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Old 09-20-2005, 06:21 PM
  #41  
clkwrkorg36
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try grounding the rca shields, and i bet your noise goes away.
Old 09-21-2005, 06:31 AM
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stu46
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Could it be from the lights in your amp rack? Possible, but doubt it.
Old 09-22-2005, 06:44 PM
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clkwrkorg36
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you could also have an issue with the case grounds on the amps. try taking them off the rack where their is no metal between them. and see if you still have the noise.
Old 09-22-2005, 07:10 PM
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05-Z
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Very clever design on the rack, I like it.
Old 11-07-2005, 09:55 PM
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Did you fix the whine yet? Oh yeah I'm using your rack idea =).
Old 11-08-2005, 06:48 AM
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jdg345
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Originally Posted by Paul350Z
That little fan even at 20 dBA can still be heard between tracks of the music.
Paul,

If the Fan noise is still an issue, check out Icelink fans ... you can find them online at most Aquarium/Fish Stores. They're SUPER SUPER quiet, and they're variable speed (they come with a temp probe). They're also designed for Saltwater environments -- they should be able to handle an amp rack ...
Old 11-08-2005, 10:20 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by jdg345
Paul,

If the Fan noise is still an issue, check out Icelink fans ... you can find them online at most Aquarium/Fish Stores. They're SUPER SUPER quiet, and they're variable speed (they come with a temp probe). They're also designed for Saltwater environments -- they should be able to handle an amp rack ...
The whine is 90% gone with 70 amps worth of filter and an in-line RCA filter. I'll try grounding the RCA's and the amp's chassis too - thanks for the tips. I did run an 8 gauge ground cable from the headend to the amplifer's ground area and then to the battery post with no effect. I'll try the local aquarium store for a quieter fan but in use the amps don't power cycle with the heat nor get "that" hot yet. I haven't done a long trip with them yet.
Old 11-08-2005, 10:21 AM
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Another picture in use. I've checked the neon's and their power supply and it's not them causing the whine.

Old 11-09-2005, 02:08 PM
  #49  
bjr
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Paul,
Go to www.davidnavone.com and see if he still sells an alternator whine book for troubleshooting as it's about 40 pages long full of grounding information and tests to perform. If it's not on the web site, e-mail him and tell him what is going on with your system. You should not have to do any filtering if the installation is corrected. If you have dealt with it this long you might as well track it down and fix it right IMO. Good luck.
Old 11-09-2005, 06:29 PM
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David Novone! Certainly a legend.
Old 11-11-2005, 10:35 AM
  #51  
vipor
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4 simple tasks to help reduce/prevent engine noise:

1) make sure you have a good ground - paint completely removed, wont wiggle, etc.
2) "return ground" - basically you just take some primary wire (22-16awg) and run it along with your RCAs and connect 1 end to your radio ground and the other to your amp ground. it helps prevent floating ground issues.
3) no cheap rcas - spending 30-50$ for a set of 2ch RCAs is not horrible at all. sometimes it is okay to skimp on the RCAs for your subs, but if you are running an amplifier on your highs, don't skimp, you'll just kick yourself later.
4) when running your cables to your amps, run them on the opposite sides of the car (or at least 18" apart). meaning run your RCAs on one side and your power wire on the other. which side your remote turn-on and return ground are on isnt that big of a deal. if you do have to cross paths with your RCAs and power cable, try to make it a 90 degree overlap (like an 'X')


as far as the fan issues, keep in mind that a LARGER fan moves MORE air with LESS rpm, so is much more quiet. the fan i saw in the picture looked to be an 80mm at the most. cross-flow fans are also a good idea as they move even more air, but im not sure how loud they are...
Old 12-02-2006, 02:17 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by vipor
4 simple tasks to help reduce/prevent engine noise:

1) make sure you have a good ground - paint completely removed, wont wiggle, etc.

Three heavy screws clamping a ground block into the vertical structure inside the stock subwoofer cavity - bare metal and very tight.

2) "return ground" - basically you just take some primary wire (22-16awg) and run it along with your RCAs and connect 1 end to your radio ground and the other to your amp ground. it helps prevent floating ground issues.

Heavy 8 gauge wire runs back from the ground block to the back of the radio. From there I've added a second ground run to the radio's brain.

3) no cheap rcas - spending 30-50$ for a set of 2ch RCAs is not horrible at all. sometimes it is okay to skimp on the RCAs for your subs, but if you are running an amplifier on your highs, don't skimp, you'll just kick yourself later.

The first set were the bottom end $30 a set Monster Cables. The set I have in there now - AND SOLVED the problem - are a purple set from Wal-Mart

4) when running your cables to your amps, run them on the opposite sides of the car (or at least 18" apart). meaning run your RCAs on one side and your power wire on the other. which side your remote turn-on and return ground are on isnt that big of a deal. if you do have to cross paths with your RCAs and power cable, try to make it a 90 degree overlap (like an 'X')

The RCA cables went down the transmission hump and the DC power went down the passengers side. 18" is a bit much but seperation is good. Crossing at 90 degrees is aways good as the cosine of 90 is 0 meaning no coupling of the two conductors inductively.

as far as the fan issues, keep in mind that a LARGER fan moves MORE air with LESS rpm, so is much more quiet. the fan i saw in the picture looked to be an 80mm at the most. cross-flow fans are also a good idea as they move even more air, but im not sure how loud they are...

I went with the quietest fan avaible from a computer mod'ing web site which rated their fans in dB for me.
Finally after a year plus the whine is gone! The weather here is cool enough (73 degrees) and the wife is out shopping so I had the time to dig into the dash, console, and subwoofer compartment one more time.

I had tried everything else but swapping out my "wonderful" Monster Cable RCA jacks. Bummer. I had grounded, re-grounded, filtered, ran a second ground wire from the dash ... all to no avail.

Last night I connected my iPod to the amplifier directly with a long lenght of RCA cable and no whine - the darn Monster Cable RCA cable is acting like a freaking antenna and sucking in some whine from along the transmission hump. I ran the Wal-Mart special line along that same transmission hump path and no whine.

Happy happy joy joy. The while was way down in amplitude and you could only really hear it when the music was potted all the way down. Constant amplitude meant that it wasn't a result of the head-end's amplifiers. I now have more grounds then I know what to do with ... at least I'm safe if I get hit by lighting.

vipor is right ... I'm kicking myself. Never trust Monster Cable (or Bose) again ... now repeat after me ...
Old 12-02-2006, 08:54 PM
  #53  
gringott
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Monster cable, Bose, name brands.

Wal-mart special works. Haha.
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