Basic Wiring diagram for Headunit to amp to sub.

[GU357]

Can someone provide a brief description or list as to what cables ill need to connect my alpine HU to a Cobalt sub and a kenwood amp?

the sub an amp were free from a mate and he couldnt give me all the cables (so far have some RCA cables + Red Power cable with fuse in-line),
so im wandering what else ill need, any other tips be great.

its all goin into my 2003 GD3 Jazz.

im sure this has been covered before but i cant think of some key words.
and im wary as to whether there has been a change in the types of cables used or something.

[TbM]

Lengths and gauges of cables depends on where you position the amp and how much current you intend to run.

Power
Run a power cable(with fuse) from the + on your battery to the amp.
Ground(-) the amp by running a short length of wire to the closest bolt to the amp and sand off a small section of paint(under the bolt) to make sure it has good contact
Run Remote + from back of HU(usually blue/white) to amp


Rca
Asuming your using a normal cd/mp3 unit run a set of rca's off the sub out/non fader outputs on the HU and plug them into the Rca inputs on your amp

Sub
Connect the sub + and - to the + and - speaker outputs on your amp

[Bludger]

Lengths and gauges of cables depends on where you position the amp and how much current you intend to run.

Power
Run a power cable(with fuse) from the + on your battery to the amp.
Ground(-) the amp by running a short length of wire to the closest bolt to the amp and sand off a small section of paint(under the bolt) to make sure it has good contact
Run Remote + from back of HU(usually blue/white) to amp


Rca
Asuming your using a normal cd/mp3 unit run a set of rca's off the sub out/non fader outputs on the HU and plug them into the Rca inputs on your amp

Sub
Connect the sub + and - to the + and - speaker outputs on your amp
this is an extremely accurate reply.

[Drifter995]

What you'll need:
Power wire (red) with an inline fuse (which you have) preferably of a decent size.. 4 or 8awg should be fine any smaller and i'd look for 8awg minimum
Rca's (which you have)
Remote wire (thin blue wire.. it is used as a signal wire)
Ground wire (same thickness as the power wire.)
Speaker wire (to connect amp to sub)

How you'll go about it:
-Run the power wire down the side of the car, from the battery to the amp, leaving the fuse end up near the battery (you'll want to fuse the wire as close to the battery as possible). Connect it into the + or positive slot in the amp.
-Attach the ground cable to the amp, and then find a solid bolt into the body of the car, which touches metal. If it has paint on it, sand back any paint where it'll touch the spade terminal on the ground cable)
-Run the rca's and remote wire down the other side of the car. You'll want to connect the remote wire to the remote wire on the back of the headunit (should be either blue, or blue with a white stripe.. dunno)
-Attach rca's to the amp, and then to the sub pre-out on the headunit.
-Set gains on the amp to minimum
-attach speaker wires to amp and sub.
turn on amp, set gains. If you don't know how, I suggest you get a professional to do it, so you don't blow your sub.

That help? :D

edit: dammit, beaten to it >.>

[GU357]

Thanks guys, dont sweat it Drifter yours was last but gave lots of detail

is remote cable required? and yeh its blue.


so the RCA outlets are on the back of the head unit arent they??
fml gonna have fun taking that thing back out.

[Bludger]

Thanks guys, dont sweat it Drifter yours was last but gave lots of detail

is remote cable required? and yeh its blue.


so the RCA outlets are on the back of the head unit arent they??
fml gonna have fun taking that thing back out.
remote cable is required or else the amp will be constantly on.

the remote cable sends a signal from the head unit to the amp, telling it when to turn on.

[Drifter995]

yes, remote cable is required.. it's used to turn the amp on.. it's job it to turn the amp on when the headunit turns on. without it, no power to the amp...
And yeah, rca outlets are on the back. Is fine to plug them in :3 I had to bend into a fun shape to put mine in.. since mine isn't in the dash, but under the glove box xD

edit: dammit bludger >.>
And to correct bludger, it'll always be off, unless you link a wire from the power... (afaik)

[GU357]

ahh ok thanks again guys. im hoping ill be able to cheat and connect the cables by putting my hand through the empty din slot below the HU, does the remote cable plug in? or do u splice it and put it in a hole that makes contact via pressure (like the way the power goes into the amp). because atm the RCA cables have a blue wire running parallel with them (taped on to the side) but no plugs on either end.

