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Florida_Audio

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Posts posted by Florida_Audio

  1. Posted

    On 8/26/2016 at 6:48 PM, Jay-C76 said:

    Is it detachable face? I had an issue a few years back where I didn't for some reason get a good connection when I snapped the face in and it felt locked in but the radio would shut off and back on randomly too.

    ok well im fairly convinced this was the solution!  good thing it was an easy one.....

    i did try to push the faceplate on tight before, when the issue was happening, but i guess it wasnt pressed well enough.

    cause all i did was take out the whole headunit and check the wires behind, but didnt find any that were loose. and then i pressed the faceplate firmly once again. and so far i havnt had any issues!

     

    thanks again all who suggested various things to check and helped out! either way i learned a good bit.

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  2. Posted

    3 hours ago, frogcase2002 said:

    Usually dont need a key to take off a faceplate .  They keys are to take the cd player out of the "cage" .

     

     

    oh ok thanks.... ugh and i thought i needed those two thin metal pieces to slide out the faceplate...

    3 hours ago, Jay-C76 said:

    I truly feel bad for your troubles with your local shop. There are only about 5% in the entire country that actually involve themselves in customer service. It's never their fault......complete bullshit in my opinion. I personally have helped out my fair share of people around me that have fallen victim of these local idiots. 

    I'm not in any way saying it's one thing or the other. I'm just trying to help you self diagnose this issue by running through what I would check if I were there in person.

    I do give you respect for taking the initiative to dive in hands on and try to check things that myself and fellow forum members suggest. Most people who I come across treat anything like this as if they were asked to diffuse a bomb.

    thanks yea. i do like to learn about this. but dont like to be forced to have to do it.

    like a part of the trim panel for my middle area, by the gear shifter, its not completely snapped in, and slightly up. not very noticeable, but i notice it now.... i cant put it back on correctly. i think i somewhat broke it. i took it off a few times trying to replace it, but it didnt get better. its not too big of a deal, just that, at first i wasnt exactly sure how to take off the trim panel in order to get to the headunit. but now i see how the clips are positioned.

    i do hope its just the faceplate being loose, ill try to push it in place again tomorrow and see if i can remove it, then re attach it without the keys.

    i do hope its as simple as the faceplate! but also, it might make sense, because i sort of noticed the issue with it shutting off much more often when i would touch any button on the headunit, and especially the volume knob. even very very gently, but still any touching seemed to make it worse when it started to have issues.

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  4. Posted

    3 hours ago, Jay-C76 said:

    Is it detachable face? I had an issue a few years back where I didn't for some reason get a good connection when I snapped the face in and it felt locked in but the radio would shut off and back on randomly too.

    yes it is..... but the absolute piece of sh** shop that did my install, never gave me back the keys for the stereo face plate. i have an alpine cde-164bt headunit. will any bracket keys that i can find online work? i can try and ask the shop, but it was like back in march, so around 5 months ago.

    i even called the same shop up, and said hey, i got my whole system installed by your shop, how much to checkout my headunit for issues. they said yea we charge you like $60 to check it, and then whatever issue is found it goes towards fixing the issue... i said okay, bye.... cause they fking installed it in the first place. and they wont even check their own installment that is having these issues now. although i didnt expect them to when i called, because they never cared before.

    so maybe it is the face plate? mine is slightly wobbly when i press it.... maybe its not in snug enough?

    so basically wondering what type of tool i should get to remove the faceplate? thanks!

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  5. Posted

    2 hours ago, Jay-C76 said:

    Now that the head unit is out, can you lay it on your lap or a towel and gently wiggle each individual wire on the harness plug and at the red crimp connections to try to get it to simulate what's making it turn off? Basically process of elimination from point A to point B,C,D,ect......

    i wiggled a few of them, and specifically wiggled the red wire as suggested, but they seemed fine. i didnt actually do every single wire. but i visually inspected them... ugh lol yea i should have tried every wire. but it was a bit difficult because i could not pull the headunit out all the way, only a bit, because of how the cords were tied together

    i had to ask a friend to hold up the headunit while i used two hands to inspect a few cables.

