With the weather slowly getting better, I thought about tackling my radio problems. The PO bought a retro radio brand stereo (base model), it looks great works ok, except for at higher volumes.
At volumes of 25 and up on, which is pretty low. You're unable to hear the radio with the windows down at 50mph. The radio cuts out, it doesnt turn off, but just skips playing for a brief second.
I'm not sure what the cause of this is, whether is a hardware issue, power issue or grounding issue. My plan is to to run a ground directly from the radio to the battery see if that changes anything, then do the same for power. I'd appreciate any input on the subject as I'm not firmilar with radios and their issues
Are you running an AMP? When it cuts off, does it make a pop sound?
I had a similar issue on mine and contacted Alpine direct. The guy walked me through it and it was a GROUND issue with the AMP. In my case, the AMP needed to have a better securing ground at body (mounting screws; loosened) and a 10 GA dedicated wire from AMP to Battery (-). Problem solved! I have never had the issue return. Also, if you can, adjust the flat signals and open the low pass filter by adjusting the cutting quality of the bass. It will help you get the louder bass and overall sound.
No Amp, just the radio and 2 5-1/4" speakers.
When it cuts out it doesnt make any other noise, like a CD-player skipping when it gets hit.
I dont have a whole lot of options in adjusting the sound, bass, treble , style
Sounds to me like a loose wiring issue somewhere in the circuit. Once you run separate wiring of adequate gauge to the battery (w/ proper fusing), you should be able to limit the old circuit as the culprit or not. But there should also be an "always hot" wire too that may be something to look at.
My retrosound works fine with the strange exception of; when the volume is up and I beep the horn, it cuts the music just for that instance. It may be that my "always hot" wire is on the horn circuit, I don't recall.
Alright i got to the point where my whole dash is off.... how fun lol
This is what i figured out The pioneer speakers i had in the jeep were 140 watts max, and 25 watts nom. or RMS. The radio can put out 40 watts max.
So my thought is when i turn up the volume it goes past the 25watts of the normal operating capabilities of the pioneer speakers.
I troubleshooted each piece, removed the radio ran it directly off a car battery producing 12v, connected it to a much larger and powerful speaker, using new and thicker wire, all went well. Then tested it using the jeep's power with better speaker and wire, again all well. By passed the wire, the speaker seemed to cut out at 35 ( the range of the speaker is 0-46, used to cut out at 30) so part of the problem was the wire. Then attached the old wire to the better speaker cut out at 30.
So in the end, im going to replace both speaker and speaker wire, i got a rockford fosgate speaker that has 80w max, and 40w RMS. Speakers come tomorrow once i have them install i'll update again
To my understanding, that is not how car audio works. If the speakers have the correct resistance (usually 4 ohms for car audio) (different that maximum watts) they should play fine. A more powerful amp can potentially overload and destroy a speaker rated for less watts than the amp can put out but the sound does not cut out and then come back as you describe in your problem.
To me, your problem sounds more like a failing amplifier in your radio if the voltage and ground to your radio are proper. I would call the maker of the radio and see what they have to say.
Alright i got to the point where my whole dash is off.... how fun lol
This is what i figured out The pioneer speakers i had in the jeep were 140 watts max, and 25 watts nom. or RMS. The radio can put out 40 watts max.
So my thought is when i turn up the volume it goes past the 25watts of the normal operating capabilities of the pioneer speakers.
I troubleshooted each piece, removed the radio ran it directly off a car battery producing 12v, connected it to a much larger and powerful speaker, using new and thicker wire, all went well. Then tested it using the jeep's power with better speaker and wire, again all well. By passed the wire, the speaker seemed to cut out at 35 ( the range of the speaker is 0-46, used to cut out at 30) so part of the problem was the wire. Then attached the old wire to the better speaker cut out at 30.
So in the end, im going to replace both speaker and speaker wire, i got a rockford fosgate speaker that has 80w max, and 40w RMS. Speakers come tomorrow once i have them install i'll update again
Nick could you please let me know what model you have? I was looking at a Retro Sound radio too but it only had 100 watts (25 per channel). With the top off that is not enough juice.
