View Full Version : Operation Boot Build - Starts 2morrow!
Alrighty,
So ... I finally have all the bits (bar a few distribution blocks, fuses and leads which I will grab in the morning). "Operation boot-build" starts tomorrow in earnest ... wish me luck! :banghead: :banghead:
I'll be taking photos of the entire process just incase someone is stupid enough to want to do the same sort of thing as me. It's based on the tutorial HERE (http://www.briansbackyard.com/subsystem/) anyway, so it's nothing new!
Amps were a little bigger than I thought, and they won't fit directly on the back of the seats :mad: , so my initial plan is to build an angled 'shelf' from the back of the seats for the amps to go on (see attached pic with cardboard mock up). If that doesn't work, then I'll have to wing it and see where else I can put them without taking up ALL the bootspace!
Anyway .. here's the first piccy in 'mock-up' format. Hopefully by this time on Sunday night, it will all be done (and I somehow have to find time to fit the HID light kit too :banghead: )
Cheers, J :friday:
Best of luck chap... post the piccies and lets see how it is going...
Gav
Thats what I am doing too, still waiting for my woodworker to come back to me with the pieces and do the fitting.
China
Best of luck chap... post the piccies and lets see how it is going...
Gav Heh heh ... Cheers! I'm going to need it :blink: :eek:
Thats what I am doing too, still waiting for my woodworker to come back to me with the pieces and do the fitting. Heh heh ... My 'woodworker' is my Dad. He has every saw, router, drill, dremmel etc etc under the sun in his 'workshop'. All I have to do is mention the fact that I need something doing in wood, and he'll do it straight away ... It's great :thumbs: :blink:
Cheers, J
p.s. I'll probably post during the day when I hit problems (which I am bound to) .... The first being how to get a fat length of 2 gauge power wire to the back of the car!! :eek:
The Hornet
05-02-05, 02:06
I didn't want to loose my boot space either, but couldn't be bothered to attempt and fit all my stuff in their and save space so just used the whole boot :D
see signature for picture links.
Hornet
SupraStar 3000
05-02-05, 10:18
Good luck!
I too am working on my sub install this weekend but hopefully should be done by tonight!
I'm waiting till warmer weather to do mine, and also the fibreglass won't bond properly in the cold...not the way I'm doing it anyway...
Best of luck guys...
lol ,
Gav u are just lazy, do it :stickpoke
China
That is exactly the build I want to go for, so I'll be keeping a keen eye on this thread ;) I've already mounted my amps on the back seat, plus I have a rear strut brace so can't mount the amps like you're gonna. But I'll be doing similar with the subs.
Particularly interested in how you get on with the sealing using expanding foam etc.
The best of luck to ya :)
Matt
Well ... It's all going 'OK' so far. Getting the power cable through to the boot was actually pretty easy.
The bit that has been driving me INSANE is how to get the door speaker wire through the little grommets and into the door ... it took me the best part of 2 hours to get the wire through 6 inches of rubber (from the car into the door), and I still haven't done it properly. I also gashed the back of my hand wide open and got blood ALL OVER my G&B reupholstered seats! I was VERY angry :banghead: :mad:
Anyway ... been taking pics of the progress. No decision on amp location yet as today has been spent mainly on getting wires where they need to go! Still a bit of daylight left though .. so I'll carry on!
Cheers, J :eyebrows:
superstar dj
05-02-05, 18:07
i"ve not long finished my install took me a while but i"m pretty happy with the result.managed to put my amps under a false floor ,lights glass beads etc and get 2 jl audio 10 inch subs in as well.best part is though still got my spare wheel easily accessed.will post photos in the next day or so,it might give you some more ideas for your install.the blood on the seats will all be worth it when you"ve got your fav cd pumping mate good luck
2002vvti rz-s tiptronic
The sup have tasted your blood.
Now it is alive!
China
I'm actually losing the will to live now! :banghead: :burp:
All the little things that should be really easy just aren't working! Wires too big for connectors, run out of connectors, rapidly running out of blood.
