one of the RCA cables I used dont work.
I purchased two 5m length of Rockford-Fosgate's best Cables from best buy for $40 or so each.
One cable has a short at the end. I didn't mistreat the cable either! I'm so pissed. I have to take down the entire dash. Again. Just because the cable doesnt work. It was causing my amp to go crazy (fault light) and send wierd (bad) signals to my components

In addition, I'm getting line noise from the cable. And I ran the RCA cables away from everything else! I'm so angry right now

 

Think of the many days ahead that you will enjoy driving your car with awesome tune!!!

g35mt

 

good point ill try to keep that in mind

 

What end was it? I know it would suck because you bought very high quality cables, but if it's at the end where the amp is, probably in your trunk, you could try clipping the end off and puting a new end on. You can get RCA ends from Radio shack.

If your like me you probably would want the perfect cable not one with a new end on it, but I had to do this for an RCA video cable once, and the quality was perfect. Just a thought. Sorry for the frustration. I have been having some of my own with a DVD player. I have taken my glove box out to reach the wiring 10 times. I alos had to take my HU out twice so I understand your pain. GF

 

at this point im unhappy as you figured but im agreeing with you- i want to try to repair it. the damaged end is in fact at the amp... and its a good thing too because otherwise i dont know how i would have figured it out! Anyway how hard is it to reapair? These are my cables:



so I am thinking about cutting between the point where they split and the connector, it shouldnt be too hard to split apart the two wires inside.
How hard do you think this will be? Any pointers on what I will need to expect or do? I'm thinking I should replace both connectors, do you agree or think that I shuld just do one?

You already answered a question I was going to ask about repairing it and severely compromising sound quality.. if it still sounds good i'll be happy and itll give me time to find some high quality cables to replace the ones i have.

 

I guess my question should have been how do you know where the short is exactly.

Anyway, go to radio shack and tell them you need RCA ends that you put on an open cable. They come in like a pack of 6 for just a few dollars. They also sell cables that have an RCA end on one end and a bare wire end on the other. You should be able to look at one of those to get the idea of what you need to do. Anyway, the RCA ends that you buy just split open. They have a hole that the ground wire slides through and doubles back. Then the metal piece where you put it through just cromps aroung the entire wire. Then the other wire wraps around a very small screw.

Just go to Radio Shack and look at the instructions on the package. It really is easy. You may be able to find higher quality ends but I did not see any difference with the cable I used with the Radio Shack end. Good luck and let me know if you have more problems or questions. GF

 

i know that the short is at the connector because if i fiddle with that part of the connector i can get the sound to sound correct again. everywhere else on the line seems to be ok. i could be wrong of course... but i think ive nailed it.
thanks for the advice and help... one more question: is there an easy way to determine which of the two wires is which if i dont have a voltmeter?

 

hah to take your mind off the troubles... what box are you usin for the w6

 

It depends on the cable. Do you have a continuity tester? If so cut the end off with a little wire left then strip the wir and test continuity for each wire to the end of the cable. The continutiy testers are really cheap from an auto store. Otherwise, usually the ground wire is not insulated inside like the positive wire. I hope that makes sense. It's a lot easier for me to just get it than explain it.

 

good idea... thanks for the help man. im going to be trying it in a few hours. I'll post back how it turns out. I did the soldering on the double din a/c myself so this shouldnt be as hard I cant wait to be able to get the most out of this system!

 

4080s box i highly recommend it

 

Did you fix it? GF

 

not yet. I think I know someone with a voltmeter, so I am trying to borrow that. i went to radioshack and got the connectors last night though. I am hoping to fix it later today.

 

just want to add, ive had 2 sets of rockford RCAs that were bad. i realized they made the ends too large and do not make a FIRM connection with the female plug. just cut your losses and get a GOOD set of RCAs

 

I would just solder on new ends. But that's something your better off having someone at a shop or something do for you if your unsure.