To my understanding, that is not how car audio works. If the speakers have the correct resistance (usually 4 ohms for car audio) (different that maximum watts) they should play fine. A more powerful amp can potentially overload and destroy a speaker rated for less watts than the amp can put out but the sound does not cut out and then come back as you describe in your problem.
To me, your problem sounds more like a failing amplifier in your radio if the voltage and ground to your radio are proper. I would call the maker of the radio and see what they have to say.
My electrical knowledge is pretty basic and speakers... definitely over my head. Thats why i just singled one piece out at a time. Maybe the old speakers are just crap idk. But I do know the 6.5in speaker has 180w 90wRMS per pair handles it just fine when its the only speaker connected to the radio. This speaker is 4ohms just like the original two speaker.
This is the rating of the radio "• 18 watts RMS/40 watts peak x 4 channels"
and it only states that speaks below 4 ohms will have an issue
so bad news, Stone your probably right. I got my new speakers plugged one in and it started cutting out intermittently around 35 of 46 total volume. So for now im thinking im just going to use all 4 speakers instead of buying a new $180 or $280 radio.
Im going to open it up look inside idk what i'll find or if it will change anything but might as well now
Another idea...some car radios are set up where you can use an external amplifier and bypass the internal amplifier. Maybe someone here who has a similar model can chime in.
Full disclaimer, i have no idea what I am talking about. I can either confirm or deny Senator. However, Something tells me that Retro Sound Radio is just not up for the job with out an amplifier.
I talked to tech support, his first thought was ignition or power supply but through my troubleshooting, he believes its probably the internal amp. I suggest it possibly getting wet as the sticker ontop looks abit crimped and faded as if it got wet. The tech said that would definitely be a cause.
In the end he said it wouldnt be worth fixing due to cost as the entire radio is based around 1 circuit board. Itd be cheaper to go and buy a new one.
Since I cant afford a new radio, for now I'll reinstall that one as a face and clock. I'm thinking I can hide a radio in the glove box for the time being run power and speakers off that. Kinda ghetto and janky but tough times call for interesting decisions.🙃
Now is the time to carefully open it up and look for something obvious. Sometimes a loose solder joint or something easily fixable can be the problem.
It is generally not a good idea to tell technical support that something like getting it wet happened. They always want to find an excuse so it is not their problem. Could it have been the cause...maybe...maybe not. Sometimes companies will offer to fix something but if you give them an easy out, they will take it.
Now is the time to carefully open it up and look for something obvious. Sometimes a loose solder joint or something easily fixable can be the problem.
It is generally not a good idea to tell technical support that something like getting it wet happened. They always want to find an excuse so it is not their problem. Could it have been the cause...maybe...maybe not. Sometimes
companies will offer to fix something but if you give them an easy out, they will take it.
Yeah I let him tell me about if it was internal if they could fix it before i even mentioned water. He just said it would cost more to repair then to replace.
Pull the unit out of the Jeep and open up the top lid (4-5 screws). Carefully spray some Electric Spray; not too much, and set it aside to dry. It won't damage the mother board or capacitors. This will help evaporate any moisture that's in there. I have done this to mine several times because of rain water dripping into the unit. So, before I turn mine on, I do the above to make sure it is completely DRY. I also apply Die-Electric Grease and squeeze a good amount at the connection plug that feeds to the unit itself at back. That's where the power feeds into your unit and water can trickle in from there. The grease is safe and will repel it from doing so. *Agree on never telling the manufacturer that water was a possible cause. It's a game changer for any possible warranty or courtesy repair.
There's your issue! - Grab the numbers off the capacitor sides and shop for a replacement online. Unscrew that mother board carefully and with a solder gun, gently tap the underside solder points when the iron is HOT to remove the old one. Remove, slide the new on in the holes (correct orientation), add a tiny amount of FLUX . . . and solder new points. Clip the new wires carefully down to size and you're good to go. Saved yourself a boat load of $ and did a very cool repair. Good Luck if you decide to go that route.