[Drifter995]

you strip the end going to the headunit, strip the end on the headunits end, then solder it and heatshrink over the join...

[TbM]

ahh ok thanks again guys. im hoping ill be able to cheat and connect the cables by putting my hand through the empty din slot below the HU, does the remote cable plug in? or do u splice it and put it in a hole that makes contact via pressure (like the way the power goes into the amp). because atm the RCA cables have a blue wire running parallel (tape on to) with it but not plugs on either end.
Remote is just a small gague wire, have to strip the ends on your harness and remote wire and solder them together(can just twist and tape if your lazy) other end goes in your amp.
That blue wire is your remote, it wont have plugs.

[GU357]

thanks guys, been massive help.

i figured the long blue cable must be related to it. sweet.

so the remote cable on the HU is just a hanging cable? and i just have to solder them together?

[TbM]

thanks guys, been massive help.

i figured the long blue cable must be related to it. sweet.

so the remote cable on the HU is just a hanging cable? and i just have to solder them together?

Its like one of these cables, they come off your Hu harness
http://i.seimg.net/images/28821/main/sy16.jpg
you can solder and heatshrink/tape or if your lazy you can just twist the ends together and heatshrink/tape, not alot of current is going through there so doesnt need a soldered connection to function properly but its definately better to solder if you have an iron and can solder.

[EKVTIR-T]

I think he misinterpreted remote.

The thin remote wire connects from the head unit to the amp and sends an electrical signal to power on and off :)

Otherwise when you switch off stereo and car the amp would drain your battery

[GU357]

oh kool ty. so looks like i really am gonna need to pull the HU out for it to work.

Oh and just curious as to why my amp has a socket that looks like it accepts a plug simular to that style. any idea what that is? :S

[TbM]

oh kool ty. so looks like i really am gonna need to pull the HU out for it to work.

Oh and just curious as to why my amp has a socket that looks like it accepts a plug simular to that style. any idea what that is? :S

Probably Speaker level input but without a pic i cant say for sure, some amps can take there input from your speakers if your headunit doesnt have rca's, can be wired up to a plug like that.

[Drifter995]

picture? might help explain a bit...

Edit: tbm's point makes sense

[GU357]

ahh ok ill upload one soon.

spent the night getting my HU out and back in. and i have the cables running down the passenger side of the car. now i just need to bring the power cable in.
anyone have tips on getting the power through the firewall?

[TbM]

ahh ok ill upload one soon.

spent the night getting my HU out and back in. and i have the cables running down the passenger side of the car. now i just need to bring the power cable in.
anyone have tips on getting the power through the firewall?
find a rubber grommet on the firewall and poke the power cable through, dont have it connected to the battery(or you can remove the fuse) as it may spark and blow the fuse

[GU357]

ok sweet. ill attach the power last. just wanna get all the cables connected to the amp/sub and then ill connect the battery.

whilst soldering last night i disconnected my battery as a safety measure. now my auto windows dont work LOL.

[TbM]

ok sweet. ill attach the power last. just wanna get all the cables connected to the amp/sub and then ill connect the battery.

whilst soldering last night i disconnected my battery as a safety measure. now my auto windows dont work LOL.
Yeh when you dissconnect the battery you have to relearn the auto function on the windows, IIRC you just hold the window button down till it reaches the bottem then keep holding for 5 seconds, reapeat for going up. so basicially wind it down and up but keep holding button for 5 sec(after the window stops) each way and it should relearn.

[GU357]

thanks. also would the bolt that holds the Rear seat hinge to the body be a suitable ground?

the jazz back seats fold flat down and has hinges along the bottom to fix it to the body.

would that be a suited ground?

[TbM]

thanks. also would the bolt that holds the Rear seat hinge to the body be a suitable ground?

the jazz back seats fold flat down and has hinges along the bottom to fix it to the body.

would that be a suited ground?

Yes that should be fine so long as the grounds on the chassis, my ground in the civic is in pretty much the same place, just make sure to sand the area where it contacts that way you get a good connection

[GU357]

yeh take some of the paint off aha. i got some pics should be up in a min.

how would i go about testing if its ground? touch a multi meter to the bolt and another to the + batt?

