Help needed on 15" Q install...

[josephk 0]

Everything is connected, power is on the speaker wire that is run inside the box and all connections (everything, RCA, remote, power, ground.) are all tight and in place... my problem is that I cannot wire for a 2 Ohm load like this woofer wiring diagram from Rockford Fosgate on the Q, as the Q does not have + and - for each voice coil on the same sides of the sub., so that way of wiring is impossible with the Q...

Below is a picture of how I test wired it just to see if it would work and present the 2 Ohm load to the sub, but the subwoofer would not even come on. It acted as if there was no power going to it, which there was, but not at the right load (is that correct?). That JBL GTO 1201.1 II is a class D amp, by the way...

I just need to know if there is ANY way possible to wire this in which is will present a 2 Ohm load to the sub. If I wired it in a way in that pictures that it should have presented a 2 ohm load, then something must be wrong with the individual subwoofer, but if I wired it incorrectly in that picture, then I need to change my wiring method or else maybe even send it back and get the 15" Q with the Dual 2 option so that I can wire it in SOME way (I am not really that educated as to how to wire certain ways to achieve a certain load) that I will acheive a 2 Ohm load...

Can anyone help me? I don't know what is the weak link in the system that is making the sub not work (amp has power and is sending power to the speaker wires that go to the sub)... thanks in advance for any help!

Joseph.

[Big E 4]

Edit: Reading > me

Your wiring is fine...are you sure the sub isn't dead? Did you buy from Fi or used?

Edited August 18, 2007 by Big E

[almond 0]

are your gains set properly?? rca's are connected?? disconnect the sub from the box and use a battery to see if the connections inside the box are right.

[profundus-sanus 5]

is the sub out turned on on the head unit?

if your sub is a d2 and its wired in series, as your diagram shows, then the amp would turn on...just not put out its full power. You need a d1 sub to wire to 2 ohms.

[Big E 4]

is the sub out turned on on the head unit?

if your sub is a d2 and its wired in series, as your diagram shows, then the amp would turn on...just not put out its full power. You need a d1 sub to wire to 2 ohms.

Read it again, he has a d1 sub.

[Audiobahnaholic 0]

Ok on your dual 1 option have a + from the amp to + of a coil then from that + to the + of the other coil. Do the same with the - Then check all gains and amplifier settings. If it checks out good then check the headunit settings. Just do everything 1 step at a time and test after each step until you find the problem.

[josephk 0]

Your wiring is fine...are you sure the sub isn't dead? Did you buy from Fi or used?

I bought it new from Fi. I am not sure if the sub is dead or not, as I can't really tell...

are your gains set properly?? rca's are connected?? disconnect the sub from the box and use a battery to see if the connections inside the box are right.

I toggled the gains up and down during a rap song (played a song with some bass to make damn sure I just couldn't hear it because the gains were set low...) and the sub never even twitched... the gain is not set where I want it yet, but I turned it up as far as it would go before the protect light came on and the sub didn't twitch. RCA's are connected, remote wire is connected (they are connected, but could a dud one be the problem?). I'm two steps ahead of you on taking the sub out of the box and testing. I volt tested ALL connections last night to find the weak link and I had power to the + and - leads going into the sub's terminals. All connections had power, so that just leads me to conclude either I have a dud RCA or the sub is dead?

is the sub out turned on on the head unit?

Yep, that was the first thing I made sure of.

I could buy another RCA and hook it up and see how it does, but I doubt that is the problem... I'll do it though and if it still doesn't work, then that only leaves one possibility as to why the sub isn't working. I'd like to hear from one of the Fi guys and see what they have to say about why it isn't working? Thanks a lot for the help...

Joseph.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Joseph K.

[josephk 0]

Ok on your dual 1 option have a + from the amp to + of a coil then from that + to the + of the other coil. Do the same with the - Then check all gains and amplifier settings. If it checks out good then check the headunit settings. Just do everything 1 step at a time and test after each step until you find the problem.

How can I get two wires into one of the terminals on the sub? I don't have anything laying around (at least not enough of it) that's small enough to fit two into one terminal... if I have it wired correctly (it's exactly like it is in the picture...), then that means the two possible problems are the RCA's or the sub, correct? Or could the remote wire also be the cause of the sub not even twitching? Thanks again.

Joseph.

[///M5 2,833]

Get a gain setting cd. Measure the voltage on your:

Rca's going into the amp. Turn your headunit to around 45 and measure the rca voltage in AC before it goes into the amp.

