now that the box is done I am on to the next phase, the amp rack. Before I can worry about it I will need to power it and I have some x-mas cash that I am hoping I can stretch for a new alarm and the wiring/power accesories. I have an order almost ready at knuconcepts for the wiring so that I can do a 1/0 big 3 upgrade, run 1/0 to the dist block in the consol and then dual 4 awg to the amp. is there anything on the list that I am missing?
15 foot of KLMX Kable 1/0 Metallic Blue Power / Ground Cable
10 foot of KLMX Kable 1/0 Silver Pearl Power / Ground Cable
20 ft of KLMX Kable 4 Gauge Metallic Blue Power/Ground Cable
6 ft KLMX Kable 4 Gauge Silver Pearl Power/Ground Cable
2 x In-Line Waterproof ANL Fuse Holder w/ Fuse (200A)
KonFUSED 2 Way Distribution System (100A,100A)
2 x Gold Plated 4AWG Ring Terminal -Black
1 x Gold Plated 1/0 Ring Terminal -Blue
3 x Gold Plated 1/0 Ring Terminal - Black
1 x Krystal Kable 2 Channel 6M Twisted Pair RCA Cable
Looking at it now I wonder if I have enough 1/0 blue power wire for a big 3 and to go from the battery to the dist block. I am trying to find a nice compustar alarm and still make the budget...... The trucks alarm is 11 yrs old and in need of updateding, as is the mustangs(14 yrs old) so I am trying to get them both under the same system, and one remote.
Replies (15)
cplkittle on 12/26/2008 05:38:47
You might be able to save a few dollars by getting a scosche instead. Compustar and Scosche both buy and rebrand Firstech alarm systems. They are identical, scosche generally charges less though.
I used about 6' of power and 6' of ground on my big 3 upgrade.
Are you upgrading the battery terminals? didn't see them on the list.
ttocs on 12/26/2008 09:56:39
didn't know scosche was making alarms now, or badging any.....
I already have some battery terminals in mind, scosche model funny enough...
swez on 12/26/2008 19:19:12
Looks like you have all the key items in the list. (6 Meters of RCA cable? If you find excess here, do not coil the extra, "snake" it instead)
Streetwires also makes some high quality, low resistance cables too. Remeber Lessismore? He tested a bunch of brands in all prices and found SW to be the best value. For RCA's, twisted pairs are nice as they tend to cancel out most noise concerns. (except a bad ground loop)
Steady as she goes,
Swez
ttocs on 12/26/2008 19:34:59
I am sure that the rca is too long, but I would rather have more then less. The amp is being mounted on the back wall so it will have to go the length of the extended cab.
I am hoping I can get them to throw in a shirt and a couple of stickers if I plug them on my cardomain page.
swez on 12/26/2008 20:31:50
Got it and a good move for amp locations for a very stealth install.
I'm not the right guy to give you advice as you are a well-seasoned Pro Installer. (Respect that a lot if you don't know by now)
Did a dual amp install a while back on an F-150 Super Crew. We went with "Knu" for wires, hardware and 5M cables, a JL Slash 500.1 for sub, Probox ported) and a JL 300.4 for Mid/Highs. Both were mounted to the rear wall. (Whew, talk about cut and paste?)
We ran the signal lines on the passenger rail and 1/0 power cable to a D-block for proper power distribution and grounds. (Dual #4 feeds) To get the most from the 300.4, we used Infinity 2-ohm Comps.
We selected an Audiobahn EQ/LD off his Nak-300C HU for added fine tuning, discrete channel management and whatnot. We also matted the heck out of his doors, rear wall and B-pillars.
The end results exceeded all our expectations in SPL/SQL performance and ZERO noise issues. Damn happly client, (Me too) as the sub broke in.
Yes, "am certain" you could have done it faster then we did, but the results were the bottom line. FANTASTIC Bass,MB/MR & very clean highs. (After some final EQ-ing and gain adjustments) All was tuned by ear and some help from a DMM.
Swez
PS Try not to 2nd guess your skills and experience here. (we do that at times huh?) You of all this team at CK, know the drill. Forget the "what if's" and press on. With your skills, anything can be corrected later as seen fit. CLAP
ttocs on 12/26/2008 23:30:10
swez you are one of the few that I welcome to question my skills or plan at any time you deem necessary, no worries.
This will not be a simple install as the amp weighs 24 lbs and is 33 inches long. I have a support system for it to help hold it up already from the previous install attempt but flushing it into the rear wall will take some time.