[GU357]

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0045.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0045.jpg)http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0044.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0044.jpg)

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0047.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0047.jpg)http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0049.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0049.jpg)

They are thumbnails so click for bigger pic :P
dont want to make slow loading.

[TbM]

yeh take some of the paint off aha. i got some pics should be up in a min.

how would i go about testing if its ground? touch a multi meter to the bolt and another to the + batt?
Any part of the chassis is a ground, you just want to find somewhere where you can attach straight to the chassis.

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/IMAG0049.jpg
Looking at that pic it seems like you may be better off finding a different bolt if possible, it looks to me like the hinge is bolted to the chassis and you would only be able to put a ring terminal ontop unless im mistaken.

i prefer to connect directly to the chassis rather than on top of things, ill try and draw a pic to explain.

This is how it would be connect with that hinge, would have to go through the hinge instead of being connected straight to the chassis.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/fgf.png

I prefer to do it like this
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/fews.png

Hope that makes sense, i cant draw shit well in paint

[GU357]

nah i get it. in that case theres a seat belt mount abt further up maybe i can mount it under there.
also how can i get the cable through the inside of the car to the enginge bay. i dont know where to look for a hole.

[TbM]

Do you mean through the firewall? Just find a grommet and use that, i usually try and find an unused one if possible as i usualy use thick cables.

i usually feed it from the engine bay to the cabin, i push about 10-30 cm through then go in the cabin and put my hand under the carpet in the footwell or up in the dash(depending on grommet location) to grab the cable then start pulling it through. Other way is to work out which grommet your going through then get in the cabin and feed it through that way.

Fyi grommets are those rubber things on your firewall, some have cables/wires going through them some dont.

[GU357]

ahh ive never noticed any in mine LOL, ill take a look under the carpet in the footwell and find a the respective grommet from the outside n give it a shot.

[GU357]

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0042.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0042.jpg)

thats the plug i was talking about by the way, i didnt notice the labels before as i was looking at it during the night.

[TbM]

ahh ive never noticed any in mine LOL, ill take a look under the carpet in the footwell and find a the respective grommet from the outside n give it a shot.
Notice from your other thread your having trouble locating a place in the firewall to run the power cable.
Heres a link, if you search alot of this has been covered before.
http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/1st-generation-gd-01-08/60948-getting-through-gd3s-firewall.html

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0042.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0042.jpg)

thats the plug i was talking about by the way, i didnt notice the labels before as i was looking at it during the night.
Yeh hi level input is what i was refering to, i call it speaker level input, can use it if you dont have rca's on the headunit but i prefer to use rca's

[votek]

sorry to hijack but what size speaker cables do i buy? 16 gauge?

[TbM]

sorry to hijack but what size speaker cables do i buy? 16 gauge?
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/1780549-shakehead.gif

Depends on the application, make a new thread and ask there, put up what your using it for, otherwise your asking a "how long is a piece of string question" no one can say unless you give more info.

[Drifter995]

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/1780549-shakehead.gif

Depends on the application, make a new thread and ask there, put up what your using it for, otherwise your asking a "how long is a piece of string question" no one can say unless you give more info.

trudat.. would rep this, but i just repped a previous post of yours D:

[GU357]

found one.
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0057.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0057.jpg)
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0059.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0059.jpg)

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0060.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0060.jpg)
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0061.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0061.jpg)

was rather out of the way. had to take of some trim to get in there then noticed these cables dissapear behind this white thing and looked on other side and thoguht 'win....'

now just need to ground it.
none of the bolts in the back seem suitable for grounding. might have to be a lil more inventive.
or get a bigger ring or something so i can get it under one of the hinges and have that push it to the chassis.

http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0065.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0065.jpg)
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/th_IMAG0066.jpg (http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/?action=view&current=IMAG0066.jpg)

[TbM]

Good to hear you found way through the firewall, can be difficult on some cars,

http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/Decorated%20images/IMAG0065.jpg

Why not go under one of those, looks like you could fit a ring terminal under it, if you dont want to use that there are often bolts you can use where your hatch/boot closes(under the trim) but that would make the ground alot longer.