STILL have no idea where the amps are going to go. Can't decide that until the sub box is sealed in place. Can't seal the sub box in place until I wire the subs up inside, can't wire the subs up inside cos I have no connectors that fit the terminals .... and this crappy country gets dark far too early! :banghead: :banghead:
The short of it is ... I've routed the power cable and the front and rear speakers cables for the passenger side of the car today ... THAT'S IT! Well behind where I wanted to be at this stage! I WISH I had a garage!
Cheers, J :banghead:
SupraStar 3000
05-02-05, 19:15
this is always the problem with DIY installs.
My only advise is "keep the faith" and you'll soon by driving around with the bass pumping!
...and remember, keep drinking fluids to replace the blood loss.
...and remember, keep drinking fluids to replace the blood loss.
that will make you pee more and thats all :read:
Take it easy man, it is not suppose to be simple. If it is so simple then where is the fun of it.
Just focus on the pinished product.
China
that will make you pee more and thats all :read:
LOL ... To quote 'Predator' ....
"I don't have time to pee"
;)
Anyway ... I base all my projects on a 'blood loss' level (as opposed to a difficulty rating). I would say that, so far, this project has a 'blood loss' rating of 'Average' (see attached pic for evidence). LOL :rolleyes: - Who knows what tomorrow holds (a bit more luck hopefully ... and a trip to Halfrauds)
Cheers, J :D
p.s. Yes ... I do bite my nails. And, NO ... I'm not going to stop! :stickpoke
I can sympathise with the cables into the front doors mate, I did this very recently - a complete bastid job to do !!!
Oh, and Halfords have now stopped selling the little spade connectors seperately for 50p a bag and now sell them as a set of 8 (4small 4smaller) for £3.99 ! :twak: But what else can you do on a Sunday :cry:
Hope tomorrow goes well :)
SupraStar 3000
05-02-05, 21:58
if thats a 'blood loss' rating of 'Average' I'd hate to see 'Hard'
It's not a job well done unless you're bleeding at the end of it :)
Good luck for tomorrow!
if thats a 'blood loss' rating of 'Average' I'd hate to see 'Hard' Loss of limb, haemorrhage, slashed artery, broken bones ... that sort of thing :D . I'll see if I can beat it tomorrow :eyebrows:
You should try building an entire car mate - then you'll know what injuries and torture are :D :D
Gav u are just lazy, do it
:poke:
Nah.... spent today working on other things on the car....
Wait until the summer when she rolls out properly.... *grin*
James - LMFAO @ this thread - love the blood loss piccy, something I can relate to!
Keep going - you can do it! :D
Heh heh ... My 'woodworker' is my Dad. He has every saw, router, drill, dremmel etc etc under the sun in his 'workshop'. All I have to do is mention the fact that I need something doing in wood, and he'll do it straight away ... It's great :thumbs: :blink:
Are you like my long lost brother or something? We must share the same Dad. Great, isn't it? :p
Are you like my long lost brother or something? We must share the same Dad. Great, isn't it? :p Heh heh .... Yep, It's great!
Not so great is having to watch 'Discovery Home & Leisure' ALL weekend, EVERY weekend to satisfy his woodworking needs! :banghead: :banghead:
Well ... that's it. Day 2 is over and I have emerged relatively unscathed! I say relatively ........ I did manage to smack myself in the eye with a 10mm socket. It was wedged in its' holder in the socket set, so I pryed it out with a screwdriver, and sure enough it shot out into my face! LOL :tongue:
Anyhoo ... Didn't manage to finish the install totally, but the remainder is just cosmetic stuff to hide all the wood and unsightly wires. The attached pic shows everything in place and in working order. I built a small raised shelf for the amps in the end .... still a very tight squeeze, but it's as good as I think it's going to get. :innocent:
The only problem I have is that the left subwoofer works, and right one doesn't (if you're looking at them from the boot)? There is definately power going to the right sub as when I flick the LPF and HPF switches on the AMP, I can feel the sub move. I'm guessing that there is a setting in the headunit, or somewhere on the AMP that I need to flick to make the second sub work? Does that sound about right? Please say 'Yes' as I couldn't bare to take it all out again! :who: :who:
Anyway ... will post more pics once I get it all neat, with carpet etc etc .. but that may be a week or so from now!!
Cheers, J :tongue: :thumbs:
SupraStar 3000
06-02-05, 21:34
find a triple 'A' battery and connect + and - to the Sub.