Before I can worry about that I am going to work on the wiring and dist block. The front of the consol has a spot to hold a small box of tissues that I am going to flush mount a KonFUSED 2 Way Digital Distribution System from knu, well maybe...
I just sent out an email to knu showing them about the mustangs cardomain page and telling them that it has had 24k hits this year and was the #3 most viewed mustang on the site in june. I asked if they gave any profesional discounts or sponsorships in return for plugging them on my page. I'll let you know if it works.......
Victor on 12/27/2008 00:01:18
scott... these manufacturers are not that tough to get sponsorships from.. just fulfill their requirements and they would be willing to give you heavy discounts..
they need to feel that the worth of a deal....
one more thing that could push your point would be, having these manufacturer/brand.... name/logo on your car.... this really catches their eye... they like to identify a car with their name on it...... rather than having their name mentioned on a car domain page....
think about it...
Victor...
PS: you could also do a small write-up for these manufacturers on the page with a personal review on their products. ( write pro's and trade-off's, don't write con's ) .....
ttocs on 12/27/2008 01:14:51
I have never known anyone that got any kind of sponsorship myself, just thought that at the worst if it doesn't work then I will be out the $150 for wires, connectors, and other crap...
swez on 12/27/2008 03:04:50
Oh please... let's get our heads out of our butts and find a new camera too. That old Hemroid camera takes very crappy pictures.
All this "stinkin' thinkin" is ruining any potential and creativity to make good things come to us. (Yes, am in the same boat of late)
When the mind of off-kilter, so is the body. When both are out of sync at the same time, (for an extended period of time) we get sick, down, blue, depressed, negative and down right cranky. It gets even worse if we don't have positive people to pull us out of a funk and get us back on point and focused. (Or we choose to isolate from them) We become what the mind allows or learns to accept. (Living well below our potential sucks)
"We are men. We can change if we have to... I guess" (Red Green; Possum Lodge, Founder and Lodge President)
Swez
PS Am not directing this at you specifically Scott. I have some of the same issues that hack away at my roots that are able to produce excellent fruit later. (Do you?) We all need a few gifted tree-ologists to prune off the dead wood and suckers, so that the rest of the tree grows tall, strong and brings much fruit in their proper season.
ttocs on 12/27/2008 09:49:36
huh? The camera is just fine it is the operator that can't take a pic worth a darn. Most of the time I am just concentrating on getting as much of the project done as I can and take pics at the end of the day when the light is bad... My folks left yesterday, and my brother leaves tomorrow so I will be taking some better pics shortly.
swez on 12/27/2008 11:30:10
Hehe, was speaking of the camera of our minds-eye. (A metaphor & not your camera skills)
Not sure if this is an issue for you, but too much time on my hands and no meaningful projects in the works, it's easy to become negative, grumpy and not see the good stuff that's just waiting to be noticed and take action on it.
Have been off work since 12/05/08 with illness and the biz shuts down until 1/05/09. That means no work, no income, expensive trips to the doc w/ no insurance and feeling lousy all at the same time. All these things put a real damper on enjoying the present.
Anyway, hope the visit with your family went well and they get home safely. The weather is supposed to get nasty again on Sunday for IN, IL, MO and MI. (Freezing rain, flooding and then heavy snows later next week)
Tell ya what, this has been one wild winter so far. We rarely see this sort of stuff until mid-Jan to late Feb.
Enjoy the AZ weather
Swez
ttocs on 12/27/2008 12:17:53
ah, gotcha swez. You have not seemed like yourself! You sound the way I felt last year, sorry I can't do something to help. It is a little chilly here this morning as it has been raining on and off for a week and now it got down into the 30 last night. Coda is sitting at my feet waiting for me to take her to check her messages and I am trying to wait until it gets to 50 to take her. She will probably win....
swez on 12/27/2008 15:00:39
Yea Scott, my health took a nose-dive in late November from all the long hours, stress and not enough time to regroup each week. After all the effort and energy I put into this gig, I burned out and the body said... "stop this now or pay the price later" !
Well, I finally got confirmation that our division of the company was phased out and all 5 team members got the axe. Corporate pulled a "hostile take-over" this month and bought our main competitor. After careful considerations, our group lost all territories, inventory and rights to sell in the territories. Our competitor had better sales #'s, longer time in the territories and that sealed our fate.
As with all M&A's, there are winners and losers. Our team was short on longevity and sales revenues. So, it was the obvious choice to close up shop, let folks go and return all inventory to corporate. That's in process now.
Our boss said we'd be OK once the dust settled later, but I sensed this was going to happen a few weeks ago. (Gut read) Sure enough, gut instincts rarely lie and it's time to move on. As with many Michigan workers, we are now scratching our heads and trying to figure out what to do next?
Unfortunately, this gig was a 1099 Contract and we are not able to collect UE Ins or other assistance programs. (Food stamps perhaps?) But I'd rather work/earn a living if possible than go that route.
It's time to regroup, take a hard inventory of skills and opportunities and move on. If there is opportunity here in MI, it will be a long and uphill fight. (Put on the game face, pray and get ready for a rough ride)
Swez
ttocs on 12/27/2008 18:49:40
I wish I had something to cheer ya up with man. I have been keeping myself occupied with this project and trying to ignor the fact that I will probably be unemployed shortly myself. Having the fam out was a nice break as well but it is back to the real world tomorow...
swez on 12/27/2008 21:07:25
Actually, just watching your progress cheers me up and helping others here as well. I am sad, but not devestated and my brother has a big club install ready to pop soon, so that will be fun and profitable as a bridge gap to the next opportunity.
Frankly, I was dreading the return to work in Jan, more than losing the job to a corporate decision where many will be in the same boat. This job is pure hell in bad weather. (Heavy rains, snow, sleet and ice) It was not like getting fired. It was too many people in the field and the lower guys on the totem pole were ousted to maximize profits and coverage.
Besides, beating the streets for fresh and more challenging work, can be a fun game. (Test the waters, see what works and milk it for all it's worth) It's good to think outside the box and see what skills are marketable right now.
I know you don't put much stock in the true powers of God. But after being a Christian for 20 years now, I have learned that when something so-so is removed, God will provide something even better as we do our parts well. He's pulled a few big loads off my back, gave me some time to rest and regroup, then filled that void with something very beneficial.
If we talked on the phone for 30 mins and I shared a few lows and high points that have come along the way, it would blow your gourd. It is good to be one of the Kings kids. No, am not a religious fanatic at all. But when one has a solid understanding of why we are here and who is guiding our steps, (As we allow it) we admit our limitations and hand the heavy stuff over to God and watch Him take charge.
That's what we call faith. It cannot be seen, smelled touched or tasted. But just like the air we breath, it's there just the same and free to all that are willing to take it in.
Ever take a trip on your mountain bike to unfamiliar terrain and maybe near dark? It takes skill, common sense, experience and faith in your gear, abilities and good judgement right? Now, add a good spot light to see the path well enough and you've got one interesting trip/story to tell later huh? That's a step of faith and a sense of accomplishment when it's over.
See the parallels?
Swez
15 foot of KLMX Kable 1/0 Metallic Blue Power / Ground Cable
10 foot of KLMX Kable 1/0 Silver Pearl Power / Ground Cable
20 ft of KLMX Kable 4 Gauge Metallic Blue Power/Ground Cable
6 ft KLMX Kable 4 Gauge Silver Pearl Power/Ground Cable
2 x In-Line Waterproof ANL Fuse Holder w/ Fuse (200A)
KonFUSED 2 Way Distribution System (100A,100A)
2 x Gold Plated 4AWG Ring Terminal -Black
1 x Gold Plated 1/0 Ring Terminal -Blue
3 x Gold Plated 1/0 Ring Terminal - Black
1 x Krystal Kable 2 Channel 6M Twisted Pair RCA Cable
Looking at it now I wonder if I have enough 1/0 blue power wire for a big 3 and to go from the battery to the dist block. I am trying to find a nice compustar alarm and still make the budget...... The trucks alarm is 11 yrs old and in need of updateding, as is the mustangs(14 yrs old) so I am trying to get them both under the same system, and one remote.
Replies (15)
cplkittle on 12/26/2008 05:38:47
You might be able to save a few dollars by getting a scosche instead. Compustar and Scosche both buy and rebrand Firstech alarm systems. They are identical, scosche generally charges less though.
I used about 6' of power and 6' of ground on my big 3 upgrade.
Are you upgrading the battery terminals? didn't see them on the list.
ttocs on 12/26/2008 09:56:39
didn't know scosche was making alarms now, or badging any.....
I already have some battery terminals in mind, scosche model funny enough...
swez on 12/26/2008 19:19:12
Looks like you have all the key items in the list. (6 Meters of RCA cable? If you find excess here, do not coil the extra, "snake" it instead)
Streetwires also makes some high quality, low resistance cables too. Remeber Lessismore? He tested a bunch of brands in all prices and found SW to be the best value. For RCA's, twisted pairs are nice as they tend to cancel out most noise concerns. (except a bad ground loop)
Steady as she goes,
Swez
ttocs on 12/26/2008 19:34:59
I am sure that the rca is too long, but I would rather have more then less. The amp is being mounted on the back wall so it will have to go the length of the extended cab.
I am hoping I can get them to throw in a shirt and a couple of stickers if I plug them on my cardomain page.
swez on 12/26/2008 20:31:50
Got it and a good move for amp locations for a very stealth install.
I'm not the right guy to give you advice as you are a well-seasoned Pro Installer. (Respect that a lot if you don't know by now)
Did a dual amp install a while back on an F-150 Super Crew. We went with "Knu" for wires, hardware and 5M cables, a JL Slash 500.1 for sub, Probox ported) and a JL 300.4 for Mid/Highs. Both were mounted to the rear wall. (Whew, talk about cut and paste?)
We ran the signal lines on the passenger rail and 1/0 power cable to a D-block for proper power distribution and grounds. (Dual #4 feeds) To get the most from the 300.4, we used Infinity 2-ohm Comps.
We selected an Audiobahn EQ/LD off his Nak-300C HU for added fine tuning, discrete channel management and whatnot. We also matted the heck out of his doors, rear wall and B-pillars.
The end results exceeded all our expectations in SPL/SQL performance and ZERO noise issues. Damn happly client, (Me too) as the sub broke in.
Yes, "am certain" you could have done it faster then we did, but the results were the bottom line. FANTASTIC Bass,MB/MR & very clean highs. (After some final EQ-ing and gain adjustments) All was tuned by ear and some help from a DMM.
Swez
PS Try not to 2nd guess your skills and experience here. (we do that at times huh?) You of all this team at CK, know the drill. Forget the "what if's" and press on. With your skills, anything can be corrected later as seen fit. CLAP
ttocs on 12/26/2008 23:30:10
swez you are one of the few that I welcome to question my skills or plan at any time you deem necessary, no worries.
This will not be a simple install as the amp weighs 24 lbs and is 33 inches long. I have a support system for it to help hold it up already from the previous install attempt but flushing it into the rear wall will take some time.
Before I can worry about that I am going to work on the wiring and dist block. The front of the consol has a spot to hold a small box of tissues that I am going to flush mount a KonFUSED 2 Way Digital Distribution System from knu, well maybe...
I just sent out an email to knu showing them about the mustangs cardomain page and telling them that it has had 24k hits this year and was the #3 most viewed mustang on the site in june. I asked if they gave any profesional discounts or sponsorships in return for plugging them on my page. I'll let you know if it works.......
Victor on 12/27/2008 00:01:18
scott... these manufacturers are not that tough to get sponsorships from.. just fulfill their requirements and they would be willing to give you heavy discounts..
they need to feel that the worth of a deal....
one more thing that could push your point would be, having these manufacturer/brand.... name/logo on your car.... this really catches their eye... they like to identify a car with their name on it...... rather than having their name mentioned on a car domain page....
think about it...
Victor...
PS: you could also do a small write-up for these manufacturers on the page with a personal review on their products. ( write pro's and trade-off's, don't write con's ) .....
ttocs on 12/27/2008 01:14:51
I have never known anyone that got any kind of sponsorship myself, just thought that at the worst if it doesn't work then I will be out the $150 for wires, connectors, and other crap...
swez on 12/27/2008 03:04:50
Oh please... let's get our heads out of our butts and find a new camera too. That old Hemroid camera takes very crappy pictures.
All this "stinkin' thinkin" is ruining any potential and creativity to make good things come to us. (Yes, am in the same boat of late)
When the mind of off-kilter, so is the body. When both are out of sync at the same time, (for an extended period of time) we get sick, down, blue, depressed, negative and down right cranky. It gets even worse if we don't have positive people to pull us out of a funk and get us back on point and focused. (Or we choose to isolate from them) We become what the mind allows or learns to accept. (Living well below our potential sucks)
"We are men. We can change if we have to... I guess" (Red Green; Possum Lodge, Founder and Lodge President)
Swez
PS Am not directing this at you specifically Scott. I have some of the same issues that hack away at my roots that are able to produce excellent fruit later. (Do you?) We all need a few gifted tree-ologists to prune off the dead wood and suckers, so that the rest of the tree grows tall, strong and brings much fruit in their proper season.
ttocs on 12/27/2008 09:49:36
huh? The camera is just fine it is the operator that can't take a pic worth a darn. Most of the time I am just concentrating on getting as much of the project done as I can and take pics at the end of the day when the light is bad... My folks left yesterday, and my brother leaves tomorrow so I will be taking some better pics shortly.
swez on 12/27/2008 11:30:10
Hehe, was speaking of the camera of our minds-eye. (A metaphor & not your camera skills)
Not sure if this is an issue for you, but too much time on my hands and no meaningful projects in the works, it's easy to become negative, grumpy and not see the good stuff that's just waiting to be noticed and take action on it.
Have been off work since 12/05/08 with illness and the biz shuts down until 1/05/09. That means no work, no income, expensive trips to the doc w/ no insurance and feeling lousy all at the same time. All these things put a real damper on enjoying the present.
Anyway, hope the visit with your family went well and they get home safely. The weather is supposed to get nasty again on Sunday for IN, IL, MO and MI. (Freezing rain, flooding and then heavy snows later next week)
Tell ya what, this has been one wild winter so far. We rarely see this sort of stuff until mid-Jan to late Feb.
Enjoy the AZ weather
Swez
ttocs on 12/27/2008 12:17:53
ah, gotcha swez. You have not seemed like yourself! You sound the way I felt last year, sorry I can't do something to help. It is a little chilly here this morning as it has been raining on and off for a week and now it got down into the 30 last night. Coda is sitting at my feet waiting for me to take her to check her messages and I am trying to wait until it gets to 50 to take her. She will probably win....
swez on 12/27/2008 15:00:39
Yea Scott, my health took a nose-dive in late November from all the long hours, stress and not enough time to regroup each week. After all the effort and energy I put into this gig, I burned out and the body said... "stop this now or pay the price later" !
Well, I finally got confirmation that our division of the company was phased out and all 5 team members got the axe. Corporate pulled a "hostile take-over" this month and bought our main competitor. After careful considerations, our group lost all territories, inventory and rights to sell in the territories. Our competitor had better sales #'s, longer time in the territories and that sealed our fate.
As with all M&A's, there are winners and losers. Our team was short on longevity and sales revenues. So, it was the obvious choice to close up shop, let folks go and return all inventory to corporate. That's in process now.
Our boss said we'd be OK once the dust settled later, but I sensed this was going to happen a few weeks ago. (Gut read) Sure enough, gut instincts rarely lie and it's time to move on. As with many Michigan workers, we are now scratching our heads and trying to figure out what to do next?
Unfortunately, this gig was a 1099 Contract and we are not able to collect UE Ins or other assistance programs. (Food stamps perhaps?) But I'd rather work/earn a living if possible than go that route.
It's time to regroup, take a hard inventory of skills and opportunities and move on. If there is opportunity here in MI, it will be a long and uphill fight. (Put on the game face, pray and get ready for a rough ride)
Swez
ttocs on 12/27/2008 18:49:40
I wish I had something to cheer ya up with man. I have been keeping myself occupied with this project and trying to ignor the fact that I will probably be unemployed shortly myself. Having the fam out was a nice break as well but it is back to the real world tomorow...
swez on 12/27/2008 21:07:25
Actually, just watching your progress cheers me up and helping others here as well. I am sad, but not devestated and my brother has a big club install ready to pop soon, so that will be fun and profitable as a bridge gap to the next opportunity.
Frankly, I was dreading the return to work in Jan, more than losing the job to a corporate decision where many will be in the same boat. This job is pure hell in bad weather. (Heavy rains, snow, sleet and ice) It was not like getting fired. It was too many people in the field and the lower guys on the totem pole were ousted to maximize profits and coverage.
Besides, beating the streets for fresh and more challenging work, can be a fun game. (Test the waters, see what works and milk it for all it's worth) It's good to think outside the box and see what skills are marketable right now.
I know you don't put much stock in the true powers of God. But after being a Christian for 20 years now, I have learned that when something so-so is removed, God will provide something even better as we do our parts well. He's pulled a few big loads off my back, gave me some time to rest and regroup, then filled that void with something very beneficial.
If we talked on the phone for 30 mins and I shared a few lows and high points that have come along the way, it would blow your gourd. It is good to be one of the Kings kids. No, am not a religious fanatic at all. But when one has a solid understanding of why we are here and who is guiding our steps, (As we allow it) we admit our limitations and hand the heavy stuff over to God and watch Him take charge.
That's what we call faith. It cannot be seen, smelled touched or tasted. But just like the air we breath, it's there just the same and free to all that are willing to take it in.
Ever take a trip on your mountain bike to unfamiliar terrain and maybe near dark? It takes skill, common sense, experience and faith in your gear, abilities and good judgement right? Now, add a good spot light to see the path well enough and you've got one interesting trip/story to tell later huh? That's a step of faith and a sense of accomplishment when it's over.
See the parallels?
Swez
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