Does lowering gain on an amp help with overheating issues? My amp shuts off after a certain amount of time, and it's burning up, wondering if there was any tips or suggestions you could give? Could this also be a problem of being a bad ground? the amp is a tiny 250w Rockford 2 channel powering a 10". Any help is appreciated, TIA.

 

I bet you're underpowering that sub, turning the gains and volume WAY up to get any sound out of that 10, and that's why it's heating up & going into thermal protect.

What sub are you powering?

 

Ditto the above^^^^

Yes, a poor ground, [or power] will "clip" the amp sooner and overheating will occur, other possibility is a lower then 4 ohm load on the bridged 2ch amp.

What is the model number of the amp?
What is the make and model of the sub?

The more info we have the better. 94

 

thanks for both of the posts guys. The strange thing is, I don't really have to turn up the volume at all and the sub just does it's work. Sounds pretty good for being underpowered. Today I tried to lower both the right and left gain, but it sounds almost exactly as it did before, so i left it alone. The model number of the amp is unknown, (cause it seems like an ancient model) but the sub is a 10" kicker solobaric(sp?) in a kicker open box. I've had this setup in my crx before this, and the combination worked quite well before, but maybe because in my crx I had a more spacious trunk that trapped less heat? With this small amp powering this large of a sub, should i just forget it and buy an amp that is more capable? or is this more of a bad ground sort of issue that occurs with any combination?

 

Is it a Solo-Baric L7 or L5?

Is it a DVC 2ohm or 4 ohm, and how are the VCs wired?

What size is the box, or is it a Kicker box? 94

 

hey fcm, thanks for your help. it's a L7, with a kicker box. I believe it's a 2 ohm, and the initial setup was done by a friend, so i'm not 100% sure how it's wired up. Is there a certain way that it should be done? not too familiar with the whole setup, but it looks pretty standard. sorry can't be more informative, but any info would help. thanks again

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dc2415 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The model number of the amp is unknown, (cause it seems like an ancient model) but the sub is a 10" kicker solobaric(sp?)</TD></TR></TABLE>

the older rockford amps also had the model number on the bottom of the amp on a sticker. i have a few more questions for you. 1 question i have is what is the gauge of the wiring that you have running to and from this amp of yours??? do you have a decent gauge (at least 8 gauge) wire running for power AND ground signals for the amp? where do you have the amp grounded and is your ground a solid connection to a paint-free, rust-free part of the chassis? do you have the box up against the amp...constricting it's airflow? some pix would help if you have them.

if you have access to a digital multimeter or a friend that has one...use it to measure the impedance or final load that the amp is "seeing". if the amp is seeing too low of a load...(for example)1 ohm...the subs going to pound like crazy for a little while and the amp will overheat after a little bit and shut itself off.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jz98ctr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


if you have access to a digital multimeter or a friend that has one...use it to measure the impedance or final load that the amp is "seeing". if the amp is seeing too low of a load...(for example)1 ohm...the subs going to pound like crazy for a little while and the amp will overheat after a little bit and shut itself off.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

that actually is exactly what's happening to the amp, sometimes it lasts longer than a few minutes but never more than 15 minutes at a time. I will post up pictures of the setup when i get a chance, hopefully soon. the amp is screwed on to the backseat, and the sub is placed near it, but not obstructing the amp or it's airflow. Will recheck the ground area, but it's a 8 gauge RF amp kit purchased from best buy along with the RCA cables, a hi lo converter for the stock deck and also a large 40amp fuse connecter, not sure of it's exact name. Should i upgrade to a 60amp fuse, or change out the wires to 4 gauge? (advice from a friend) i will check for a rust/paint free connection and will post again. thanks jz

 

keep us filled in

 

just checked today at a car stereo install today. The tech took a look at both the ground, connections, gauge wires, power wires fuses, the whole shebang. Then the tech asked the manager what could be wrong, and the manager took one look at the amp and said it was a POS. haha, it was pretty funny to me, he said that he stopped carrying Rockford amps because they had overheating issues and there's really nothing I could do about it besides buy a new amp. He actually said he stopped carrying ALL rockford amps because they are known to overheat internally, and the kicker L5 likes to draw power that the amp can't put out. So everyone, that's the conclusion, thanks for all your input and i'll be on the prowl for a bigger and better amp.

