Hi
I will be attempting for the first time to do a complete install by myself on my car.
I will be running 3 amplifiers and i know that i will need a power distrubution block and a ground distrubution block. But how do i run the remote wire to 3 amplifiers?
thanks for any help
J

 

for 3 amps.. easy.. just wire them direct SHould not be any problem.

 

sorry but i dont get it, there is only one remote wire coming from the head unit. do i need some kind of distribution block for the remote wire as well? in order to send the signal to 3 different amps?

 

I like to play things safe. Two amps I will wire the remote line to the first amp and then a run anther wire from that amp to the next one. Three amps or devices (like say 2 amps and a crossover), I automatically use a relay in the back to be safe. If you place too much draw on the headunit from too many devices, most remote on drivers will fail as they only support about 1.2 amp of current output. 3 amps, play it safe and use a relay. Car Alarm, Car Stereo, Mobile Video, and Cruise Control Info for Installers has a boatload of useful information on relays for you to read up on and understand why you should use them.

 

If you can't answer that yourself, than in all honesty, you really should not be installing your own equipment for safety reasons

 

I know what you mean but i am trying to learn all that i can before starting to install. I dont want strangers to butcher my car yet again, been down that road and dont want to go there again.

I see that you are from Montreal too. Do you know anybody that i can hire that will help me with the install? Not a shop, but someone who does side jobs at the customers house.

thx
J

 

bring beer...no cash, I am in mascouche..... PM sent

 

piggy back the remote wire. run the main one from the deck to the 1st amp. run another piece from the 1st to the 2nd. and a piece from the 2nd to the 3rd.

 

Really, you should be able to hook up as many amps as you want to a single remote. This is because the remote wire does not supply any current, but is use as just a level sense.
That being said, not all amps are designed equally, and a the cost of a transistor (or relay) are pennies at most (relays are more money).

A general good all purpose transistor I like to use is a 2N2222 (its an NPN type)
If you want to use a transistor here is some easy reading.
The transistor as a switch : BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTORS

 

The remote wire output on a cd player does indeed supply current. 20 years ago the manufacturers used to fuse the line with a .5 amp fuse for the purpose of too large a draw on it or a dead short on the remote line. These days, I can't recall one manufacturer that fuses these lines anymore. Use the relay, fuse the relay and do it right.