[Bigdrumma22]

I've had the above mentioned stereo in my car for almost 2 years and just this past week it started acting funny. It started restarting itself usually within the first couple minutes of getting in the car, and sometimes it will do so one other time while driving. At first I thought it was possibly the alternator or battery, but the rest of the car shows no signs of fault... lights don't dim, no battery light, etc. ONLY other thing I thought might be the cause is... it was really humid this past week with the rain, so I'm wondering if condensation buildup might have been causing it to reboot... like a power protection circuit? It would only do it within the first 5-15 min. of operation, so it's like once it warmed up/condensation dried, it was ok. Any thoughts on this?

[John#21]

Loose power or ground wire would be where I would look first. It may be getting ready to take a crap on you.

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by John#21

Loose power or ground wire would be where I would look first. It may be getting ready to take a crap on you.

Well I checked the cars cables and they're good. If you're talking about the power and grounds in the stereo wiring harness, I haven't checked that yet as that's my last resort pulling it out. If this week stays dry, and it doesn't do it... I'll assume it was condensation related. If it keeps doing it this coming week, I'll probably pull it this coming weekend and check those wires. I installed it myself as I've done with many other stereo systems and I've never had a problem, but I remember the wiring being really tight and contorted in there, so I guess something could be binding or coming loose. Would that be your only guess?

[John#21]

Well...... Its a good idea to check the cars pos and neg but... If your not having other electrical issues You need to isolate the stereo.

I would pull it out and check those 3 wires on the back of the radio. The constant, switched and the ground. Make sure they are connected securely than check to see if they have grounded out on a sharp piece of interior metal. In fact I would check all of the wires, speaker, rca etc, just to be sure they are ok.

A condensation issue under your dash would probably affect other things... i personally don't think thats it but you never know.

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by John#21

Well...... Its a good idea to check the cars pos and neg but... If your not having other electrical issues You need to isolate the stereo.

I would pull it out and check those 3 wires on the back of the radio. The constant, switched and the ground. Make sure they are connected securely than check to see if they have grounded out on a sharp piece of interior metal. In fact I would check all of the wires, speaker, rca etc, just to be sure they are ok.

A condensation issue under your dash would probably affect other things... i personally don't think thats it but you never know.

Well no obvious other issues, but the car seems to be cranking more before it starts... I don't think that's related though.

If it keeps doing it this week, I will definitely be pulling it this weekend or next weekend. It isn't that big of a deal as it comes right back on by itself, but I also find it odd that when ever it does shut off, it starts right back where it left off, it doesn't lose power completely and reset.

[Bigdrumma22]

Just an update...

Since my last post, the weather has cleared up as you know and it hasn't been so damn humid... well... less humid = no problem anymore... or at least so far. Could be extremely coincidental, but I'm hoping that was the only problem. If it happens again though, I'll definitely be pulling it out to check the wiring.

[sinistertx77]

did you use connectors or tape that could be an issue

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by sinistertx77

did you use connectors or tape that could be an issue

Crimp Connectors, but as of now like I said it's not the known problem. Only corresponding issue was the weather. If it does it again, I will pull it out and check the connections. I don't want to go tear into it for nothing.

[Bigdrumma22]

Well it messed up again friday and saturday evening when I drove it, so today (sunday) when I get up again, hopefully I'll get the will to yank it out and check it out.

[Bigdrumma22]

Ok, never messed with it the last couple weeks, but today when driving it, the stereo went on and off maybe about 6-10 times by itself over the course of the day while driving. BUT... now it gets more interesting...

My battery light flashed twice really fast at one point this evening and after that, I realized the the odometer readout and my headlights were slightly flickering... nothing major yet. Also at idle, the flickering is minimal... BUT When I rev the engine up, the flickering increases. Does it sound like my alternator is taking a dump? If so, it could also explain why the stereo has been actin' funny... at least I think so...

[Bigdrumma22]

Ok, so... I changed my alternator sunday as it seems it was fried. Since I changed it, I haven't had any problems with the stereo (knock on wood)...

