SAZ 3000-d Protect Mode

[Frostedflakejake 148]

So I bought a SAZ-3000d from db-r last december. I finally got to hook it up today! It turned on, sub wouldn't move, then the amp would go into protect. The btl was wired at one Ohm. So after reading the manual, I disconnected the speaker wire and the amp did fine, didn't go into protect mode. So I re-did the wiring on the sub but before dragging it out to the car, I decided to test the amp. Turned it on and the Blue power light came on and about one second later it switched over to protect. Needless to say I was astonished. The wiring is done as so: From battery plug in of amp to 300amp ANL fuse, from fuse to + battery, from + battery to another 300 amp ANL fuse, from that fuse to battery isolater, from isolater to alternator (260 amp Iraggi), both the amp and the battery (Shuriken BT-120) share a frame ground in the back.

So, according to the manual, when the protection LED light illuminates:

1) Check shorts on speaker wire

2) Remove speaker wires and reset the amplifier. If the protection LED still comes on, then the amplifier is faulty.

As i'm sure this is true, is there any other reason that the protection light would come on? I'm not sure what it means by resetting the amplifier, but I disconnected the ground and positive leads and reconnected them. With no speaker inputs, the amplifier still goes straight into protection.

Please, all feed back is welcomed. I would like to get opinions before I contact Jacob about user error, malfunctioning merchandise, repair, warranty, ect.

Thanks!! Oh, and i attached some pictures of the amps insides. I really have NO clue what to look for in the range of defects.

[Kanaworm$ 292]

First off contact db-R and then recheck your speaker wiring as to make sure nothing is shorted inside box and to the amp. Make sure you check the impedence of the woofer as well to rule out speaker failure.

[Mynameismcgyver 6]

I agree. Db R seems to be a real good person to deal with. Sounds as if something is amiss with the amp itself. BUT

Have you had any other amp with the wiring setup as you have it now? Trying to rule out an issue with your power/ground wiring would be something that comes to mind...

[Frostedflakejake 148]

There isn't a problem with the speaker wire or woofer impedance, or if there is, it's not what's making it go into protect mode seeing that it goes into protect without any speaker wire in it.

And I didn't check those power and grounds, but i did hook up some 6 gauge ground and power wires i have set up that work on my component amp. I hooked them up just to check if my ground was bad or the power wire was bad. The 6 gauge works fine on my component amp but still sends the sundown into protect.

Thanks!

[shizzzon 461]

Not tryin to be Mr Obvious but this piece appears to be cracked-

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Yeah shizzzon i saw that, it's not cracked through, just a scratch on top. I mean yeah, i noticed that, but it didn't seem to be major but then again, i have no idea what i'm looking like in there...

[Kanaworm$ 292]

Good eyes Captain!

J/K ..... But good eyes!

[TeamNemesis-DJ 5]

I would confirm that the coils on the sub are good ...you said when you disconnected the speaker it didnt protect ...process of elimination made easy <<

[Mynameismcgyver 6]

I would confirm that the coils on the sub are good ...you said when you disconnected the speaker it didnt protect ...process of elimination made easy <<

But he did say that he connected the amp to other power source and grounds to rule out a power/ground wiring issue and that still sent it into protect (and im guessing with no sub connected)

OP, is that correct? If so, then Id say its something with the amp.. And judging that you bought it from DB-R can only mean it did have some issues before and was fixed...But obviously, somethings still wrong.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

OP, is that correct?

Yeah that's correct. With no speaker connected to the amp, it still goes into protect. I'm fairly certain that it must have left db-r not fixed. No dis-respect, but I followed the instructions on how to hook up the amplifier. I even had my little SAZ 3000d owners manual out in my car with me to make sure that nothing was done improperly. I just wished i would have looked over the amp prior to hooking it up because now when i open it and see things improper i'm not sure if its from me or if it came that way. For example, on the + input on the amp there is an arc on the metal. It's pretty obvious. But not only did I not create an arc when i hooked it up, it would have been impossible for me to do so (and anyone to do so for that matter if they followed the instructions). So I guess i'll shoot db-r an e-mail. It's just so disappointing. I'm not taking blame but i'm not blaming them either, I just want the thing to work. I keep on trying it like it's magically going to come to life.

Worst case scenario I guess would be that I somehow screwed it up or maybe someone else in my household messed with it without me knowing and it wouldn't be covered under warranty. Then I would have to pay for the repair costs... Anyone have an idea of what the repair cost would be? I know that's a ridiculous question since we don't even know what's wrong with the amp, but a ballpark answer is more of what i'm looking for.

