posted
OK, my freind Bryce, (16 yrs old) goes up to our local shop, (he doesn't know anything about audio), and has a Kicker Comp. 12" and Memphis amp hooked up to his factory deck and speakers, anyways, it sounded good, until about a week later, he comes to me knowing I know stuff about audio and said "ummmm........my amp doesn't work anymore." I'm like ok, so I check the in line battery fuse and all the fuses, and they were all fine and then decide to check the speaker wire. I notice they used red speaker wire, but, the sub was indeed hooked up, so I decide to check for a loose ground, and then comes the shocker, the shop used all red 8awg wire, for power, ground, and speaker! So I am taking off trim panels and other stuff trying to trace the wiring and getting very frustrated trying to keep the two straight, so finally, after tracing wire forever, I find the spot they grounded the amp to, they grounded it to the bottom of the car, way in the back by the gas tank, and I am thinking why didn't you just ground to the body or a bolt or somethin'??????? So first the wire comes off the amp, goes all the way to the fire wall grommet, goes under the car and is run all the way back to a bolt on the chassis right by the gas tank! I am thinking wtf!? They used like an extra 6 ft. of wire grounding it way back there! Talk about an idiot installer, the other funny part, is that he wouldn't just let me install it for him because he thought I would screw it up. So instead, he ended up paying $200 to have it installed, and ended up with a shi^^y install. Well, I cut the ground cable about 8 ft. shorter and hooked it up to a bolt that is right by the amp. Heh, talk abouta bad installer. I hate the workers @ the local shop anyways.
------------------ Pioneer's Organic EL Technology- The wave of the future
posted
well in my truck i am useing either red or black power/speaker wire but this is for the look and i know what im doing when i hook it up.
BTW maybe they ran out of black wire. But if i was installing and i only had red wire i would have at least marked the ground wire with black perm. marker.
And there are (some) installers that know what they are doing. I am one of those sum.
------------------ If Your Ears Arn't Bleeding....
Somethings Wrong With Your Equipment.
Posts: 1036 | From: Not where you are! | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
true, very true, I know that there are many many good instalers out there, its just that the ones in my home town at least all really really suck.
------------------ Pioneer's Organic EL Technology- The wave of the future
posted
Wow..that sucks... I 've done the same thing but thats' me..
I would never do that if i was installing for someone else!!!!
BTW...it is a great way to install an alarm though...all the same color!
------------------ "If we're not in this together, then why the hell are you here?" -me
"I've never met a person, I don't care what their condition, in whom I could not see possibilities. I don't care how much a person may consider themselves a failure, I believe in them, for they can change the thing that is wrong in their life anytime they are ready and prepared to do it. Whenever they develop the desire, they can take away from their life the thing that is defeating it. The capacity for reformation and change lies within." -Preston Bradley
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Posts: 243 | From: Home of the Florida Gators! | Registered: Sep 1999
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posted
Back in the day when theft rates were high, we used to desolder the power cables on the amp itself, and resolder them backwards (red for negative, and black for positive), and we'd wire the car so you can't tell what is what. (thieves don't check for that anyway). That way when they steal your stuff and hook it up at home in their own car, POOF, no working amp for them! Screw em! Sure, it sucks when they get caught and you recover your blown up amp, but it's usually an easy enough fix, or you've already been paid by insurance. heh
The one time I had to use red wire for a ground in a partners car (rushing to get it done for a show and I ran out of black), I just remembered to wrap the entire section of red wire in black electrical tape so we knew it was a ground, not power. (not that we didn't know anyway, since it's sort of self explanatory when you look at it). heh
------------------ Kevin Smith SS 1-2 teamROCS #010 - www.teamrocs.com
Posts: 1168 | From: Tucson, AZ, U.S.A. | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I use shrinkrap in different colours for that.
But hey, my powercable consists of speakerwire... Double14ga x 2 = +wiring and Double14Gax2 = ground (grounded near the battery, because I might wanna upgrade, and then I'm gonna use all 8 14Ga cables for power...). I put it there because I had it already ($0.60/meter ~ 20ct/ft), 8Ga was $8 a meter, and I didn't know of weldingshops back then. This kinda also has to do with the fact I have a Speakon speakerconnector as a "12V poweroutlet" in the trunk of my car (60A) for hooking up or removing my sub+amp if I need the trunkspace (and a Amphenol 7 pin RCA and speakerwire connector).
It looks a little cheesy, but I can switch my fronts to the amp instead of the HU, and still remove it all in about 2 minutes.
To soloudithrtz : at least they used 8Ga speakerwire..... That's good isn't it
(My father-in-law-to-be used a groundwire as a 230V wire in his install of lighting in his carport...... I tried to persuade him not to, but he's as stuborn as 26 mules... Good luck to the sucker who ever buys that house and tries to meddle with the wiring...)
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