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  9. Posted · Edited by Florida_Audio

    not sure how useful some of these pics are, but here they are in case they show something special. i noticed several cords are not actually connected to anything. and that one cord that looks different from the rest is also not hooked up to anything.

    everything seems to be snug in place? but they dont seem to be heat shrunk or crimped? or maybe that slight pinch is the crimp? i dont know what im looking at to be honest :[

    heres the album to view all the photos on imgur, and ill try and post the images here as well

    http://imgur.com/a/qKL6t

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  11. Posted

    ok so ive taken off the trim panels around the headunit.... holy shit those were hard to take off... i had to use my flathead screwdriver. my plastic trim removal tools were too thick and didnt work well at all for it.

    im about to unscrew 4 more screws for the headunit. so far ive taken off 6 screws for the plastic bracket around the headunit.

    it goes, two trim panels, one each side. then the 6 screws around plastic bracket for headunit. and then 4 more screws for the headunit casing thing.

    so fking hot out. gotta shower after just doing this for like 30 minutes.... drank 2 bottles of water alrdy.... and im under a tiny tree for some shade

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  12. Posted · Edited by Florida_Audio

    On 8/24/2016 at 0:05 PM, j-roadtatts said:

     I still suspect something behind the head unit.  There's about a dozen different ways They could've hooked it up.  Wire nuts, but connectors, twisted and electric taped,  push connectors.  Either way I would still suspect the Red wire however it is connected behind the head unit.  The other scenario I described above is the connector on the hu is forced into something behind the stereo when fully installed. 

     The amp would not have that effect.  The fact it happens when you touch the head unit pretty much points to the connection directly behind the head unit.  Hopefully not the head unit itself, gulp.

    ok so i think im going to pry out the clips behind the headunit and then unscrew 4 screws and check behind the headunit.

    i should just need 1 screwdriver, and 1 tool to help remove the panel around it. and ill disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. anything else did i miss?

    what exactly am i looking for?

     

    ill just check for loose wires, and somewhat just want the experience of taking it apart and then putting it back on. good to know how to do lol. and i will take pictures for u guys. cause ive seen some videos online, and honestly i still do not know what the wires go for and or what they do or how they are supposed to look. thanks!

     

    also, i dont want to ask too much of you guys. but ill now try to take it apart, and then post pics, and not put it back together, and wait a bit for a response, if i have time, then ill go fix whatever u guys say i should do. i got around 1 hour 30 minutes of free time now, so i hope to try and fix it within this time. all good if not, but ill at least get started, thanks again!

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  13. Posted

    ok i think ill have to actually pull the headunit out and check the wires. its shutting off every day now, sometimes it shuts off constantly. but it ALWAYS turns on again, if only for 1 second and then off.... sometimes when it turns on it seems to be on for several minutes. im not sure, but it seems to shut off more often when i touch my finger to the dial for the volume, even when i dont turn the knob, but just as i touch the headunit knob, it shuts off.... like if its going into a frenzy and shutting off alot, when i touch it, seems to aggravate it, even an extremely light touch.... seems so weird.

     

    also, just wondering, is there any chance its my amplifier? like if the amplifier is overheating or having some issue where it shuts off, would this ever cause the headunit to shutoff? i dont think so, but just wondering....

    Thanks!

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  14. Posted

    11 hours ago, Florida_Audio said:

    how do i shut off everything else? would just unplugging the RCA cables from the amplifier do it? and be safe to do? also if thats the safest and easiest way, id be somewhat afraid to just lay the ends of the RCAs cables anywhere, what precaution should i take to make sure the RCA ends dont touch anything that would cause damage to my system?

    thanks again!

     

    4 hours ago, ///M5 said:

    ROFL.  Go reread the thread.  You change your comments to try to not sound stupid left and right...and again you choose to just thread dump.