 

Do yourself a favor and don't go back there. How is the amp set up. Is it bridge or running stereo? If its heating up and your not pounding on it something is really wrong. So your running a 2 ohm sub, thats probably bridge. There is your problem right there.

 

a crx is not going to sound like your new car too

 

You could install a 100A fuse for 8ga wire, as long as there is a fuse in the amp,

We really need to know the model number of the amp, and how the speaker VCs are wired, [parallel or series] or if they are wired to the amp in 2ch mode, [one VC to each channel].
If you have the 10" L7 DVC 2 ohm and the VCs are wired in parallel. you have a 1 ohm load connected to an amp that is not stable below 4 ohms when bridged into mono, and overheating and thermal shutdown are bound to happen, a 1 ohm load on an old-school R/F 2ch amp that is bridged is like a short to the speaker outputs of the amp.

BTW, if it is an old-school R/F amp, it is not a "POS" it's a better bet that the new amp the manager was trying to sell you is a POS.
He is right about one thing, kind of, the S10L7 is a power hungry sub, but it "draws" no more power then the amp is supplying, it may handle more power then the amp can deliver, the S10L7 is 600W continuous and 1200W peak, for best performance out of the sub, you need an amp with 1x800W RMS into 4 ohms.

With that said, it can sound pretty good with around 50% of that power, [1x400W RMS into 4 ohms]

So undo the amp and get a model number. 94

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> You could install a 100A fuse for 8ga wire, as long as there is a fuse in the amp </TD></TR></TABLE>

oh dear....we're back to enemies again. the fuse is there to protect the wiring so installing a 100A fuse on 8awg wire is unsafe and incorrect. a fuse in the amp will protect the amp but it will not protect the wiring from the amp to the battery.

 

Yea I know, on paper it's more like 73A and depending on on other factors like strand count, insulation and if it's bundled with other wiring, it can be a lot lower.

I will stick with 12V.com recommendations for current capacity of amp power wire. 94

 

fcm, quick reply to your post. it's actually a L5 and i just went downstairs to my car and checked out the amp and although my knowledge about all your questions is minimal, here is what i can tell you. it's a series connection (amp powers sub directly?) and there's only two rca ports which are connected to the deck. The wires that run from the amp to the sub are connected on two seperate sides of the amp labeled L and R. don't have screwdriver ready to unbolt amp from rear seat. Damn it, pictures would tell a thousand words, but not enough sufficient lighting.

 

i think it's actually 2ch, with everything being said and from what i'm getting, should i move either speaker wire to join one side (L or R)? instead of the connection being "bridged"? thanks for your input sti killer and fcm, it does actually make more sense now that my amp would be a "pos" in terms of a possible sale of a new amp from their store.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rockford-F...wItem

found the model of the amp, i think it's actually a lower output than 300s, but more or less this is what it is.

 

Do not change any wiring, it is all wired correctly, subs VCs are wired in series for a 4 ohm load, the sub is connected to the amp in it's bridged mode.

Your S10L5 is a 450W continuous and 900W peak sub.
Your amp makes 1x400W RMS into a 4 ohm load @14.4V.

Although your amp is under-powered it should still power the sub to a pretty good level of output.

You said it worked well in the other car so it should work in the new car.
You also said that you tried to turn down the gains on the amp and nothing happened, "Today I tried to lower both the right and left gain, but it sounds almost exactly as it did before" there is definaltly something wrong there.

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com...55611 go to page 8 and confirm that the amp is wired correctly. 94

 

Thanks for the link fcm, this manual is very helpful. After checking this out, I am positive that the amp is bridging power to the sub, so all of the connections are right, identical to the manual bridged mono setup on page 8. I can't remember whether or not the setting is left at a HighPass input level setting, but i'm pretty sure it is. The ground is good and all the connections are right. The ohm setting is at 4, I guess I'll have to play around with the gain a little more and tweak it on both left and right until it equals out, and then go from there, hopefully i didnt screw around with it too much to make the gains unequal. To adjust gain, it's the same concept as screwing on a bolt? righty tighty etc etc? thanks guys for your input

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EBP_SI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh dear....we're back to enemies again. the fuse is there to protect the wiring so installing a 100A fuse on 8awg wire is unsafe and incorrect. a fuse in the amp will protect the amp but it will not protect the wiring from the amp to the battery. </TD></TR></TABLE>
I'm going to have to agree. Two things need to be accounted for when selecting a fuse.

