Wiring up a car sound system at home

[NovaBoi92]

I feel like doing this lol i know it is possible, im pretty confident in doing it. But there's a few things im not sure about.

If the head unit can be wired up and all working correctly, im good to go from there with wiring up speakers and amp etc.... now i know what all the wires do for the connections on the unit. Obviously, Live would wire straight to the live terminal on the battery, and earthing to the earth on the battery.

1. what would i wire the ignition wire to, and the other wire that dims the display when the you turn the headlights on?

2. What could i use to earth the battery out to? anything at all metal?

Thanks for the help

[AlexW]

What are you going to use to power it?

[AlexW]

But if you run it off a car battery you put the earths straight onto the battery, the earth strap from the battery to the metal is so it makes a circuit, if you earthed it onto a bit of metal it wouldnt make a circuit.

Ign live you would have to put onto the positive on the batter, put it thought a switch though. Oh and fuse it all.

[NovaBoi92]

yeah i know that bit, the earth from head unit to battery earth, so just earth the battery to any metal surface yeah? ok cheers, and which wires do i fuse? The Permanent live, and what else?

[AlexW]

wtf what did i just say. Dont earth the battery to anything! It wont work!

Fuse both the lives. although your head unit prob has one on the back.

[NovaBoi92]

lol sorry didnt know what you meant, why wont it work if i earth the battery? so i just earth the head unit, but not to the battery

[Spudly]

Are you fitting this in your home or your car?

[mikey14sr]

Did this eons ago (1997!) with kenwood krc-151 and a pair of 6.5"s.

The earth from the head unit goes direct to the battery, that's it.

main power and ign power go direct to the battery too, with a fuse in each one.

Other than the speakers and an aerial, thats all the wiring needed.

I'd recommend using a gel-type battery though, as the normal ones tend to give off harmfull fumes.

[NovaBoi92]

im fitting it in my home, and thanks mikey14sr. going to do it tomorrow, ill let you all know how it goes lol :)

[novaxe235]

have u got a scalextrics if you have dont use a battery use the power pack of the scalextrics there usually 240v in 12v out .much easier and better imo.

[mikey14sr]

I used an old battery charger when I did mine, a little bit of fun watching the amp gauge bouncing around!

[NovaBoi92]

lol thats what im going to use, a 12v car battery using a mains trickle charger.

[L14MNP]

I'd just use a 240v AC - 12v DC transformer like the type you use for bench testing. Tenner in Maplins. Then again, I wouldn't bother at all lol.

What are you doing for speaker enclosures, hanging Nova doors on the wall? lol

[NovaBoi92]

lmfao nova doors on the wall. could do, but im going to wire up my surround sound speakers to the head unit. they are 5 small speakers. should be ok. and do you think its possible to wire up 2 large stereo speakers to the head unit too?

[burgo]

why dont you stop being a pikey and get a normal stereo!!!! so much easier

[NovaBoi92]

haha pikey lol but i have a good system already, i just want to use a Subwoofer thats all. something to do aswell, i like doing all this stuff lol

[brainsnova]

you might getting a buzzing coming through the sub from interferance from house wiring. my home stereo has a groove button and its loud enough bass for the home.

[1.6 8v turbo nova]

You can use an old PSU to power everything mate! Got a 600 watt amp wired to it, powering a 1000watt sub. Need to connect a wire into a plug on the psu to convert it to 12v. Then u get a live and a earth cable to power anything. :)

[1.6 8v turbo nova]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb5XsEuyt7s&feature=related

There u go!

[burgo]

haha pikey lol but i have a good system already, i just want to use a Subwoofer thats all. something to do aswell, i like doing all this stuff lolif it was a good system it would have a subwoofer output

[Welshy]

just buy a sub and amp....................................

[NovaBoi92]

if it was a good system it would have a subwoofer output

it has a built in subwoofer, just a very small one lol and it crackles and fuzzes. its broke.

[NovaBoi92]

just buy a sub and amp....................................

and i already have them.. thats what im installing in my room. thats why i started this thread lol

[Southie]

Where your head unit was are you now putting a cheese toastie maker in lol

[burgo]

it has a built in subwoofer, just a very small one lol and it crackles and fuzzes. its broke.no i said subwoofer output not build in sub

[NovaBoi92]

oh right. well at the moment the nova has no engine in, and its going to be at least a couple of weeks until its back in so theres no point in keeping it in there. i was going to buy a completely new sound system to put in my room, but scene as its not in use in the car, ill put it to use lol and cheese toastie maker, i LOVE... cheese toasties. thanks for the idea.

[Southie]

and cheese toastie maker, i LOVE... cheese toasties. thanks for the idea.
Put on the prodigy... Snack my bitch up lol

[NovaBoi92]

what do i do with the remote cable from the amp? should i leave it out?

[burgo]

what would you normally do with the remote cable

[1.6 8v turbo nova]

just put a peice of cable from the remote terminal to the live.. acts as if your head unit is on!

[1.6 8v turbo nova]

lost my phone, so cant take pictures. But ive been running this amp n sub off a old computer PSU for 6 months, leave on for hours. Ill explain which cables to join etc if you needed, Sounds exactly like it did in the car!

Takes 5 mins with some tape and snips lol

[NovaBoi92]

got it all working, i wired the remote cable to the live on the battery. and burgo, what i would usually do with the remote cable is wire it to the right part on the audi loom on the nova, but i dont have the audi loom on the nova so thats why i didnt know what to do.

[burgo]

the remote cable should just go from the head unit to the amp. it has nothing to do with the car loom

[keithrg]

old computer PSU whats one of these ?

[Jack]

This thread makes baby jesus cry!

keith, PSU = power supply unit.

[NovaBoi92]

the remote cable should just go from the head unit to the amp. it has nothing to do with the car loom

oh does it not? ok then, but connecting the remote cable the head unit wiring and not the car audio loom would do nothing at all, because once the blocks are connected, the remote cable on the head unit wiring doesnt connect to anything on through the other side. Doesnt matter now anyway i have it working lol thanks for all your help

[burgo]

wow that must be an ubber old or ubber cheap head unit then. of course it may be labled up as power ariel

[NovaBoi92]

the only wires that actually connect to the vauxhall loom are the permanent live, ignition live and earth. illumination and remote DO plug into the block, but the connectors are not connected to any of the following wires on hte other side. the head unit is new, it cost me £90

[burgo]

of course there not!!!! there was probably no such thing as in car amps when nova were made lol. you cut the wire from the block and connect the remote wire that way

[NovaBoi92]

i connected the remote on the vauxhall loom side of the block. But i dont think it is working because as i said, it doesnt connected to the remote cable on the head unit side of the block. maybe if i change them around so that the illumination and remote wire up with the correct things. Just to make sure, Blue + White is remote, and Light brown would be illumination (on the head unit wiring, not the original vauxhall wiring)

[Southie]

Are my toasties ready yet!!! lol

[dj_wudgey]

sterio lame lol take everything not needed out off your car well more fun!!!

[NovaBoi92]

Toasties ready.




ONLY MINE ARE. YOU CANT HAVE ANY.