine wave with an oscope so meh

 

[LongThrow]

i have a taramps hd3000 on two kicker compvt's - the shallows. they eat up the power until i clip it, then the coils get stinky as hell. but consider the amount of power they took clean.. lol
i also calculated my rise to be nearly 3 ohms and i have a clipping indicator and gains set with a -6db sine wave with an oscope so meh

Why -6? Wouldn't take make you increase your gains to get normal output at if it was say 0db?

And yeah if clip just a little too much I start smelling "box" Anyone who has ran a sealed (or maybe this can be associated with a ported box aswell? ) knows what the smell of "box" is.

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Why -6? Wouldn't take make you increase your gains to get normal output at if it was say 0db?
And yeah if clip just a little too much I start smelling "box" Anyone who has ran a sealed (or maybe this can be associated with a ported box aswell? ) knows what the smell of "box" is.

i used -6 so i can adjust my bass according to what im listening to. there's a lot of hard rock that would never reach full output if i set it with a 0db tone, heck even with a -6db tone i dont hit clipping sometimes on rock songs because the bass is recorded so low. i have a subw level i adjust on my headunit.

it also gives me the ability to soft clip when i want things to get a little violent.

idk the smell i get is like a really potent smell of coil glue i think lol ive felt the magnets after some serious clipped power going into them and it burnt me. surprised they havent died yet

just to add some more advnced info ive learned over the hours of research ive done, experts say to set your gains with a 3:1 ratio for the best performance (these are well renowned SQ guys who said this, can't remember their names atm). basically this means set with a -10db tone for overlap - although i would never do this on my mids/highs amps

 

[LongThrow]

i used -6 so i can adjust my bass according to what im listening to. there's a lot of hard rock that would never reach full output if i set it with a 0db tone, heck even with a -6db tone i dont hit clipping sometimes on rock songs because the bass is recorded so low. i have a subw level i adjust on my headunit.
it also gives me the ability to soft clip when i want things to get a little violent.

idk the smell i get is like a really potent smell of coil glue i think lol ive felt the magnets after some serious clipped power going into them and it burnt me. surprised they havent died yet

just to add some more advnced info ive learned over the hours of research ive done, experts say to set your gains with a 3:1 ratio for the best performance (these are well renowned SQ guys who said this, can't remember their names atm). basically this means set with a -10db tone for overlap - although i would never do this on my mids/highs amps

I'll mess around with the db settings.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

No one has a detector or a o-scope, ******* are expensive
DMM I use. http://www.walmart.com/ip/14644665wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227008923747&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839128552&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=55136637169&veh=sem

I'll read up on the gain setting method with the Piezo tweeter. So I should test the voice coil of the sub, not the leads where the sub wires to the terminals of the box?

I have an O-scope //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif