amp problems

ok i got my sub and amp hooked up but i have some problems. when ever i am driving and turn up the radio the sub always stops bumping and the protect light on the amp comes on. i cant figure out what the problem is. i have a pioneer head unit, lightning audio amp, and a pioneer sub. if anyone can help that would be great.

thanks

we need more detail like what model amp what model sub how many vc on the subs, it sounds like an impendence problem that mostly why i ask.

we need more detail like what model amp what model sub how many vc on the subs, it sounds like an impendence problem that mostly why i ask.

the amp is a lightning audio model B3.200.2 the sub is a pioneer model TS-W301R I dont know what you mean by how many vc on the subs
I dont get the problem cause i had the exact same setup in my other car except for the head unit. so i am wondering if it is something with the head unit. the head unit is a pioneer model DEH-P2900MP
thanks for the help

the protect light on the amp comes on when :

1) There is a short in the 12 V power wire
2) The amp is overheating
3) The impedance load on the amp is too low

the protect light on the amp comes on when :

1) There is a short in the 12 V power wire
2) The amp is overheating
3) The impedance load on the amp is too low

i dont think there is a short in the power wire cause i used it in my last car and it didn't go into protection mode. i dont really think it is overheating cause it isn't that hot. so what does it mean to have an impedance load too low on the amp and can i adjust it with some of the knobs on the amp. if not what do i need to do. i just dont get it because i used all of this stuff in my other car and it never did any of this.

how do you have the sub wired to the amp. and i want to assume you have it briged

you changed "something" .... probably the way you wired the sub

how do you have the sub wired to the amp. and i want to assume you have it briged

yea i have it bridged. and i didn't change anything with the wiring, i mean what could i change besides the speaker wires and still make it work (sorta).
Also i kinda figured out that it goes into protect mode right when there is hard hitting base, cause i will hear a loud bump then nothing. so i hope that helps figure it out. so it isn't the ground and it isn't cause it is overheating cause it did it in the morning and it wasn't hot. im kinda wondering if it is the head unit cause that is the only thing that i changed.

Symptom Diagnosis Remedy


Amplifier does not turn on.
B+ or REM not between 10.5 and 15.5 volts or no voltage present


that quote^ came from the troubleshooting guide in your owners manual for your amp.
it got me thinking your gear is doing what its supposed to do
i would double check your side of the install to make sure the wiring is not faulty

Symptom Diagnosis Remedy



Amplifier does not turn on.
B+ or REM not between 10.5 and 15.5 volts or no voltage present


that quote^ came from the troubleshooting guide in your owners manual for your amp.
it got me thinking your gear is doing what its supposed to do
i would double check your side of the install to make sure the wiring is not faulty

Well the amp turns on, but then turns off when there is hard hitting bass, so there is voltage getting to the amp. One morning it worked good cause the volume was really low. so it isn't the wiring. i think it has something to do with the head unit. i think i may try takin the head unit out of the other car and putting it in this car to see if it does the same thing. thanks for the reply

the impedance varies WILDLY when the sub is played at volumes that cause a large movement. It's probably ok at lower volumes, but the impedance drops too low when being pushed hard. The sub may be in a high pressure node in the car and moves more with a lower power.

the impedance varies WILDLY when the sub is played at volumes that cause a large movement. It's probably ok at lower volumes, but the impedance drops too low when being pushed hard. The sub may be in a high pressure node in the car and moves more with a lower power.

ok so what should i do to fix this?

you gotta start troubleshooting

first thing is RECHECK your wiring, you keep saying that you didn't change anything, (i'm assuming you mean you didn't replace your components with other stuff), but taking your stuff from one car to another is considered changing something because the cables had to be removed from one car and then routed through another, connections had to be broken in one car and then reconnected in the other. the point is each step of the transfer was an opportunity to introduce a fault of some kind into your system.
RECHECK your wiring means to look at each cable one by one...

start at your subs and work your way forward
make sure nothing is frayed, loose or jacked up...take your sub out the box and double check, check the wiring between the sub and the amp, and the wires to the amp...it shouldn't take to long, about 15-20 minutes or so
let us know if you find anything...

there isn't really any "troubleshooting" to do in this case but check out how it's wired. You may end up having to change the wiring to raise the impedance.

there isn't really any "troubleshooting" to do in this case but check out how it's wired. You may end up having to change the wiring to raise the impedance.

well i think i may have fixed it. the gain was all the way up on the amp so i turned it down a little bit. i think that fixed it (hopefully) i haven't driven much since i did that so i will reply again if that didn't fix it.