JL Audio XD700/5 Car Amplifier User Manual


 
5
POWER CONNECTIONS
Before installing the amplifier, disconnect the
negative (ground) wire from the vehicle’s battery.
This will prevent accidental damage to the system,
the vehicle and your body during installation.
The XD700/5’s “+12 VDC” and “Ground
connections are designed to accept 4 AWG
power wire. 4 AWG is the required wire size for
this amplifier.
If you are installing the XD700/5 with other
amplifiers and wish to use a single main power
wire, use 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG main power wire
(depending on the overall current demands of all
the amplifiers in the system). This large power
wire should terminate into a fused distribution
block mounted as close to the amplifiers as
possible (within 12 inches / 30cm of wire length).
The fused output of the distribution block will
connect to the XD700/5 with 4 AWG power
wire. JL Audio ECS fused distribution blocks are
recommended (XD-FDBU-2 and XD-FDBU-4)
Note: Smaller AWG numbers mean bigger
wire and vice-versa (1/0 AWG is the largest, 2
AWG is smaller, then 4 AWG, then 8 AWG, etc.).
To connect the power wires to the amplifier,
first back out the set screw on the top of the
terminal block, using the supplied 2.5 mm hex
wrench. Strip 1/2 inch (12 mm) of insulation from
the end of each wire and insert the bare wire into
the terminal block, seating it firmly so that no
bare wire is exposed. While holding the wire in
place, tighten the set screw firmly, taking care not
to strip the head of the screw.
The ground connection should be made
using 4 AWG wire and should be kept as
short as possible, while accessing a solid
piece of sheet metal in the vehicle. The
surface of the sheet metal should be sanded
at the contact point to create a clean, metal-
to-metal connection between the chassis
and the termination of the ground wire.
For optimal grounding, we recommend the
use of a JL Audio ECS master ground lug
(XB-MGLU). Alternatively, a sheet metal
screw or bolt can be used with a star washer.
Any wires run through metal barriers (such
as firewalls), must be protected with a high
quality rubber grommet to prevent damage to the
insulation of the wire. Failure to do so may result
in a dangerous short circuit.
Many vehicles employ small (10 AWG -
6 AWG) wire to ground the battery to the
vehicle chassis and to connect the alternator's
positive connection to the battery. To prevent
voltage drops, these wires should be upgraded
to 4 AWG when installing amplifier systems
with main fuse ratings above 60A.
FUSE REQUIREMENTS
It is absolutely vital that the main power
wire(s) to the amplifier(s) in the system be
fused within 18 inches (45 cm) of the positive
battery post connection. The fuse value at each
power wire should be high enough for all of the
equipment being run from that power wire. If
only the XD700/5 is being run from that power
wire, we recommend a 60A fuse be used.
If fusing the amplifier near its power
connections (when more than one amp is being
run from the main power wire), use a 60A fuse.
MAXI™ plastic-body fuses are recommended.