[GU357]

yeh the seatbelt ones look best bet. thanks.
just need to get a eyelet and crimp it to the end. i had enough power cable slack to make the ground cable which is fortunate.

also i need to get speaker cable what size for the subs?

[Bludger]

sorry to hijack but what size speaker cables do i buy? 16 gauge?
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/j480/tbmindustrys2/ib98c9jpg.gif

[TbM]

also i need to get speaker cable what size for the subs?
How much power are you running through it?

[curtis265]

good info here guys. wish i coulda read this when i did my DIY sub

[Drifter995]

12-14awg should be perfect for sub wiring.. you can go smaller if you want, doesn't really matter that much afaik.. don't take my word for that though...

[TbM]

12-14awg should be perfect for sub wiring.. you can go smaller if you want, doesn't really matter that much afaik.. don't take my word for that though...
that would be suffecient for most applications(probably for this one too) but we would be able to give a more accurate answer with more info.

[GU357]

Ended up having to ground it to a hinge and it works pretty well.
Got my dad to ground it he said it should be alright there he wander under the hinge and whit on the bolt I dunno.
Just checking it now n then to make sure It's not hearing up too much.

The cable i have is some stuff I stole from a reel will check core count later but it works Ahaha needed bass. Now I got bass.
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/IMAG0068.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z332/GU357/IMAG0070.jpg

[Drifter995]

If I were you, I'd either screw the box to the seat below it, or invest in some straps.. those look like bungie cords, and if they are, they'd probably move a little under vibrations :/

[GU357]

Yehp It's temporary. I'm thinking it will go down to the cargo bed thing that sits over the spare. Or velcro it down to it and get some straps to hold it to the chair. Don't wanna put holes in the chair.
Might even pull out the spare and find a spot for it in there

[TbM]

Got my dad to ground it he said it should be alright there he wander under the hinge and whit on the bolt I dunno.

What?

Yehp It's temporary. I'm thinking it will go down to the cargo bed thing that sits over the spare. Or velcro it down to it and get some straps to hold it to the chair. Don't wanna put holes in the chair.
Might even pull out the spare and find a spot for it in there
IF you dont want to drill look for rok straps, got some at repco a few years ago and they are the strongest occy/bungi cord type straps ive come across

[GU357]

hmm auto correct fail...
my Dad had the eyelet i needed so i let him do the grounding too. he just put it on the hinge anyway.
i think did some sanding just incase. but for the time being im checking the amp to make sure it isnt getting too hot, which might indicate bad earth.

hmm but would the rok straps still vibrate?
at the moment the ocky straps that hold it down are just hooked on to the back of my seat frame and are pretty tight but could definately go with something better.
i notice actually there are holes which are meant for the rear boot carpet to clip into. the holes are in the steel so maybe get something to hold it down through there.

[TbM]

Lol ah righto, got confused when i read that sentance lol. You should be fine to ground it ontop of the hinge so long as it has a sanded off path or the bolt is conductive. i just prefer going direct to chassis so your getting the best path possible.

the rok straps when pulled tight as they go dont vibrate, if you have them loose they might. can also go to hardware store and get some brackets like this and attach to the box and run the straps through it so they cant slip up or down on the box.
http://www.solidworkstutorials.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/solidworks_tutorial_sheetmetal_u_bracket_final.gif

screwing it or bolting it down in the boot is the best way to go tho.

[GU357]

mhmm. in that case ill use those lil holes where the carpet clips in.
make a base and locate it to the holes via clip or screw and then screw the sub onto it.

[Drifter995]

if you want to put it in the spare wheel well, might I suggest getting a custom box made up? would fit snugly in the hole, and would probably sound better than a prefab box.. probably. only problem would be mounting the amp...

[GU357]

Yeh. But i would hate to get a flat and have to call my old man to help me. He would have a spazz abt getting your priorities right. Don't so much care for the hassle just wanna avoid the rant.

I've been given some free Kenwood 6*9s or circle ones apparently just gotta pick em up. Imagine they are easy to install right? Just swap them and re attach the same wires?

[Drifter995]

dunno.. as for the spare, thus why I always get my boxes designed so I can get my spare out easily enough :D

[TbM]

Has the Gd3 got all its speakers in the doors?