If it pops, your ok. If it doesn't, its a faulty sub or wiring.
Test both for the same result.
I've used that little trick to help solve plenty of speaker problems.
POPS??? That sounds scary!! :looney: You mean connect it whilst the power in on, right?
I've just realised that not all has gone to plan. I just started the car up and went for a drive, and the feedback of the engine noise through the speakers is ridiculous. It's REALLY loud. :banghead:
I think I ran the speaker cable from the passenger side too close to the power cable. The drivers side is fine ... no engine noise at all! Is there any way to fix this without rewiring the whole car! :banghead:. Gutted if I have to take it apart and do ALL that work again! :cry: :cry:
Cheers, J
SupraStar 3000
06-02-05, 21:52
Build looks great. Top job mate ;)
Disconnect the power and unplug + and - on both subs.
Then connect your triple 'A' (which is only 1.5v so wont harm the speakers).
If you hear a SMALL pop/thud your ok.
Also,.. this is a great way to test if your speakers are phased correctly.
Whilst the triple 'A' is connected look at the speaker cone. It should be in the 'OUT' position. make sure all the speaker do the same. If the cone goes 'IN' (concave) position its phased wrong.
Swap your - and + around. Check again untill all speakers are phased correctly
from your picture you have your power cable running over the speaker wire and that won't help with the buzzing.
Cool ... that sounds like a neat little trick! I'll have a go at that! Luckily I do have a spare sub if there is something wrong with it ... They sent me 2 by mistake :thumbs:
I think I may have screwed up royally with the speaker/power wire. They run together for most of the length of the car. Infact, ALL of the wires (power, RCA's, Speaker wire, Remote wire, earths) all come through the same hole to plug into the AMPS. D'oh!
Cheers, J :blink:
SupraStar 3000
06-02-05, 22:06
heh heh heh, nice one with the extra subs ;)
you really need to run power, earth (you can earth from the boot) and remote on one side and speakers through the other side.
Good luck ;)
Curses ... Is there not some way to suppress the engine noise at all? Like a little gizmo or something :cry:
I am using earths' in the boot, so that should be cool. I think the noise is being caused by the speaker cable running alongside the power cable down the door sills and into the boot, as it's only happening to the passenger-side speakers. If it was something to do with the power cable being close to the speaker wire by the AMPS, then I'm sure all speakers would be affected?
Thanks for the help,
Cheers, J :thumbs:
SupraStar 3000
06-02-05, 22:32
If its only the passenger-side speakers try disconnecting them and test the system.
If it sounds fine you have your culprit
SupraStar 3000
06-02-05, 22:40
You can buy a gizmo to stop the engine buzz, but to be honest i've heard bad reviews and some even induce more sound.
Best bet is re-route your power.
Another simple test would be disconnect the 12v battery and use another temporary battery to make a new power supply, just to eliminate the buzz problem. Then you know its your orginal power route.
Goddamn .... I'm deffo going to have to reroute the wires (speaker wire I reckon). I'll route it down the middle of the car I guess - hopefully that way I won't need to extend the speaker wire as I only just had enough!
I'm not looking forward to this again ... It'll be a while before I get round to it too as I am away next weekend, and I finish work late! Maybe I'll do it at night as the noise is REALLY loud and irritating! :twak:
...... And THEN I need to figure out why the other sub isn't working! LOL :banghead:
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 03:41
Usually you would run the power and remote leads down one side (usually the nr side) and the phonos down the other, this gets away from the 'buzz and hissing from elec engine noise and also doesn't squash all the cables together under tight door seals etc.
Out of interest bud what amps and subs are you running ? bridged etc ...
How big is the box? (i'm designing mine build at the mo) just wonder if you have enough air space underneath them being so close to top of the box. I have 1x18" straight and then 2x12" inverted as air space is crap in these cars and it would sound terrible if there isn't enough air movement.
I'm fitting a complete AV system to mine, screens etc trying to seat 4 amps possibly 5 depending on the subs i choose ...
