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#87803 - 07/27/06 10:54 AM

Amplifier in Protection Mode?

DigitalBoomer
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Here are some tips on what to check from the Car Audio Help newsletter:

One of the more confusing things with a car stereo can be when the amplifier goes into protection mode. One minute it's working and the next minute it's not. Here's a brief troubleshooting method that will hopefully help you if your amplifiers ever go into protection.

1. Try to determine the cause. Amp's can go into protection mode for several reasons. Knowing what happened before it cut out can help determine how to fix it. Did the amp not work as soon as it was turned on? Did it happen after blasting for hours (may be thermal overload and it needs to cool)? Did it cut out after you hit a bump (a wire connection may have come loose)?

2. Tear it down. Get the amp down to it's most basic state. Remove all of the speaker wiring and RCA wiring and leave only the power, ground and remote leads connected. If you still have a problem in this state then either your amp is defective or you may have an installation problem such as the amp touching metal.

Remember that an amplifier should only be connected to the vehicle through the power and ground terminals. Mounting the amplifier to the metal of the vehicle, including putting the mounting screws into metal, can cause problems for your amplifier. Always mount the amplifier to a non-conductive surface. An easy way to accomplish this is to mount the amplifier to a wood board and then mount the board to the vehicle.

3. If the amp is OK in this torn down state keep adding the other wires back on until you find what causes the problem. Add the RCA cables first. Then add the speaker wires one at a time. If the speaker wires cause the problem then they are probably touching metal. Check to make sure that a speaker wire isn't being pinched somewhere between the amp and the speaker. Also check that the speaker wire or speaker terminals aren't touching the vehicle metal near the speaker opening. Rear decks and door panels can easily touch unprotected speaker terminals if not properly installed.

If the problem starts occuring when you connect the subwoofer wires to the amplifier you may have your subwoofers wired at too low an impedence. First check the specs on your amplifier to make sure what kind of loads it is stable under. Then go here and check the wiring configuration to make sure that your load is not too low:

http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftech/wiringwizard.asp

If you believe your amplifier is defective contact the manufacturer first. Many have flat repair rates that are very affordable and cover parts and labor. However local repair shops may be cheaper if it is just a small repair. Compare the manufacturer's repair rate to that of a local shop. If you don't know the reputation of the local shop it may be better to send it to the manufacturer who will have working knowledge of the amp and parts readily available.

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#87804 - 07/27/06 05:44 PM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode?

sqcomp
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Nothing wrong with a little help in a panic! Just print this ba boy out and take it to your car and work through it. I like it a lot. Are there any other pieces of information that we're missing?

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#87805 - 01/25/07 04:07 AM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode?

b-rad1
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Registered: 01/23/07
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hi there i posted this somewhere else but im not sure it worked so hopefully some one can help here

i have just installed my new sound system:
Sony CDX-GT350S head unit
MTX THS602 component speakers
Pioneer TS-W306C
Wandeli V12 4ch amp (some amp i got off ebay)
Sony 8AWG wire kit

And here is the problem, the amp, i hooked everything up to it and went to turn it on and got the red protection mode light. i came and had a read of the suggestions here on previous forums and nothing worked. i removed all the wires off the amp except for B+, GND and Rem turn on, still the protection light is on. the multimeter shows 12.64 V across the B+ and GND. when i remove the rem turn on wire from the amp the light goes off, and when i touch it on again it goes green for a couple of seconds and then goes red again.

Please help me

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#1020947 - 03/27/07 04:25 PM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode? [Re: b-rad1]

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One more thing to add to that. If it goes into protect when you connect a sub, the sub maybe blown. The first time I ever had an amp go into protect was because of this.

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#1036182 - 04/08/07 07:47 AM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode? [Re: P00kie]

teh1337h4X0r
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check ur ground

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#1037887 - 04/09/07 10:17 PM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode? [Re: teh1337h4X0r]

DirtyBurgh'sLoMax2
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Registered: 02/24/07
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also check to make sure voice coil leads are connected t the sub terminal, it's very rare they come loose but it does happen.

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#1038420 - 04/10/07 02:53 PM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode? [Re: b-rad1]

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Originally Posted By: b-rad1

you could have bad RCA wires, un plug them and see if the light goes off. if it's still on, you have a bad amp. If the light goes off, you had bad RCA wires.

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#1047449 - 04/21/07 05:58 PM

Re: Amplifier in Protection Mode? [Re: CarDomain Layed off Man]

Sporkinator
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Registered: 04/21/07
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I've tried the above.

Firstly My setup is Subs: 3 10in MTX's in an Enclosed Box (Got Them Off Ebay, Rated 600watt RMS) AMP: Phoenix Gold Xeon x600.1

Last summer I had everything up and running, worked perfectly, subs are wired in parallel to a 4ohm load, had the + power running from my batter to the sub have a 120amp fuse inbetween them. Have the - running to a ground in my trunk. THe amp is screw'd onto the back of my subs. Well story goes I enjoyed a summer full of bass and most of the winter, around new years I turned on my car, I always start the volume out low and gradually turn it up to warm up my subs in the winter. Well anyway all of a sudden out of the blue my subs cut out and my amp goes into protection mode, that was a very bad day >.< anyways decided to wait till summer to futz around with them cuz I don't have a heated garage or know anyone willing to let me use theirs.

What I've Done So Far: I replaced the end of the wire going to my + batter terminal cuz it was all corroded. I took the rca and speaker cables and disconnected them from my amplifier. It's ok in that state, the basic state, with just power and ground and remote wires connected.

Then I added the RCA cables back in and it was still ok, volume is at like 1/4 of the maximum. I add the speaker wires and it's still ok. So I tip it back on it's bottom and slide it back into my trunk, close the trunk and they cut out. wtf lol so don't know what's going on I'm very confused. I leave the speaker wires connected and take the rca cables out, turn my deck back on and it's ok, then I add one rca cable and poof back into protection mode. I need some help as I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to car audio.

I may try new RCA cables, my ground and power cables are both 0 guage.

If you need to know anything else let me know and I'll find it out for u, anything to help me I really want my bass back I miss it terribly!

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