Thanks!

[Mynameismcgyver 6]

Shouldn't he honor some sort of return policy? Or at the very least take it in and see what went wrong. Ive heard nothing but good things about the business, So hopefully it won't be on your dime but if im not mistaken, he's the best guy for Sundown amps..

Good luck.

[Derrick824 4]

Was it purchased new or refurbished? If purchased new then contact Jacob about sending it in to Sundown Audio to get checked out. If purchased refurbished then contact Chris about sending it in to dbr to get checked out. You'll get taken care of.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

It was refurbished. I don't know the screenname of Chris on this board so for now i'm just going to follow the instructions on the warranty card.

It's pretty obvious that the previous owner of the amp was an idiot. He connected it to a battery wrong which caused the arc, and some of the heat sinks are cooked. You can't tell in the pictures but they are black on the sides. SO now to e-mail db-r!!

[kirill007 52]

Try bypassing the battery isolater.

Just connect the batt directly to the alt without battery isolater.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

e-mail sent!

[sundownz 197]

The little black box is just a relay.

On your test with no speakers hooked up - is the RCA also unhooked ?

[Frostedflakejake 148]

On your test with no speakers hooked up - is the RCA also unhooked ?

Yup. the only thing that was hooked up was ground, power, and REM. Is that... okay?

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Man i love sundown Customer Service. Got an e-mail back from Chris today. That surprises me. I mean, who checks their work e-mail on a sunday? People with awesome customer service he seemed excited to help and gave me clear directions. Man i'm starting to love that company and i haven't even been able to reek the benefits of their products!

[Mac N Cheese 90]

Man i love sundown Customer Service. Got an e-mail back from Chris today. That surprises me. I mean, who checks their work e-mail on a sunday? People with awesome customer service he seemed excited to help and gave me clear directions. Man i'm starting to love that company and i haven't even been able to reek the benefits of their products!

you know what, i am very glad you are still positive about this whole situation you had to deal with....i no first thing what you are dealing with, my 3000D did almost the same thing and i was kinda stressed out and really worried because i just dropped so much money...but in the end it was totally worth sending it in, and Chris even paid for the shipping back

just remember to package it well and it will return back safe

Thanks for staying so positive!

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Thanks mac! And maybe it's because my entire build has been problems after problems... so much so i made a thread for them

Is This Normal? - SSA Car Audio Forum

The Sundown issue will be added on tonight. And it's just that i'm sure it's not their fault. Maybe it was dropped too much during shipping or something. And the pure fact that i got a response so quickly and Chris didn't try to accuse me of anything of anysort made me really fall in love with Sundown.

They are by far the best company i've ever had to deal with, ever.

[inkfx 3]

This sounds exactly like what happened to my SAE-1200D. Mine worked somewhat for a few months then started going into protect just like your 3000D is. It was still under warranty, so Jacob helped me out and got me set straight. I think I've seen this happen to a few other amps as well. I'm sure Sundown is aware of it and will get it fixed in their newer models. The 1200Dv2 I got is chuggin along like a champ.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Sorry to hear your troubles! But yeah I shipped the amp last night and let me just say... I don't know how they fit the amp in that shipment box. It took my about an hour to get it in with minimal cushioning. I brought the box to my local UPS pick-up station and the lady looked at me like i was crazy. There was tape everywhere, ha. But yeah i'm excited to hear the problem with the amp when they recieve it and even more excited to get it fixed!!

[inkfx 3]

Sundown hooked me up though. Jacob replaced my v1 with a brand new v2. Great customer service.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

So i thought i'd throw in an update.

Db-r received the amp on 4/19. on 4/23 i asked if any progress was being made. I received no response so on 4/26 i e-mailed Chris to see what was up only to discover that db-r was doing some moving and other work which made me feel bad. i felt bad even e-mailing Chris cause i knew something like that would be the case. So db-r re-opened yesterday and hopefully i'll get some information from them by tuesday! maybe... what's wrong with the amp to start with!! ha.

[Frostedflakejake 148]

Got an e-mail!!! The amp is now "back together" and is going to receive some hellish testing tomorrow before it comes back my way (hopefully also ships out tomorrow). I responded and asked what was wrong with it. So i'm excited!! It takes 5 days about to ship, so if i'm lucky, i'll get it on saturday!

Not going to blow a gasket if i don't. though, what's another few days??