1 mono per sub
1 front 2 channel
1 front rear 2 channnel
6 inline processors
If you still have power issues you may need to do what i have and grab a dry cell batt from deamon tweeks (red book) saves alot of issues with spikes and dont forget a cap ... but you'd be fine running two small subs without one ...
good luck bud ... looks nice so far =D
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 03:48
Curses ... Is there not some way to suppress the engine noise at all? Like a little gizmo or something :cry:
I am using earths' in the boot, so that should be cool. I think the noise is being caused by the speaker cable running alongside the power cable down the door sills and into the boot, as it's only happening to the passenger-side speakers. If it was something to do with the power cable being close to the speaker wire by the AMPS, then I'm sure all speakers would be affected?
Thanks for the help,
Cheers, J :thumbs:
What cables are you using ??? the naff ones you get with door speakers (nasty twin black, one with sivler/white line)
you can get around the problem but getting some phenix gold ... about £18-20 per metre makes all the difference.
Cool ... thanks for the help. :friday:
The speaker cable is pretty good I think ... it's quite thick, hefty stuff? You can just about make it out in the pic of the system (the passenger side is the yellow stuff, the drivers side is purple). :upside:
The routing of the RCA and Remote cables isn't an issue. They all come out of the 5.1 processor unit, which is already located in the boot of the car, about 6 inches from the AMPS. Saved me a hell of alot of hassle not having to route RCA cables through the car too :D !! I just think I'm just going to have to reroute the speaker cable (maybe only the front door speaker cable as thats the one thats runs alongside the power cable most) down the middle of the car :cry: . THEN .... I will try to figure out why the second sub isn't working. AND ... to make matters worse, the touchscreen on my headunit has gone crazy. When I press it, it selects an area 2 inches away from where I pressed ... Meaning I can't access the 'Audio Setup' section AT ALL!!! :twak:
As for the system .... I am using: -
2 x Rockford Fosgate 10" Punch Stage 2 subs
1 x Audiobahn A6004T Amp - 75w RMS x 4 (for the speakers - Focals)
1 x Maystar QXZ475 for the Subs (bridged at 230w RMS per channel)
Everything fits in 'quite' nicely. There is not much room for manouvre though? My whole system is based on this design/tutorial HERE (http://www.briansbackyard.com/subsystem/)
Phew ... that's alot of typing! My wound from day one of 'Operation Boot Build' is making typing hard! LOL :twak:
Cheers, J :p
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 13:20
i know how you feel i have been doing builds for god knows how long, they always seem to get bigger and better than the last ... the annoying part as you say is that there is no space at all so getting everything i want in will be a pain ...
I have had the same issue with the touchscreen, a simple clean worked for a while then a few weeks later i stripped, cleaned and reseated the lot .. all working fine.
IF you still have an issue with the buzzing then you can fit a surpressor to get rid of it ... some work great ... some don't trial and error i'm affraid but if routed well you normally dont get an issue. I had it once and relocating a nearby earth point solved it.
good luck bud
Could it potentially be the earths from the AMPS that cause noise? I used the bolts that are in the floor right near the back seats. You can see them in this pic here, either side of the Kenwood processor unit?
Cheers, J :cry:
p.s. Going to get as much speaker wire rerouted as I can during my lunch break at work! LOL :friday:
i did a boot build over the weekend, mounted 2 6*9 's (vibes ;) ) in a shelf i created, with w vibe 12inch sub..... stuck vibe 5inch in front, and rears... sounds awsome, but need to tune amp.... next mission is the "carputer" :D
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 14:29
Could it potentially be the earths from the AMPS that cause noise? I used the bolts that are in the floor right near the back seats. You can see them in this pic here, either side of the Kenwood processor unit?
Cheers, J :cry:
p.s. Going to get as much speaker wire rerouted as I can during my lunch break at work! LOL :friday:
well i've never known a boot earth point to cause that .. esp since its the front having the issue and not the back ... as a test you could try running the speaker from the headunit ... IF you have amped the door speakers it could be the channel from the amp so either swap channels with the other door and see if that causes the same issue on the other side of the car or as i said quickly wire it to the headunit.
I've never had an issue with door speakers even with a very large pwr lead directly under them drawing silly amounts or current ... so best bet is simple trial and error, swap channels etc and see what happens .. if it continues try another speaker ...
good luck bro
Yeah, I know the speakers run without any problems off the normal headunit output as they have been in there for over 8 months now.
