Wet Sounds 420 Install

[ghebert1111]

I'm installing WS 420 under the dash of my 2014 Mojo, I've read the following post
https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....de-and-install

and I'm unclear as to how/where to connect the power/ground/mem. I've read that they need to be connected to the same point as the head unit to minimize noise(Ground loop?) So do I need to run the power/ground to the port side and connect to the terminal block that the head unit and amps are connected to?

If that's the case, I plan on running 20 ft RCA cables around the bow and run the power/ground/mem under the floor and over the gas tank as discussed in this thread:
https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....t=fishing+wire

If I can wire up the WS420 to something under the helm, to what would I wire each?

[MLA]

The Wet Sounds WS-420 has a:

* Constant B+(battery positive thats hot when the main battery switch is on), Battery - These should share the same battery reference as the amps and head-unit. The ideal place to terminate is at the amps or their distribution point.
* a remote turn-on input. Treat this like an amp

No need for the WS-420 power harness and RCCA's to take different paths to the same destination.

[ghebert1111]

Thanks for the input. I'll try and get it wired up and post some pictures in the next couple of days.

[ghebert1111]

So I complete hooking everything up and power everything up and all is good. I start tuning the amps and am a bit confused by the directions in the 420 manual. Is it saying to tune the amps while they are hooked up to the head unit; and the 420 is not in the loop? That's the way I did it and then hooked everything to the 420 and it sounds and looks pretty good.

The bad news is that when I was going to mount the 420 under the dash, I tugged the wires a bit to get it in position (all power and RCAs are running around the bow) and wham, no power to anything, bilge, pumps, lights, radio. I checked the fuse under my battery switch and it was tripped, so I reset it, flush, and still nothing. I'm going back down there to check the ground connections and see if that is the problem. I didn't have it on more than 15 minutes so I don't think its the batteries however I've got my charger on them just in case.

[ghebert1111]

Went back down there, the battery is charged and everything is working fine. I keep the batteries on a ProSport 20 at all times when in my garage and all the indicators were green before I started. I find it hard to believe that my 2 kicker amps, head unit and WS420 could have drained the batteries in 15 minutes. Could a short have drained the batteries? Other odd thing was I was running on only one batter when the issue occurred so the first thing I did was switch to the other battery and still nothing.

On the plus side, with the gains on the amps turned way down, I have no white noise. I will try to mount the 420 tomorrow and post some pictures of that and my sub installation as well.

[MLA]

I would A) get a little slack in the harness for mounting the EQ without having to tug on the harness or so its not pulled tights when mounted, and B) break out a volt meter and find where the loss of voltage is. This will eliminate the guessing and speculation.

[David Analog]

Gil,
Just so you know, on the older ProSport20s, once the batteries drain the charger will never return to the bulk charging mode (stays stuck in the maintenance mode) until you reset it by unplugging and plugging the AC back in. Might check the age and serial number against ProMariner tech service.
On another note, there is zero point to setting up the amplifiers without the EQ in the circuit. A definite misunderstanding there.

[ghebert1111]

I would A) get a little slack in the harness for mounting the EQ without having to tug on the harness or so its not pulled tights when mounted, and B) break out a volt meter and find where the loss of voltage is. This will eliminate the guessing and speculation.

Slack is the plan for today. If I have the issue again I'll do the voltmeter. Not sure where to test with it, but I guess I can test between power and ground and should see approx 12 volts right. and work from the power block to the amps, etc...

[ghebert1111]

Gil,
Just so you know, on the older ProSport20s, once the batteries drain the charger will never return to the bulk charging mode (stays stuck in the maintenance mode) until you reset it by unplugging and plugging the AC back in. Might check the age and serial number against ProMariner tech service.
On another note, there is zero point to setting up the amplifiers without the EQ in the circuit. A definite misunderstanding there.

My ProSport20 seems brand new and I always unplug it before I switch the battery power on in the boat however I might have missed that once when I was in the boat. I was definitely unplugged when I was testing yesterday.

So with tuning the amplifiers with the WS420, are these the right steps:

- get the 420 installed and working
- turn the gain on all amps down
- unplug rcas from all amps
- turn head unit volume to 80% max
- turn 420 volume to what?
- plug RCA in boat speakers amp
- increase gain until you get distortion and back off slightly
- unplug RCA for boat speakers amp
- repeat for Sub and tower

[David Analog]

Gil,
That's good, so if you have a brand new ProSport charger then it will profile and charge automatically per the correct stage as needed. No manual reset will ever be required to coax it into the bulk mode.

All RCAs should remain plugged in throughout the process....unless you are using a sine wave test tone and multimeter to read a predetermined output voltage. And then you are only establishing the maximum, and not necessarily the final gain setting.
Your EQ master volume should also be set between 80% to full. Both in-boat & tower zones should be set individually to full. The bass zone should not be set any farther up than the maximum normal usage, so about 75% I would say. All equalization set to flat. Understand that these and the amplifier input settings are only intended to find maximum non-clipped output and will not be the final settings based on balancing various zones.
Unfortunately this is an overly simple guide to the tuning process.
I recommend people use a qualified dealer or Odin @ Earmark Marine for their Wetsounds, JL Audio and similar purchases. Odin is an expert in gain structure and finding unity gain through the entire audio path....which is very important. Odin will walk his customers through the process step by step, as simple or advanced as you would like it depending on your technical tolerance level.