anyone have a custom amp switch mounted on their dash? i saw one on my friends car and i thought it was a nice little mod that allows u to turn ur amp on or off without having to go back to your trunk. any write ups would be greatly appreciated.

 

just a question... why would you want to have to manually switch the amp on or off? why not just hook up the remote wire to a power source that turns on with the radio/cd-player/whatever?

 

I have a switch for my amp hidden in my arm rest. i put in a switch because i only have an amp for my subs and i don't always want my sub on. with a switch I can turn up my system without the subs whenever i want to hear the sq without the bass..

To add a switch, just cut the remote turn on wire and put a switch between it. Simple as that.

 

what kind of switch did you use

 

oh okay, that makes sense. you can use a plain ol' toggle switch with three terminals on the back of it. the power goes to the middle terminal, ground goes to either one of the other terminals, and remote-on from the amp goes to the third contact. something like this:

-- <- ground
-- <- power
-- <- remote wire

 

You could even use a simpler switch with two prongs to just control the remote lead. Just about any switch will work since the remote has very little power running through it.

 

so if i would have to splice the remote turn on lead if i use the 3 prong toggle? and on the toggle im getting, it says, acc, pow, and grd. so one end of the remote lead goes on acc, and the other goes on grd?

 

Why all of the extra wiring? I have a sub-output in my HU (it's a low-end Alpine 9807) and all I have to do is turn it down to zero if I don't want bass. If you are going to put in a big system with a sub (or subs), you might as well buy a HU that has some kind of subwoofer equalization. Either that or get an amp with a ****, which is basically the same thing.

 

Your switch is lighted. That's why you have the ground wire. First, hook up the PWR to the source of power for the amps (radio HU in your case). Then hook up ACC to the sub amp.

Technically speaking, it will work. The switch won't light up when the amps are on. If you want them to light up as well, hook up the GND wire to a ground. You can get the switches at any auto parts store. That's all you need to get going.

*******

Now... for a more advanced install, you could do this.


If you are doing a custom setup like mine where the radio's remote turn-on wire controls more than just an amp, you may need a relay off the radio's amp wire before the switch.

Mine is wired like this:

Power Flow: Radio remote turn-on wire ---> relay #1 ---> switch ---> relay #2 and amps

Relay #1 (85): Radio remote turn-on wire
Relay #1 (86): Ground
Relay #1 (30): +12v ignition power source
Relay #1 (87a): PWR wire of the switch
Relay #1 (87): Not used

Switch (PWR): Relay #1 (87a)
Switch (GND): Ground
Switch (ACC): Relay #2 (85) and subs

Relay #2 (85): Switch (ACC)
Relay #2 (86): Ground from trunk switch
Relay #2 (30): Switch (ACC)
Relay #2 (87a): +12v power wire of neon transformer
Relay #2 (87): Not used

Basically, relay #1 is in the dash where the switch is mounted. When the HU is on, it powers relay #1, which passes +12v to the switch. When the switch is on, it passes +12v to relay #2 and to the amps. When relay #2 gets power, it still needs a ground in order to activate. When you open the trunk, relay #2 gets the ground, which activates the neons. This way the neons are never on when the trunk is closed, no matter what.

The way I wired it allows for a variety of situations where the amps and/or neons may/may not be on. Here's the breakdown:

If radio is off, neons and amps are off
If ignition is off, neons and amps are off
If radio and ignition is on, but switch is off, neons and amps are off
If radio, ignition, and switch are on, but trunk is closed, amps are on and neons are off
If radio, ignition, and switch are on and trunk is open, amps and neons are on

Hope this helps. The last part is just in case you are planning to power anything other than just the remote turn-on for the amps.

 

I have a lighted rocker switch mounted in my arm rest..

Wiring a switch on the remote wire is very simple and doesn't require much wiring. another reason i have a switch is because i have a voltmeter hooked up to monitor the voltage of my car, and when i notice the voltage isn't all that high (like when I have a lot of accessory things on), i simply turn off the amp to be safe..

Studman - Very nice detailed explanation of your wiring!!

 

My lighted rocker switch it mounted in the change holder. Very convenient.