It is the front AND rear passenger speakers that are having the problem ... just the front seems far more pronounced, but that's probably because it's closer to me. First thing I will do is randomly swap round the channels to see if that makes a difference. I'm fairly certain it's the cables that need re-routing though. :blink:
Was going to do it at work ... but the Amp has alan key connectors on it, and I don't have an alan key that fits with me! Gutted :banghead:
Cheers again for all the help,
James :thumbs:
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 14:46
arrr i thought it was just the front .. hmmm ... well i wouldn't ramdomly swap them just swap both left and right and check that way ... keep us posted bud
SupraStar 3000
07-02-05, 19:56
IF you still have an issue with the buzzing then you can fit a surpressor to get rid of it ... some work great ... some don't trial and error i'm affraid
Do you know any good makes of surpressor MD?
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 21:00
honestly i havee never needed one but i'll have a hunt for you fellas
Right ... That's it .... I'm going to kill someone! :flame Dev
I've just spent the best part of 3 hours (since I got home from work) trying to sort this out. The result ..... it's now WORSE :p :twak:
First thing I did was to swap round the speaker wires to see if that fixed the problem ...... Nope! :conf:
So, the next thing I did was move the back part of the power cable away from the rear passenger speaker (it originally ran RIGHT under the speaker). I fed it under the rear seats and out into the boot, so it's now a decent distance from the rear speaker. At least that way I would know if was something to do with the power cable being too close to the speaker/speaker wire. Turn the car on .... the noise is still there, dammit :twak:
I suddenly remembered that I had one set of RCA cables that were different from the others. I have 2 x JL RCA Cables (good quality) and 1 x Autoleads, or something like that (not so good)? I had one JL RCA plugged into the Amp for the subs. And the Amp for the speakers was using the other JL and the other (not so great quality) RCA cable. I swapped the RCA cables on the speaker Amp around, and suddenly all of the feedback noise was coming through the speakers on the drivers side of the car (as opposed to the passenger side)! "Nailed It", I thought! Dodgy RCA cable is giving me engine noise! :lalala:
I figured that I would use both good quality JL RCA cables on the speaker amp, and the not so great cable on the Sub amp. So I swapped them all round (feeling smug that I had solved the issue). Turned the car on ...... and now I have engine noise coming from ALL of the speakers! Arrrrrghhhhh - WTF, how did that happen! I don't understand??
:stupid:
I'm starting to think that it may not be the power cable running alongside the passenger side speaker cable that's causing the issue (as after I swapped the RCA's round, the passenger side was fine and the drivers side was screwed instead). The only other thing I can think of is that the cable I assumed was bad is actually the best one, and the 2 JL ones that I assumed were good (cos they were about twice the price of the other one) are the ones generating all this engine noise! The 2 JL cables are 18 foot long each, and the other cable is only 1 metre ... could that make a difference given that I only really need them all to be 1 metre long, and most of the JL cable is just coiled up and stuffed away? :mad:
I can't take much more driving to work with that high pitched screeching. Everytime I put my foot on the gas, it just gets louder and louder. What is even more bizarre is that I fitted my HID lights at the weekend too. When I turn them on, the speakers let out a high-pitched whine for about 20 seconds, and then it slowly dies off (as the lights warm up) ... Weird!
Sorry for the long post. Wanted to get as much detail down as possible incase it rang a bell for anyone!
Cheers, J :cool:
Mad Hatter
07-02-05, 22:34
swap test the speaker cables .. i thank you .. i thank you =D .... not sure about anyone else but when i install i'll use one type of RCA (decent ones from my past) and do the whole car from the same drum to avoid these issues (also cheaper buy the drum then buying it in those high priced packets lol)
am i reading that right ... 18 FEET !!!! you building a limo bud ?? man cut and plug those babys to fit a bit of coil is ok .. to much and boom .. you have basically created your own 'emp battery' (ok it wont go boom, but the principle is the same) .... loose the extra 10 feet or so bud.
SupraStar 3000
07-02-05, 23:03
Don't stress James,
I have exactly the same problem, but I'm sure by eliminating each speaker one by one, you and I will find the buzz.
