Using Steve Meade designs SMD-DD1 to set amp gains

I'm having a rough time not getting my sd2 to go into protect. I've tried all the settings wetsounds recommended to me, I've checked voltage at the amp. I am getting 12.6v to the Amps.
I have an sd4 for my in boats, and a 2600w Brutus running my subs.
Nothing else goes into protect. What gives?
I've started thinking my batteries may be getting old and tired, but none of my other amps give me a problem.

My last resort is using an smd dd1 distortion meter to find out what's up before I go through sending the amp back to wetsounds for it possibly being faulty.
I have read about the early production units of the SD series having this same issue, so I hope it's not a faulty unit. The amp goes into protect at less than half gain. It doesn't seem right to me.

Anyone have an SMD-DD1 I can borrow for a week or so before I go out and buy one just to tune these amps?

You shouldn't need the meter. Try this:
Triple check the ground.
Check the voltage at the amplifier primary terminals under load right up to the point that the amplifier goes into protect.
Disconnect all speakers and test with one tower speaker at a time.
Temporarily switch the RCAs with the inboat amplifier.
If you do not discover a problem and the amplifier still goes into protect, I would ship it in for service.

J,

This is a rhetorical question, so please do not answer it on line, but who is selling you all this awesome expensive gear? On 2 forums, I have fallowed you buying and selling equipment. At one time, you had enough equipment for 2 boats, your Centurion and the Supreme. Now, for the past number of months, its been thread after thread with issues with the install, wiring, tuning of the gear and its performance.

You say your last resort is the SMD-DD1, I say your 1st resort is/was to get with your retailer/installer and drop the boat off to them and let them work out all the bugs and get it tuned correctly.

Now, if you want to tackle this your self, I would check to see if one of the speaker wires has been pierced and is shorting on the tower. This easily happens where the wires pass through the tower tube to the clamp, or the foot of the tower as it passes through the tower leg and deck. The load on the amp is too much as the output (volume) goes up.

The only issue the boat has had stereo wise, is the sd2.
I did question the range of the BT module, but I guess by the time I am out of the boat, it is technically further than I think.
For instance, the swim platform is a good 10ft from the module itself, that's where I have to catch myself. Not range from the boat, but range from the module itself.
I am getting a good 20ft with signal.
But other than that, this amp has been and still is the only issue. It may seem different because the length of time. It has happened since it went in at the end of the season and I have been asking questions through the off season

^^^^ Dead on with the shorted conductor Mike.
There are also other very similar causes such as a partially burnt speaker voice coil where a portion of the enamel VC wire coating is no longer providing insulation. As the speaker heats up quickly the resistance drops like a rock, thus the amplifier goes into protection. It's easy to misdiagnose as a bad amplifier and a speaker in this condition can hang on for awhile making you believe the problem is elsewhere because the DCR measures fine when it cools. The problem won't last too long before the speaker fails. But it can ruin the amplifier also if the amplifier doesn't have a good self-protecting circuit. The Wetsounds amplifier may be bad or just doing its job of self preservation. That's why you have to either test the tower harness, circumvent the tower harness, substitute speakers, or test one speaker at a time. No short cut for plain old elbow grease.

Well whatever it is, it has been a headache from the very first second it was turned on.
So I doubt there is a blown speaker.
I'll take it down to acme and have them go through the tower to the tower amp.
I just don't want to waste the money on labor, and the amp be the problem all along

I have a DD-1, while I agree with everyone that you SHOULDN'T need the DD-1 to not go into protect; I'm glad I have mine, it really allows me to set everything up for a really clean sound. It is super easy to use, PM me if you have any questions.

If you really want to borrow a DD1, send me an pm. I'll rent you mine

Chpthril, what by chance ever came of this thread/solution, as It is the same issue I am having with the SD.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/arch...p/t-19826.html

Dunno, but ive asked for an update, so we'll see.

Check back to the tigeowners link. I replied there.

Originally Posted by bushtree

If you really want to borrow a DD1, send me an pm. I'll rent you mine

Sending pm

I think I may have found my issue. I hope. I saw in the tigeowners thread, op also had this mistake.
I also have my 420 b+ wire, connected to the switched red source for the head unit.
Could this be causing the 420 to not draw enough current and send a weak signal to the amp?
I'll switch it today when I get home to the b+ yellow constant wire for the hu and see where that takes me.

If this doesn't solve/help the issue, I'll send the amp back. But I'd like to limit my down time, so hopefully this fix takes me somewhere.

Ok, switched the wires and the amp DOES NOT cut off. Haven't touched the gain.
It is on the dot between 1/4 and 1/2 still.
But when I crank it up, my port side pair is definitely louder than starboard.
Could this be because the wiring travels a foot or so further to the other pair, or is it a debunked speaker, lowering the ohm load that the pair is seeing.
They all play crystal clear.

Pic for reference. Am I safe to go up a bit. Or should it stay where it's at?

EQ settings are straight up and down on all tower settings "default"

are you running stereo or mono?

Stereo.
Mono is for bridged only. Correct?

no, not necessarily.

Switch to mono and see if they left and right still have a noticeable difference in volume. Then swap RCAs left and right.

Shut system down, swapped to mono

On mono only the right pair works.

Shut down, swap back to stereo. Right side still only works now

Shut down once more, turn back on, still stereo. All 4 are on again.
This is driving me nuts.
I may just be nervous that all this **** is so expensive. They very well may all be the same volume and I'm just sweating it.

But if this is as loud as they are, I'm going to be slightly disappointed, when this guy at the river this weekend had some haggard ass NVS addiction speakers that blow these rev10's out of the water.
He had a unit that looked similar to the rev410, and a pair of 10's

Similar to the rev 3some

Now, with the settings pictured.
Do I leave the knobs on the EQ centered? Or may I turn the "mid" up on the tower.
I don't want to blow these sob's now that everything is working correctly.
Are those amp settings safe from hooligans on my boat blowing my stereo up?

I've done many systems since I was 15 - installs, tunes enclosures etc but when it came time to tune my system with the revs and expensive gear I decided to pay a shop that does it every day for a living to tune it. My tune was close to the final settings but there was a difference. Pay someone $50 and call it good. Best piece of mind you'll pay for.

Originally Posted by bass10after

I've done many systems since I was 15 - installs, tunes enclosures etc but when it came time to tune my system with the revs and expensive gear I decided to pay a shop that does it every day for a living to tune it. My tune was close to the final settings but there was a difference. Pay someone $50 and call it good. Best piece of mind you'll pay for.

This is exactly what I'm going through! I've never had/used an HLCD, and with the price tag I'm scared to death of them.
I've wired MANY stereos, never had an issue.
The in boat speakers, subs, all that I have 100% confidence in tuning in the amps and getting them installed and situated.
These rev10's are a new journey for me and they are $3,000 speakers. Nerve-racking