1. Guage of wire
2. Length of wire

100A is to much for a power wire from the battery to the trunk on an 8 guage wire. Unless you like car fires.

Rockford fosgate amps have always been known to run hot. Add a fan to the top of the amplifier. My Soundstream 10.2 putting out 1000w would overheat and shut down after 5 min and this amp was designed to run 1/4 ohm loads. Strapped two fans to the top connected to the remote wire and it never shut down. I suggest adding a fan.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dc2415 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks for the link fcm, this manual is very helpful. After checking this out, I am positive that the amp is bridging power to the sub, so all of the connections are right, identical to the manual bridged mono setup on page 8. I can't remember whether or not the setting is left at a HighPass input level setting, but i'm pretty sure it is. The ground is good and all the connections are right. The ohm setting is at 4, I guess I'll have to play around with the gain a little more and tweak it on both left and right until it equals out, and then go from there, hopefully i didnt screw around with it too much to make the gains unequal. To adjust gain, it's the same concept as screwing on a bolt? righty tighty etc etc? thanks guys for your input </TD></TR></TABLE> The x-over switch should be set at low-pass not high- pass.

[QUOTE=nsxxtreme]
I'm going to have to agree. Two things need to be accounted for when selecting a fuse.

1. Guage of wire
2. Length of wire/QUOTE] I have to disagree, the length of the wire will only determin how much of the current will get to the end of the lead, gauge of wire, type of wire [single strand/multi strand] and whether it is run bundled with other wire will determin current capability.

As I said, on paper it's more like 73A, but as I also said I will stick with what 12V.com recommends for current capacity of amp power wire...
http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> As I said, on paper it's more like 73A, but as I also said I will stick with what 12V.com recommends for current capacity of amp power wire...
http://www.the12volt.com/info/recwirsz.asp
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Using the site you recommended assumming a 16 foot run from battery to trunk a 100 watts is whats recommended for 8 guage. If we go with 12 feet (short car) 200watts.

Now if we look to see the current draw for 200watts=32 amps assuming 50%efficientcy. Now how you come up with 100amp fuse is beyond me.

Distance and guage need to be taken account of when deciding a fuse rating.

The table is conservative but needs to be used correctly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fcm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> The x-over switch should be set at low-pass not high- pass.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

nm, its set at Lp. is there anything i should adjust for the crossover frequency? It's set at 50. I will adjust the gain and see what happens. Would you recommend a 60 fuse instead of a 40?

 

The gauge of cable needed is determined by length of cable and amperage needed.

EG; if your running a 100W amp and it's 12'-16' from the batt. you will need an 8ga cable, it takes about 16A to produce 100W RMS, [assuming a 50% efficiency]
but if the amp is 20' from the batt. you would need a 4ga cable, although both the 8ga and the 4ga have a current capacity much higher then 16A.
The fuse that is installed on the power lead at the batt. is for the power cable used not the current draw of the load.

There are more then a few "charts" on recommended power wire gauge, length and current capacity, I have not seen two that are exactly the same.

The charts used by 12V.com are directly related to car audio, thats why I recommend them.

You ask "Now how you come up with 100amp fuse is beyond me"

I can't see how it is beyond you if you looked at the charts, I came up with it by looking at the Power & Ground Cable Specs chart.

The question was not what gauge cable or how far the amp was from the batt. or what the wattage of the amp was, it was "Should i upgrade to a 60amp fuse", the OP said he had a 40A fuse and was asking if installing a 60A fuse would solve his problem, the point I was making was as long as the amp had it's own fuse installing a 100A fuse, [max fuse size recommended by 12V.com for 8ga cable] would not make any diff. to his problem. 94