SO... I'm guessing the stereo turning on and off was a result of lack of power, or possibly even too much power if the regulator was bad, and it was tripping the circuit protection or something. But again, it could be this big coincidence and it could still be a wiring issue. IF it turns off again, I'm pulling it out for sure!

[Bigdrumma22]

Update: Since I changed the alternator a couple weeks ago, I have not had any of the previous issues which caused me to start this thread. SO... I'm guessing this problem is solved!

[AdRock]

It sounds like the system was browning out at times.

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by AdRock

It sounds like the system was browning out at times.

Whatcha talkin' bout Willis?

[AdRock]

Originally Posted by Bigdrumma22

Whatcha talkin' bout Willis?

It's when the voltage drops.

For example:

When I'm out at a gig and have the PA setup and running I have a voltmeter in my rack at the the mixer. I have it hooked into the same outlet as the amplifiers so I can see what kind of lvoltage I'm getting at the wall.

Now, the amplifiers want to see 120v coming from the wall. Theree have been many times though when I have 120v, but once the band starts and I'm working the amps pretty good the wall voltage can drop. I've had it run at 110v all night. I've had times when I was running the system pretty hard and when the kick drum would hit the voltage in the wall would drop to 95v.

When the voltage drops like that it's called "brown out". If it drops too far all of my amps will have to work too hard to put out the power needed, or if the voltage drops enough they will completely shut down because there's not enough power.

Now, you're alternator was going bad. It wasn't putting out enough to keep the electronics running like they should. So things were acting strange and going on and off. Basically you're radio was doing what my amps will do. There wasn't enough power sent to it so it went into a "brown out" situation. Then when the voltage came back up a little it came back on.

Did that make any sense?

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by AdRock

It's when the voltage drops.

For example:

When I'm out at a gig and have the PA setup and running I have a voltmeter in my rack at the the mixer. I have it hooked into the same outlet as the amplifiers so I can see what kind of lvoltage I'm getting at the wall.

Now, the amplifiers want to see 120v coming from the wall. Theree have been many times though when I have 120v, but once the band starts and I'm working the amps pretty good the wall voltage can drop. I've had it run at 110v all night. I've had times when I was running the system pretty hard and when the kick drum would hit the voltage in the wall would drop to 95v.

When the voltage drops like that it's called "brown out". If it drops too far all of my amps will have to work too hard to put out the power needed, or if the voltage drops enough they will completely shut down because there's not enough power.

Now, you're alternator was going bad. It wasn't putting out enough to keep the electronics running like they should. So things were acting strange and going on and off. Basically you're radio was doing what my amps will do. There wasn't enough power sent to it so it went into a "brown out" situation. Then when the voltage came back up a little it came back on.

Did that make any sense?

Definitely does make sense. I've just never heard that terminology before. I figured it was some sort of circuit protection it had built in, because it never lost power or reset stations or anything, it just shut off and came right back on without me touching it right back where it left off. Even if it was playing a cd, it would start right where it left off on the track. I was thinking it was because it was overheating or condensation was building up. I never thought it would be because of the alternator, but when that was changed, the problem was solved.

So... are you a sound engineer, or do you actually play in a band?

[AdRock]

I play guitar and sing. Just not playing with a band right now.

I'm also the head house sound man at Sam's Burger Joint and I'm there every Wed. & Thurs. night. I contract out with a full PA and lights on the weekends. Been running sound as a side job for about 11 years now.

[Bigdrumma22]

Originally Posted by AdRock

I play guitar and sing. Just not playing with a band right now.

I'm also the head house sound man at Sam's Burger Joint and I'm there every Wed. & Thurs. night. I contract out with a full PA and lights on the weekends. Been running sound as a side job for about 11 years now.

Cool. I'm a drummer by heart, and play guitar as a hobby, but I suck... haha. I've only been to Sam's once about a year ago, and it was one of the best I've heard soundwise. What's it take to get into that type of thing?