Power between ground and positive on amp

Power between remote turn on and positive on amp

Voltage output of the amplifier terminals (sub disconnected)

Measure the DC resistance of the terminals on your sub box.

Let us know what they all are and it will be easy to fix.

[josephk 0]

I would burn one, but one of the computer's drives is messed up, so no burning for me, just copying. I think a friend of mine had a Bass Testers CD. I'll have to call him up and see if he hasn't lost it or something... how many Hz should the tone be?

Joseph.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Joseph K.

[almond 0]

Ok on your dual 1 option have a + from the amp to + of a coil then from that + to the + of the other coil. Do the same with the - Then check all gains and amplifier settings. If it checks out good then check the headunit settings. Just do everything 1 step at a time and test after each step until you find the problem.

That's a good way to blow his amp. that would give him a .5 ohm load. i'm thinking his coils are wired out of phase. when you have the gain up and the music going is the sub getting hot?? do you have access to a digital multimeter??

[josephk 0]

I have a multimeter with a gauge on it, but I don't have a digital one... I was testing the connections with an amprobe and it recently started acting pretty crazy on me (I think its getting low on power). Anyway, I retested with the non-digital multimeter and didn't get a power reading between the + and - RCA's going into the amp (tested on the outer jackets), should I be getting one? If so, do I just need to go get a different RCA and try it out?

when you have the gain up and the music going is the sub getting hot??

I don't know... I put my hand on it several times and I didn't really feel anything, but when I disconnected the sub from the box, the air inside the box was somewhat warm and it was dark outside (but still kind of hot). What exactly do you mean when you say the coils may be wired out of phase?

Thanks,

Joseph.

Edited August 18, 2007 by Joseph K.

[///M5 2,833]

Ok on your dual 1 option have a + from the amp to + of a coil then from that + to the + of the other coil. Do the same with the - Then check all gains and amplifier settings. If it checks out good then check the headunit settings. Just do everything 1 step at a time and test after each step until you find the problem.

That's a good way to blow his amp. that would give him a .5 ohm load. i'm thinking his coils are wired out of phase. when you have the gain up and the music going is the sub getting hot?? do you have access to a digital multimeter??

He's got them in series, but even still it is possible that one of the terminals was marked incorrectly from the factory. Measuring the DCR should give us a pretty good idea though.

[almond 0]

try disconnecting the sub, play some music and connect the multimeter to the amps speaker outputs and see if you get any power. you may have the sub wired wron if you have the - of one coil to the - of the other coil and the + of each coil going to the amp then the sub will work against it's self. i had that problem with the 12 i have now, except the terminals came backwards (happens sometimes on hand built subs) so i had to change my wiring.

[josephk 0]

Measure the DC resistance of the terminals on your sub box.

Sub disconnected?

try disconnecting the sub, play some music and connect the multimeter to the amps speaker outputs and see if you get any power

I've got power to them.

Sean, do I need to go pick up a digital multimeter? I have a non-digital, but it's not east to get an accurate reading by looking at a gauge. Thanks.

Joseph.

[///M5 2,833]

Analog is fine, 20% of the reading is really close enough.

Disconnected yes.

[josephk 0]

Where can I get a gain setting CD? Would wal-mart happen to have them? My friend has indeed lost the one he had...

[///M5 2,833]

Search for Sheffield Labs test cd's. You should find something. I did pm you a link for downloading, but if your cd burner is dead you might need to find a friend that has one that works.

[josephk 0]

I can't really think of anything else to test to try and figure out what the problem is. I have tested everything I've been told to test, and I can't find out what's wrong. Is there anything else I can test? Something on the sub- all other connections have power to them amp works, speaker terminals have power, speaker wire to sub is delivering power- sub just isn't working? What should the DC resistance on the sub terminals be reading? I could test those as well...

If there is nothing more I can do, then I would need to send it back to FI to see what is wrong and I need to know what the system is for doing that? I no longer have the box it came to me in, as it was torn up a little.

Thanks a lot for the help,

Joseph.

[Fi Car Audio 64]

DC resistance should be about .7 Ohms per coil and about 1.4-1.5 Ohms for both coils wired in series. Did you get a chance to "pop" test the coils like Nick had suggested?

As for sending it back, it can be sent to:

Fi Car Audio

Attn: Warranty

5480 Cameron St #107

Las Vegas NV 89118

I also got to your PM as well... we will get this figured out.

Thanks,

Scott

[josephk 0]

Hey, Scott. You've got another PM . I'd rather not type it again or I'd post it here... sorry, I'm lazy.

Joseph.