Depends on the speaker depth, size ect, 6x9 wont fit in your door easily, "circle ones" which are called "Co-axial" when its an all in one speaker or "Components/Splits" when you have a seperate parts Ie. Tweeter, driver and crossover.

coax will be easier to fit depending on size but most of the time they will still require some modification to the current mount or to make a whole new one.

Best way is too take your door panel off and have a look,we cant really say without knowing what the speaker is.

[GU357]

yeh, i havent seen the speakers yet.

[ouch]

gd3 have 4 full range speakers. no separate tweeter positions.

[GU357]

ok. the speakers i got the speakers. forgot to take pics of them, finished installation of the back ones.
one of the more painful/frustrating experiences of my life, as expected the jazz did not have "normal" speaker mounts.
the brackets for the speakers were not "adaptable" unless you are very handy.
i found that i could use screws to hold the new speaker mesh frame onto the speaker and use liquid nails to hold the new frame into the door trim. then soldered the wires. the other side was screwed into the door by my father. but screwing it in did not guarantee that the speaker would line up with the hole in the trim perfectly, but it worked out pretty well, great sound quality from the speakers, they were a 6" or so, with a tweeter in the middle.

front ones are next and i can tell it will be a massive pain.

also fixxed the sub. will post pics.

used some MDF and cut it to size and screwed the sub down. using straps at the moment to hold the wood down the the back of the chair

[TbM]

ok. the speakers i got the speakers. forgot to take pics of them, finished installation of the back ones.
one of the more painful/frustrating experiences of my life, as expected the jazz did not have "normal" speaker mounts.
the brackets for the speakers were not "adaptable" unless you are very handy.
i found that i could use screws to hold the new speaker mesh frame onto the speaker and use liquid nails to hold the new frame into the door trim. then soldered the wires. the other side was screwed into the door by my father. but screwing it in did not guarantee that the speaker would line up with the hole in the trim perfectly, but it worked out pretty well, great sound quality from the speakers, they were a 6" or so, with a tweeter in the middle.

front ones are next and i can tell it will be a massive pain.

also fixxed the sub. will post pics.

used some MDF and cut it to size and screwed the sub down. using straps at the moment to hold the wood down the the back of the chair
Nice one, lol its gets easier the more practice you get.

Is the speaker sealed well against the door? i usually use an mdf spacer to mount it to the door if i cant customise the old one.

do you know about sound deadening and sealing the service holes with mdf to make an enclosure?

Look forward to seeing pics, good to see your putting in time and effort to do it yourself instead of paying someone and learning nothing.

DIY = Wynning:thumbsup:

[Bludger]

DIY = you helping yourself.

nothing could be more in tune with nature.

[Drifter995]

I must say, my eg's rears were a pain in the ass.. I drilled a shitload of holes trying to get it to work (stupid stock speakers had 3 bolt holes, and the mount was curved >.> ) fronts were fine. Practice makes perfect.

Imo, fronts should be a little easier, just screw some spacers (paint them first, so they don't take on water) then screw the speakers to the spacer. if they are splits (totally can't remember if they are) run them in stock location if they fit (pre-sure the jazz has factory splits)

Have fun, do it properly, and when you're done, you'll get a warm fuzzy feeling. I know when I got my system all together, I loved it. Couldn't wait to get back in the car. After I got the subs done, I went on break at work, sat in the car listening to music. I loved it to bits. A good diy will both make you feel warm and fuzzy inside and also make you want to do more stuff yourself :D

[GU357]

yeh the jazz has this wierdo clip arrangement, its pretty much 3 slots in the door webbing and a speaker sits in there with 2 legs from the bottom and a metal clip ontop so the legs go into the holes and then they just bang it on with a clip, very budget stuff.
i guess they call it efficient.

ill take pics of the ones i plan for the front.
im thinking i might use a piece of hose as a spacer so that if the area if the webbing is uneven i can still put all the screws in. just hope i never take these out...

i have cuts on my hands from the clips n stuff.

[ouch]

did you deal with your problem?

[Bludger]

http://i.picasion.com/pic49/c6d5790ba0badb9357ab38b79235ea4f.gif

[GU357]

did you deal with your problem?

which one? im still to do front doors.
ill give them a crack this Sunday (Y)