* The white substance is: Momentive RTV102 Sealant - White Tube-High Performance Adhesive
Watch some videos on printed circuit board component replacement. You do not want to use a soldering gun. You want to use a soldering iron. If you can get one, you want a solder sucker. It is a suction device with a plunger and a button that sucks the molten solder away from the solder joint and makes removing old components easier. You could also use copper solder wick but the sucker works so much better.
There are people on the forum that can chime in and give you good advice. The repair is very simple if you take your time and do it right. You should not need flux if you use proper rosin core solder. Use the correct type of solder. Do not use acid core solder which is used to repair radiators. It will completely destroy your radio.
That capacitor is almost certainly the cause of your problem. There was a time several years ago that computer motherboards and other electronics were suffering from a rash of bad capacitors. If you do not believe you have the skill to replace it properly, it might be worth paying an electronics or computer repair company to make the simple repair. If it is done properly, your radio should work as new. The repair is quite simple when you have done it a few times but I have seen people butcher boards beyond repair but applying too much heat to the PCB and burning the traces.
That capacitor is almost certainly the cause of your problem. There was a time several years ago that computer motherboards and other electronics were suffering from a rash of bad capacitors. ...
Must of been pretty bad. After ordering some capacitors I got a letter letting me know of a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer.
I think I was eligible for a $6.00 refund.
Anyone else here old enough to remember (and miss) going to Radio Shack, where the counter guys would do stuff like this for you, just because they were that geeky!
Silver bearing rosin core solder is very different than Silver Solder. Silver bearing rosin core solder is electrical solder with a very small amount of silver that melts at electrical solder temperatures with a regular soldering iron. Silver Solder is actually silver brazing and you need a torch to melt it. Steel gets a dull red before silver solder melts (800F or above depending on the alloy). Silver solder is sometimes call hard solder and they use it in high pressure home A/C systems to braze the copper line connections together. Silver solder comes in various amounts of silver and some of it is as hi as 40% to 70% depending on the application. It is quite expensive compared to silver bearing rosin core solder which is usually a mixture of several metals including lead, tin, some other metals and just a touch of silver.
You are fine to use silver bearing rosin core solder for your repair as long it is sold for electrical use.
I hope the iron you purchased has a finer tip. That sized tip is something I might use to splice larger wires together in a Jeep but would never get it near a precision solder job on a PCB board.
Update, the solder iron didnt come with other tips as i hoped but i was able to make do. Didnt touch the board with it at all. Got the old capacitor out and replaced with the new one. Super simple job trimmed and rtv-ed in place. Reassembled and plugged back into the jeep.
I started off low, radio started playing, then slowly cranked it. The volume went up all the way to 46, instead of cutting out at 30ish. 46 sounds a bit raspy but 40 was plenty loud with 1 speaker. I owe some people some beers!! :cheers2: :cheers2:
im working on making 2 small speaker boxes to wedge behind the roll bar, since i have 4 good speakers now
I'm by no means an expert, but I did a lot of stereo installs in jeeps at the shop I worked at, and on my own/ family rigs. There are so many subtle tips/ tricks to getting good sound out of a stereo system, and there is a HUGE difference to be had in quality components. Are your current speakers in the dash?
That said, don't be afraid to play around a bit with angle, box size, treble/ bass, etc.
You might find that less total sound but richer sounds better, or vice versa. And don't rule out a small amp and a speaker box or subsystem. Even a 'cheap' one can make a world of difference.
That was the original plan, but now since I have an extra set of 5.25 speakers, I figured save money and use those.
I hooked all the speakers up, reinstalled the radio, dash and foam pad. Everything is almost put back together.
The rear speakers sounded a bit hollow (the new rockford fosgate) which I'm thinking is because theres no enclosure yet for them. But otherwise they all sounded great.
6x9's are one of the best all-around speakers , IMHO. Especially a quality pair of 3 ways, but even a very good 2 way.
Hoss
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