1990lumina Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Alright,. so in 2 days lol, I'm gonna be installing my amp and stuff... I've been warned that the amp may kick out because of how I'm mounting it (upside down underneath the rear window in the trunk) - excessive heat will not go away from it... So, I'm going to install a computer fan along with the amp to keep the air moving around. My question is how would I wire up the fan so it will turn on and off with the amp/headunit. I've already been told you use the accessory (light blue?) wire from the headunit to turn on my amp...but what can I use to turn on the fan and keep it going? Does that accessory line from the headunit have enough volts to run this fan. The fan says 6-16volts... If the headunit can't run the fan...how do I wire it up to turn on with the amp? Or do I just have to wire it up so it comes on when the igintion is active...even when the amp is off? Thanks for putting up with my numerous posts guys! Thanks - Jeff L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Use the blue "turn on" wire to energize a relay to turn on with the stereo, and connect the "load" side of said relay to your amp's main power wire and power your fan off of that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted June 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Where can I get a relay like this?? Radioshack?? Thanks for the help Disco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 You can pick up one at the auto parts store (or even Wal-Mart) next to where they sell "Foglights." The relays I usually buy are labeled specifically for fog/driving lights, but they function the same as any other 12 volt relay, and they only cost 3 bucks each. The package has instructions on how to hook them up (there are 4 terminals: 1 is run to chassis ground, 1 goes to your "control" wire - in your case the power antenna/amp turn on lead, 1 goes to your power source - in your case to the amp's main power wire, and the last one goes to the positive side of whatever you're hoping to switch on - in your case the fan...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted June 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 You can pick up one at the auto parts store (or even Wal-Mart) next to where they sell "Foglights." The relays I usually buy are labeled specifically for fog/driving lights, but they function the same as any other 12 volt relay, and they only cost 3 bucks each. The package has instructions on how to hook them up (there are 4 terminals: 1 is run to chassis ground, 1 goes to your "control" wire - in your case the power antenna/amp turn on lead, 1 goes to your power source - in your case to the amp's main power wire, and the last one goes to the positive side of whatever you're hoping to switch on - in your case the fan...) Thanks very much Disco!! You've been a big help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 You're welcome! I'm always here to HBO (help a brother out...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlass1991 Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Yep, a relay is the way to go when attatching a computer fan, because they can draw anywhere from 5-10watts, and the amp turn-on lead from the head unit might put out only 500mW. Most computer fans have three wires on them (red, yellow, and black). For this application, only the red and black wires should be used because the yellow wire is just for sensing the rpm of the fan. Good luck jeff, i can't wait to see some pictures of this setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.