Just do one speaker at a time. :
Test Front left
Test Front right
then both Front left and right at the same time
Test Rear left
Test Rear right
then both Rear left and right at the same time
Test Sub left
Test Sub right
then both Sub left and right at the same time
Then All at the same time ;)
JD (Job done)
....BTW: I know what you mean about the HID lights, I get the same with my EL GLO dials
am i reading that right ... 18 FEET !!!! you building a limo bud ?? LOL ... Yep! I didn't realise they were that long when I bought them! I think that must be the problem! I've probably got about 12 foot on each cable (24 foot in total) all coiled up and stuffed away ... I reckon that is acting like a sod-off great aerial and amplifying the engine noise? If I cut them both down to 1 metre, then hopefully that will work as the other 1 metre long cable seems to be okay (please God work!! :tongue: ). Actually ... I may go do that now! :thumbs:
Failing that ... It's onto Suprastar's 'test plan'. I also have EL dials ... methinks my battery is going to take a hammering. Maybe a suppresor on the alternator will sort out some of the noise too!
Right ... I'll go slash some RCA cables. Failing that .... I'm gonna play Resident Evil 4 (HIGHLY recommended for any GameCube owners when it comes out in the UK) and take my frustration out on some evil zombies!
Cheers again for the help,
James :thumbs: :innocent:
SupraStar 3000
07-02-05, 23:35
If you have EL dials keep the speaker wire WELL away from it, as its sure to give you major probems.
I wraped the units in tin-foil and made a secure earth to the car which helped alot ;)
Yeah, the dials have been in there for ages now. No probs with those at all .. miles away from any speakers!
I'm looking at 300 miles of RCA cable now ... Stanley knife in hand ... I'm going in :cool:
LOL .... Nailed it! :friday:
So there I was ripping the car apart, rerouting speaker and power cable and moving all the RCA Cables. Turns out that the RCA cables were just a little bit too close to the distribution block! All I had to do was to move them about an inch away, and the engine noise was gone! LOL .... You've gotta laugh! :D :D
Now to figure out why the other sub doesn't work ... and I think I have a theory (bear in mind that I REALLY am a numpty and a novice when it comes to amp/sub installs etc :banghead: ). I have 3 RCA outputs - Front, Rear and NON-FAD. I have the Front and Rear outputs feeding the amp that powers the Focal speakers. The NON-FAD output is the only one going in to the amp that powers the two subs. Is only one sub working because I only have one input going in? For some reason I thought that both subs would share that one input! Do I need another RCA input to power the other sub (which I don't have???) :confused:
I hope that made sense? I can draw a diagram that will probably make it clearer? :looney:
Cheers, J :burp:
SupraStar 3000
08-02-05, 23:00
not sure about that one mate.
have you a 6 chl amp or 4 chl?
Glad you sorted the buzz, now come over to leicester and sort mine out ;)
LOL .... Leicester is a bit of a trek for me! All I can advise is to move any RCA cables that may be near your power distribution block (if you have one) - Or any power source I guess?
The Amp is a 4 channel one ... this is it HERE (http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1001)
Cheers, J :D
Job done ....
.... The finshed article!
(although not quite as neat as Muffleman's - nice work! :thumbs: )
Looking good. You got the space saver under there? (Sorry if you've mentioned this above, I haven't read everything).
Nice job! :thumbs:
Job done ....
.... The finshed article!
(although not quite as neat as Muffleman's - nice work! :thumbs: )
Eh ? Yours looks top job mate, easily as neat - good job :friday:
Looking good. You got the space saver under there? Nice job! :thumbs: Nah ... Had to take that out. Won't fit over the brakes anyway! :D
Eh ? Yours looks top job mate, easily as neat - good job I think it's just the mess of wires all over the shop in mine - not a great deal I can do about those though! Cheers though :friday:
Cheers, J :D
SupraStar 3000
12-02-05, 18:46
fantastic mate
Well done ;)
Mad Hatter
12-02-05, 23:47
Nice job mate .... =D
yup just like muffleman, nice build james.
if i have the time, might just have to copy both your idea's :D
yup just like muffleman, nice build james.
if i have the time, might just have to copy both your idea's :D LOL ... Go for it! I'll try to post up all the pictures and a writeup of the install as soon as poss!
Cheers, J :thumbs:
Nice job mate...! :thumbs:
A few weeks time i'm gonna attempt a similar build...
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.