Boat Audio Issue / Repair recommendations?

[Killevippen]

I have a 2009 Supra with a full stereo system that seems to have a short. The Kicker amps go on periodically when the boat is off, eventually draining the batteries. Is there a local electronics repair shop or individual? I live in Moultonboro.

[tom-sr230]

if your boat is not in the water you could turn the battery switch to off..or if your boat is in the water and you need to leave the battery on for the bilge pump maybe install a separate shut off switch just for the audio system equipment...a nice stereo setup may have the audio stuff running off some bus bars as the connections to the power ..just put a disconnect or a water tight perko on/off switch between the equipment and the power source and at least it will shut all audio power to off until you can trouble shoot the original problem of intermitent power to the amps..
was this a factory setup or aftermarket ?
if aftermarket was it a pro install or a diy project..?
are you able to trace the power and ground connections for the audio?
and what brand amps are they?

[tom-sr230]

just reading the original post again i see you have more than one battery ..
are they wired in a series or isolated from each other?
if they are wired together it may be smart to separate the batts. to keep the stereo from draining both ..you could add a voltage sensative relay (vsr)
for charging purposes or even just wire them to a dual battery switch to keep the "house" and "starting" batteries separate...or just run battery bank "1" one day out and battery bank "2" the next day out to keep them all lively...
sorry about the rambling..

[brk-lnt]

Amps are wired with a direct connection to a power bus, and then have an aux turn-on wire to actually power up when the stereo is on. I'd check the wiring of the power/trigger wire on the amp.

Was the system factory installed, or at least by a qualified pro, or was it some kind of DIY 'my buddies friend is really smart' kind of install?

[Killevippen]

Thanks for your replies. The system was factory installed and w/o problems until this year. It's a 2 battery solution with a switch that I leave on 1&2. I've done some reading and the problem is likely a short, and/or possibly a grounding issue. It may also be an issue with the spkr wires, but that wouldn't explain why the amps turn on. I was hoping to find a stereo specialist as I worry a marina may not have a ton of experience debugging these systems.

[Belmont Resident]

My wife's Chaparral came from the factory all screwed up and for years she never knew this because it was always on shore power.
Reggie found that the whole system coming into the Pergo switch was wired wrong including the alternator wire which was only wired to one side of the switch instead of the common.
Anyways long story short he fixed it. It works great he only left the bilge wired to common and even took the radio off because it can eventually drain a battery with the memory.
So check with them, we had great service.
Oh we had previously taken to the dealer of that brand and they were not able to figure it out.

[BroadHopper]

The boat came with a wiring diagram in the owner's manual. The stereo setup was unique. I never had a problem. The original setup was Babb speakers with a Blaupunkt amp which was the state of the art in 1988. I swap for a JBL unit and amplifier powering six DCGold classics. The boat was originally wire with 6 gauge wiring so I did not upgrade or modify the wiring in any way. I would be glad to show you the wiring diagram if you are having problems.

[Skip]

The amp is switched on & off by a 12 volt signal from your stereo (head) unit.

However, the amp is controlled by a small microprocessor. The processor sees the 12 volt on condition when you power up your head unit, and then switches on the amp.

Like all microprocessors it can become "scrambled". If you constantly leave power on to the amp by the battery switch condition you describe, you may be able to simply clear the problem by shutting both batteries off for at least 30 minutes. This will clear the microprocessor and may solve your issue.

If the amp is wired correctly it will have it's main power source through the battery switch. It should not be wired directly to the batteries as even in an off condition the amp will pull a small amount of current.

If you look at the amp itself you should easily see the lead that provides the remote turn on from your head unit. A quick check to see if your amp is defective would be to disconnect that lead the next time the amp turns itself on when it shouldn't. The amp should immediately shut down when you disconnect this lead. If it doesn't the microprocessor is bad and is turning the amp on randomly.

But I bet if you simply kill all power to the amp for a short time there is a better than even chance it will self correct.

Unfortunately we don't currently make service calls over to the big Lake, we concentrate mostly here on the seacoast for now. But I am toying with the idea of offering a mobile repair service over that way for all types of marine electronics.

Feel free to contact me off line if you have any specific questions about trying to power isolate your amp to see if it clears the problem.

Skip

[tom-sr230]

if none of these suggestions work i have heard of a stereo shop on union ave in laconia that was praised by a friend on being great boat stereo installers..
maybe give them a try..i can't remember the name but it was near a tire shop ....

[BroadHopper]

I don't think it is there any more. I thinl it moved more toward town where the auto detailer is. If anyone has any problems with a boat audio system, PM me.

[jst_4_kiks]

The stereo shop in laconia isnt gone. Still there and busy as always. On their facebook page they posted a picture of a hackercraft that was used in a music video getting a stereo upgrade.

Vanworks Car Audio
670 Union Ave. Laconia
603-524-4700
www.vanworkscaraudio.com

Located in the right rear corner of the Belknap Tire building


Highly recommend for any audio on/in anything. Cars. Trucks. Bikes. Boats. Etc

[Red apple]

+1 For Van works in Laconia