Power and Turn-on Connections Before installing the amplifier, disconnect the
negative (ground) wire from the vehicle’s battery. This will prevent accidental damage to the system, the vehicle and your body during installation.
+12 VDC Ground Remote
Front
+12V Battery Connection
You will need to connect a power wire to the vehicle’s positive battery terminal, using an appropriate power ring or specialized battery terminal connector, such as the JL Audio XB-BTU. This connection must be tight and corrosion-free to ensure proper connectivity. This wire MUST be fused appropriately for safety. Any positive power wires run through metal barriers (such as firewalls), must be protected with a high quality insulating grommet to prevent damage to the insulation of the wire. Failure to do so may result in a dangerous short circuit.
Power Wire Requirements
The HD600/4’s “+12 VDC” and “Ground” connections are designed to accept 4 AWG power wire. 4 AWG pure copper wire is recommended for any power wire run longer than 72 inches (180 cm). For runs shorter than 72 inches, 8 AWG pure copper power wire is acceptable.
If you are installing the HD600/4 with other amplifiers and wish to use a single main power wire, use 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG pure copper wire as a main power wire. This 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG power wire should terminate into a distribution block mounted as close to the amplifiers as possible and should connect to the HD600/4 with 4 AWG or 8 AWG pure copper power wire.
Please note that lower AWG numbers mean bigger wire and vice-versa (1/0 AWG is the largest, 2 AWG is smaller, then 4 AWG, then 8 AWG, etc.).
We do not recommend the use of “copper- clad aluminum wire” or “CCA” wire because this wire is significantly less conductive than pure copper wire. Only use pure copper power wire, such as JL Audio’s MetaWire™. Tinned copper wire (silver color) is acceptable as the tin-plating is only a very minor component of the wire.
Fuse Requirements
The installation of a fuse on the main power
wire, within 18 wire inches (45 cm) of the positive battery terminal is vital to protect the wire and the vehicle from fire in the event of a collision or short-circuit. The fuse value at each power wire should be just high enough for all of the equipment being run from that power wire. Do not use a fuse with a value that far exceeds the total fuse rating of the electronics connected to the wire.
If only the HD600/4 is being run from that power wire, we recommend a 50A fuse be used. AGU (big glass fuse). AFS (small blade fuse) or MaxiFuse™ (big plastic-body fuse) types are recommended. If other amplifiers are also being powered from the wire and exceed 80 amps in total fuse rating, we recommend the use of an ANL (large-blade) fuse and holder. Please consult with your JL Audio dealer to make sure that the wire, fuse holder and fuse rating you have selected are appropriate for your system’s needs.
If other amplifiers are also being powered from a main power wire and exceed 80 amps in total fuse rating, we recommend the use of an ANL (large-blade) fuse and holder. Each amplifier can then be fused independently at the outputs of the power distribution block. Use JL Audio part XC-FOA-2PAK and appropriate MaxiFuse™ type fuses with JL Audio distribution blocks.
Please consult with your JL Audio dealer to make sure that the wire, fuse holder and fuse ratings are appropriate for your system’s needs. The safety of your installation depends on appropriate power connections and fuse protection.
Ground Connection
The chassis ground connection must be made using 4 AWG or 8 AWG pure copper wire and should be kept as short as possible, while accessing a solid piece of sheet metal in the vehicle. The surface of the sheet metal should be sanded at the contact point to create
aclean, metal-to-metal connection between the chassis and the termination of the ground wire with a brass or copper power ring. For optimal grounding, we recommend the use of a JL Audio ECS master ground lug (XB-MGLU). Alternatively, a sheet metal screw or bolt can be used with a star washer.
Many vehicles employ small (10 AWG - 6 AWG) wire to ground the battery to the vehicle chassis and to connect the alternator’s positive connection to the battery. To prevent voltage drops, these wires should be upgraded to 4 AWG pure copper wire when installing amplifier systems with main fuse ratings above 60A.
Turn-On Wire
The HD600/4 uses a conventional +12V remote turn-on wire, typically controlled by the source unit’s remote turn-on output. The amplifier will turn on when +12V is present at its “Remote” input and turn off when +12V is switched off. If a source unit does not have a dedicated remote turn-on output, the amplifier’s turn-on lead can be connected to +12V via a switch that derives power from an ignition-switched circuit.
The HD600/4’s “Remote” turn-on connector is designed to accept 18 AWG – 12 AWG wire. 18 AWG is more than adequate for this purpose.
To connect the remote turn-on wire to the amplifier, first back out the set screw on the bottom of the Power Connector Plug, using the supplied hex wrench. Strip 1/2 inch (12mm) of wire and insert the bare wire into the receptacle, seating it firmly so that no bare wire is exposed. When using smaller wire, it may be necessary to strip 1 inch of insulation from the wire and fold the bare wire in half prior to insertion. While holding the wire in the terminal, tighten the set screw firmly using the supplied 2.5 mm hex wrench, taking care not to strip the head of the screw and making sure that the wire is firmly gripped by the set screw.
Amplifier Power Connector Plug
To connect the power wires and the remote turn-on wire to the amplifier, unplug the power connector plug from the amplifier chassis (pull back firmly) and back out the set screws on the connector plug, using the supplied 4 mm hex wrench for the +12 VDC” and “Ground” connections and the supplied 2.5 mm hex wrench for the “Remote” connection. Strip 3/8 inch (10
mm)of insulation from the end of each wire and insert the bare wire into the receptacle on power connector plug, seating it firmly so that no bare wire is exposed. While holding each wire in place, tighten each set screw firmly, taking care not to strip the head of the screw.
Never make power connections with a “live” wire. Always disconnect the negative battery post before making any connections or adjustments to a 12V power connection!