    Since you are so emotionally disturbed by what I typed, focus on your discussion with Lithium.  Obviously some audio 101 would be helpful as you are stuck repeating every nonsensical fact that car audio shops have been propagating incorrectly for the past 30 years.

    As for your guess on my life, you are way off...I won't stoop to your level and return the favor

    is just unplugging the RCAs fine? to stop the sound from playing from speakers?

    and if so where should i place the RCA cable ends. id assume if they touch something like metal it can damage the speaker?

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  15. Posted

    1 hour ago, ///M5 said:

    just shut off everything else, no reason to sit in the back.  Then vary the level and distortion amount.  Teach yourself to hear :)

    how do i shut off everything else? would just unplugging the RCA cables from the amplifier do it? and be safe to do? also if thats the safest and easiest way, id be somewhat afraid to just lay the ends of the RCAs cables anywhere, what precaution should i take to make sure the RCA ends dont touch anything that would cause damage to my system?

    thanks again!

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  16. Posted

    1 hour ago, ///M5 said:

    Doesn't work.  Music won't be recorded at the same level as the test tone.  Perhaps one random song or a few, but a bunch will be lower and some higher.  Then your setting is wrong.  Exactly the reason using an Oscope or other measurement device is completely pointless.  Won't tell you anything about what the driver will receive with music.  You NEED to train your ear and listen EVERY day.  Once you do, you can surely turn the gain up high enough to compensate for any situation and never have a risk to your equipment.  Any time high power is involved you can destroy anything.  The only real cure is to listen all the time.

    so simple yet so complicated lol....

    ok thanks. i guess all i can do is try and pay very close attention. its difficult with music in the front. maybe ill take like 30 minutes to just sit in back with seats down, listening to the subwoofer.

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  17. Posted

    1 hour ago, ///M5 said:

    You need to train your ear.  Regrettably in general human ears are not sensitive to low frequencies.  Of course the good news means that you have a hard time hearing distortion at low frequencies.  Of course along with this it means most people crank their gains way into distortion on subs and have no idea.  

    As for how to train your ear you can either impart distortion into a song via software or do so by overgaining some section of the amplification chain.  No matter where you impart the distortion you can't remove it so that is irrelevant, but getting used to hearing it will help you listen for it and adjust appropriately.

    yea cause all low end frequencies sound very similar lol. almost the same

    i saw a video on youtube with a 40 hz test tone, and they slowly rose the gains, till the tone changed in its sound to a slightly different tone. barely noticeable in the youtube video they recorded, but still very slightly noticeable. and thats at one single frequency... i cant really imagine when playing a song. but as you or someone else said, that the test tone will limit alot, by possibly setting the gain much lower than needed? right? but then i guess the same might be said if i can even notice distortion in a song. because the distortion would be occurring at a specific frequency? maybe i can use the 40hz test tone, then right when i hear a slight distortion, keep the gain at that setting? or it might cause be to keep the gains too low still?

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  18. Posted

    1 hour ago, Billy Jack said:

    And are we wrong M5 by telling him to turn his gain up until it distorts then back it off a little until it sounds good or should he go buy $2500 worth of high end equipment to adjust a $200 amp? 

    he alrdy said the answer to this.

    he said this "You should surely start listening more closely and make sure they aren't set in a way that adds distortion and/or noise.  If that is the case then you are fine. "

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  19. Posted

    1 hour ago, ///M5 said:

    You should be worried about how it sounds and understanding how to set it up.  Your amp has a gain knob for a reason.  The manufacturer expects input voltages to be able to vary from it's lowest setting to it's highest.  Whichever one is right for your car is fine to use.  This could be at the minimum or the maximum.  Normally it is somewhere in the middle and that can be preferable depending on the equipment, but you can also sure be just fine at either extremes.

