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jaimer
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 52
Location: Revelstoke
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 Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:54 pm Post subject: Audio Wiring |
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Hey guys,
forgive my ignorance...and childish drawings. I just got an audio set up for free from a friend. I decided to hook it all up. So far this is what I have done... forgot to draw that the head unit is also grounded.
I just wanted to make sure that this looks correct. I don't have anyone I know who can help!
I did a little searching and figure that the red and yellow wires should be tapped into fuses one with constant power, and the other with ignition.
I will not blow anything up this way?
Thanks in advance! |
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Tom Powell
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Joined: December 01, 2005
Posts: 4855
Location: Kaneohe
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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The fat yellow wire is for memory and is wired to the fuse panel for constant power.
The thin red wire is for power and is wired to the ignition switch ON position.
Seems counterintuitive, but that's the way my Vanagon radio is wired.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=624715&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
You will also need a switch between the battery and the amplifier. In my '69 camper I have an amplifier for my rear speakers with a lighted rocker switch that I hacked into the dash. I must remember to turn off the amp and rear speakers on engine shutdown. If not the battery will drain even with the radio off. Not a big problem with a manual that is easy to push start. Could be a big problem with an automatic.
Aloha
tp |
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jaimer
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 52
Location: Revelstoke
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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My head unit has a remote wire, that is connected as well. If the head unit is not connected to power, is this causing the amp to stay off, or run continuously?
Thanks! |
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Tom Powell
Samba Member
Joined: December 01, 2005
Posts: 4855
Location: Kaneohe
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| Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 11:02 pm Post subject: |
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| jaimer wrote: |
My head unit has a remote wire, that is connected as well. If the head unit is not connected to power, is this causing the amp to stay off, or run continuously?
Thanks! |
The head unit will have its own small amplifier and that will drive your tweet tweets. With the red and yellow wires hooked up as recommended the head unit will turn on and off when the ignition switch is in the ON position. It will not have power in the OFF position, but you will have power for the memory. Leaving the ignition ON without the engine running may burn the points and/or coil.
You can wire the head unit so that it has constant power and you can use the stereo without the ignition switch in the ON position. But, you have to be aware and not run down the battery. In your diagram the head unit does not control the amp for the sub and you'll need a switch in the power supply to the amp for the sub. There may be head units that will switch an additional amp. Crutchfield is your friend for wiring education and information. You can probably get a manual for your head unit and find out what features you have.
Not sure what you mean by a remote wire. That might be a power wire for an additional amp. I have a remote for my stereos that works on IR like a tv remote. There is no wire. The remote is nice when I'm sacked out in the back of the camper. I can adjust the volume and turn the head unit off as I'm drifting off into slumberland.
Aloha
tp |
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richparker
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Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6980
Location: Durango, CO
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 2:55 am Post subject: |
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The remote wire is a blue wire that turns the amp on and off with the head unit, no switch required. Your head unit will have this if it is set up to use with an amp. Buses don't have an Accessory switch in the ingintion so i would recommend wiring it directly to the fuse panel (#9 termal it think). This way if you want to listen to some tunes with the bus off you can without running the risk of burning out your coil and points, as Tom mentioned.
Power from head unit to fuse box
Ground head unit to screw in the dash somewhere
Run the blue remote wire to amp (I ran mine and my speaker wire inbetween it plywood and the floor pan). Be sure not to run the remote, RCA and speaker wire together, the shouldn't touch or you'll get feed back that will eventually kill your alternator.
Run RCA wires from the head unit to the amp
Run a fused fat wire from the battery to the amp
Run speaker wire
If you do not have the correct wires and fuses stores like Walmart sell amp instillation kits that have all the correct parts. You might have to trim the dash to get the new head unit in. I used a dremal but have heard some guys have had success trimming the excess material away with a file.
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fes
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Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 999
Location: Prince Edward Island
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 3:09 am Post subject: |
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If you disconnect the green condensor wire from the coil while ignition is on,this should keep from points burning out,correct?
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telford dorr
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Correct (and the coil from burning out).
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jaimer
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Joined: June 13, 2013
Posts: 52
Location: Revelstoke
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 10:37 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for all the advice everyone, I will try to sort it out later today, and hopefully I will be bumpin'! |
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mikedjames
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Joined: July 02, 2012
Posts: 2736
Location: Hamble, Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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| fes wrote: |
| If you disconnect the green condensor wire from the coil while ignition is on,this should keep from points burning out,correct? |
You will do this then forget the next day and wonder why the bus will not start...
Some 'electronic' ignition units like the Accuspark points replacement solve this problem - they only fire the coil if the distributor is rotating.
This is not the case for the Pertronix equivalent which mimics the points by getting hot and letting the coil get hot if you leave the ignition on.
As for turning on the amp -
There should be a 12volt accessory signal (goes to 12 volts when the head unit is turned on) wire coming out of the head unit and a corresponding power on wire coming from the amp - it does not draw power it just needs to see 12 volts to turn on the amp.
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richparker
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Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6980
Location: Durango, CO
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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| mikedjames wrote: |
As for turning on the amp -
There should be a 12volt accessory signal (goes to 12 volts when the head unit is turned on) wire coming out of the head unit and a corresponding power on wire coming from the amp - it does not draw power it just needs to see 12 volts to turn on the amp. |
If your head unit is designed to run an amp this wire will be blue and is called the remote wire.
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airschooled
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Joined: April 04, 2012
Posts: 12721
Location: on a bike ride somewhere
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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...and a fuse between the amp and battery, please. 
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fes
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Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 999
Location: Prince Edward Island
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| Posted: Mon May 25, 2015 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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You will do this then forget the next day and wonder why the bus will not start...
Just put a post-it note on your dash that says something like " Last night the Bus was thumpin, and then I was humpin'... Connect the green wire now or you will be stumpin'" 
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Sprink1es
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Joined: March 04, 2014
Posts: 76
Location: WI
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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| asiab3 wrote: |
| ...and a fuse between the amp and battery, please. |
Most important part! 1 fuse for the new amp, and 1 fuse for the head unit.
I used a rocker switch to turn on my amp and HU. I've no sub, but 1 4ch amp that powers my 4 interior speakers. This way I don't overload anything on the stock VW wiring, and I can listen to music with the bus completely off.
Remote wire just needs to see 12v to turn on the amp so that's all I have on the switch. |
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Brian
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Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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| richparker wrote: |
Run RCA wires from the head unit to the amp
Run a fused fat wire from the battery to the amp
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the two important things. I like that idea of putting a rocker on the remote line.
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Sprink1es
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Joined: March 04, 2014
Posts: 76
Location: WI
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| Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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I also screwed up on my install (I bought my bus with a crappy Sony Xplode HU) where both the red (power) and yellow (memory) wires are on a switch. My HU doesn't remember any presets etc because of this. But I have a nicer Clarion HU I've been meaning to swap into my bus so I've been putting this off lol.
I'll have 4 crummy head units sitting in my garage after I do this... What to do with 4 shitty (but perfectly good) single din head units?) |
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