    All this being said, it sounds to us like the way your gains are set right now have no basis in performance or correctness.   You should surely start listening more closely and make sure they aren't set in a way that adds distortion and/or noise.  If that is the case then you are fine.

    ok thank you for the response, and for clarifying that is can be safe for the amplifier to be turned all the way up. although it depends. and thanks for explaining how most often its around the middle thats best.

    but i would like to ask, how should i really be listening for distortion? by opening the rear seats and placing my head near the subwoofer to listen to music for several minutes? because im not really paying too close attention for distortion from the subwoofer specifically when driving and listening to music. i feel like hearing distortion from the subwoofer may be more difficult to notice when sitting in the front seat?

    ill take a look and see, but also its a bit difficult, because in order to get my subwoofer really bumping, i need to turn the volume up to around 20 out of 30 notches for the volume.

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  20. Posted

    1 hour ago, Jay-C76 said:

    I know during competition & demos at shows a lot of guys will simple feel the heat coming from around the dust cap area. That accompanied with the smell of hot copper can give you an idea if you are needing to cool things down. That being said, I know at shows one tends to go "balls to the wall" on output but if you experience this during daily driving you may be heading toward mechanical failures.

    i am more worried now about clipping my amplifer and damaging my amplifier.

    but that wouldnt smoke show any signs of possible overuse or damage until its too late? right? or is there someway to check?

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  22. Posted · Edited by Florida_Audio

    did you watch any youtube videos

    i just checked and it seems theres quite alot of videos using that specific unit. not sure how helpful most videos are, but might want to check them out?

    for example

     

    and this video around 6:45 into the video he starts to explain the settings

     

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  23. Posted

    1 hour ago, lithium said:

    use your ears to set it. using test tones is typically way too conservative and leaves output on the table. 

    if you hear distortion or smell glue melting then turn it down. its that simple. the numbers are irrelevant. I wouldn't rely on some protection circuit to save anything. 

    ok thanks. i would assume that i would need to be playing music for at least several minutes in order to tell if its heating up like such.

    i do appreciate the answer. thank you. but im not sure that is related to my question about possibly damaging the amplifier?

    1 hour ago, lithium said:

    gain alone is half the equation, you need to understand what the input is. high gain is appropriate when the signal voltage is low, for example. It doesn't cause the amp to produce more power (its not a volume knob), the function of gain is to level match to the input voltage. 

    are you talking about the headunit's voltage?

    i have the Alpine CDE-164BT. its preamp voltage is 4v.

     

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  24. Posted

    2 hours ago, lithium said:

    If the amp is distorting due to clipping you can easily hear it. If the sub is reaching thermal or mechanical limit, you can easily hear or smell that as well. No need to get out the calculators here. 

    ok thanks. should i try by using a 40 hz test tone? or music to test? or just say whatever, and simply play music while driving and listen then?

    im pretty sure that my subwoofer is fine, but somewhat concerned. because the amp is like exactly matched with the RMS of amp to RMS of the subwoofer. and ive heard people sometimes overpower with higher RMS amp to their subwoofer.

     

    but i guess then my main concern should be the amplifier pushing more than it can handle and it may die or cause some issue?

    although ive heard amplifiers will shut down and go into protection mode before they get damaged?

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  25. Posted · Edited by Florida_Audio

    M5 or someone else who knows this very well, i just read this from another place on internet. curious if its true, or at least somewhat true, or whats your opinion on it!

    " Mathmatically speaking even a perfect square wave that no amp can even reproduce is only double power under the curve than a sine wave of the same volume. It's 1.414x the voltage so RMS voltage is double as a sine is .707x it's peak voltage to get an average So 750 watts clipped to the point of impossibility (literal impossiblity since you can't make a real square wave) is only going to give you the heat of about a 1500 watt amplifier."

     

    Basically if thats true.... then my amplifer bridged is rated at 250 RMS. My subwoofer is also rated at 250 RMS. and 500 W MAX.

    so then if clipped then its should produce the heat of the 500 W MAX. so then the only issue would be if its like nearly always clipping to 500 W MAX and not allowing my subwoofer to cool down? so then the subwoofer seems to be safe. but then my question is what about the amplifier? is the amplifier safe?

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