Hi all!

I'm really enjoying the mk2!!! The only gripe I currently have with the player is a *really* bad turn on/off thump... Is anybody else experiencing this? In my previous deck, I didn't have any thump. It's so loud that it freaks out some of my friends....

The thump is much louder when the unit is shutting off...

Any ideas on how to fix this?

Eddie

Sounds like you don't have your constant-power lead hooked up properly - the mk2 will only do this if you totally kill the power to it; you should run constant power to it, and just use the ignition line to turn it on/off..
-mark

...proud to have owned one of the first Mark I units

I'm almost positive I've got the constant power and ign power hooked up correctly... I'll hook up a voltmeter to it later this week to verify. The reason why I believe it's hooked up correctly is because I used the pinouts of my previous deck, to which I am 100% sure the power leads were correct. I'll let you know later how it was hooked up... any other ideas though?

Eddie
(reg user #53)

Yeah, what he said...

Just as an aside, I manage to create a power off thump when installing my new amp/speakers... When I put my head unit/crossover back into the dash, I managed to apply x ft/lbs (lb/ft?) of torque to the front right RCA connector of my crossover (where x is some number greater than the tensile strength of the circuit board.)

It made a terrible thump whenever I turned the unit off.

Valuable lesson learned, don't finish up an install at 2 a.m. when you're in a hurry to cram stuff back in the dash. Broken crossover = bad sound / nasty thump / less $$ for an empeg...

-Trevor

(p.s. can you tell I decided to play with emoticons?)

If it's not a problem with the constant power/ignition power leads, could you give us a more detailed picture of your wiring scheme including the amps? And what model car it is?

___________
Tony Fabris

Okay, I'm confused now (yes, again). I was under the impression that you could either have the empeg hooked up so that is was always on or it was turned off by the ignition and you couldn't turn it back on after that. Is this how it is? Is it possible to be able to turn it off with the ignition but be able to turn it back on without the key in at least accessory mode?

DiGNAN
13653

I was under the impression that you could either have the empeg hooked up so that is was always on or it was turned off by the ignition and you couldn't turn it back on after that. Is this how it is? Is it possible to be able to turn it off with the ignition but be able to turn it back on without the key in at least accessory mode?

Actually, it's better than that. With the Mark 2, they've added a really cool software feature: When you turn off the ignition, the Empeg goes into sleep mode without fully powering down. You have about a minute to wake it up again with a button press if you like. If you leave it alone for long enough, then it fully powers down.

In the days of the Mark 1, since there was only one power wire, this wasn't possible- you had to choose which power wire you connected the Empeg to: ignition or always-on.

This is one reason I find the turn-off-thump problem puzzling. If he's got a Mark 2, then the Empeg is just going into sleep mode and deactivating the amp remote wire. There shouldn't be hardly any thump at all unless there's something screwy about the car wiring or the amps- for instance, if the amp remote wire is connected to the ignition wire.

Oh, I just thought of another thing the thump-victim should try: Are his amp gains set too high? If so, then tiny little thumps could be unnecessarily amplified. Tune the amp gains so that 0db on the Empeg is the loudest you'll ever play it.

___________
Tony Fabris

I don't know if this is expected, but FWIW I get a thump when I pull the player out of the dash while it's playing...

Oh - and BTW - Tony, I love your Filk!

Bill B.
Mk.2 SN 080000183 - 18 GB / Green

I don't know if this is expected, but FWIW I get a thump when I pull the player out of the dash while it's playing...

I don't think there's anything that could be done about that.

Oh - and BTW - Tony, I love your Filk!

Thanks! There's a convention next month I'll be at, my neighbors are the guests of honor and their stuff is much better than mine. Although that doesn't do you much good since you're in Orlando and the con is in LA...

___________
Tony Fabris

Since my problem is the same as the original poster's ,
I'll give full details...

Car : Volvo V40 1.8i 2000
Empeg : Mark 2 #080000144
Amp : Caliber 80.5

My empeg is connected to :

permanent power : 12V
ignition sense : 12V if in state I or II, 0V if in state 0
lights sense : Varying between 3V and 10V
phone mute : Connected to Nokia 7110 in Nokia Carkit
Amp remote on : 12V if empeg is powered on

When I insert the empeg in it's sled when ignition is off (state 0) the player will not start up. When changing to state I the player boots, the amp get's powered (I hear a light pop), then the empeg goes into standby. Turning the knob or pushing any button will make it active again and the amp is powered again (light pop). When switching off the ignition (state 0) the empeg completely shuts down and a hard Thump is heard.... Note, I didn't start the car, I just switched from state 0 to 1 and back again...
I measured all voltage with a simple multimeter, but couldn't find any voltage changes during statechange...


Frank van Gestel

Interesting. It shouldn't make a loud thump in that case.

Question: Did you have a previous stereo hooked up to the same amplifier? Did the previous stereo make the amplifier thump?

Second question, if you unplug the RCA cables from the amplifier (but leave everything else hooked up exactly the same) do you get the thump in that situation?

___________
Tony Fabris

Just a minute; testing now...

Tested and no thump if RCA cables are disconnected.
The empeg completely loses power it seems...
Maybe the standard volvo 12V permanent power line isn't completely permanent; I'll try to take the 12V from the amp to the empeg (the amp is directly connected to the battery).

For your first question : No, the amp is brand new...

Edited by fvgestel on 29/8/00 08:10 PM.

The empeg completely loses power it seems...

The empeg should go from "on" to "standby" when you turn off the ignition. If it completely loses power when you turn off the ignition, then that could be the reason. But I thought this had already been ruled out.

Also, is the Empeg running the latest 1.0 software?

___________
Tony Fabris

Yes I am running the 1.0 version software and I tested the direct 12V line this time, but with no result... :<

I am sure there is constant 12V on the line, though the empeg stops immediately; led goes out and harddisk stops abruptly

How about when you put the empeg into the sled while the engine is off; should the empeg power on?

Frank van Gestel

I am sure there is constant 12V on the line, though the empeg stops immediately; led goes out and harddisk stops abruptly

Well, that's what's causing the thump. It should just go into standby mode at that point, the hard disk should spin down gracefully, etc.

How about when you put the empeg into the sled while the engine is off; should the empeg power on?

Not so sure about that one, I don't own a Mark 2.

I tested the direct 12V line this time, but with no result...

Blown fuse on the constant 12v line, perhaps? Triple-check your wiring and fuses. Look in the Empeg's owner's manual for the color-coding on the hookup wires, and triple-check that the wires are really correctly hooked up. How sure are you about the car's wiring pinouts?

Make sure to let us know when you resolve this, because I want to put it in the FAQ when we come to a conclusion.

___________
Tony Fabris

The install was done by CASK www.cask.nl (local car-hifi specialist). I spoke with the installer and he convinced me it was installed the way described in the manual. (I double checked by reading the voltage on the lines with a multimeter)

The main problem is : empeg stops functioning after ignition sense changes to 0V

Frank van Gestel

Here's one thing to test for - does the blue led in the upper right of the empeg stay on when you kill your ignition? If not, then you don't have it wired properly.. If you can, test out the always-on-12V, and see if it really is always on...

-mark

...proud to have owned one of the first Mark I units

Frank,
Drop me a message or an e-mail ith your telephone number and we'll compare behaviour of the player. I bet you have ignition and 12V permanent reversed.

Henno
mk2 6 nr 6

I bet you have ignition and 12V permanent reversed.

If that were the case, wouldn't it keep playing after the ignition was turned off? Seeing as how I just posted a FAQ to that effect, I hope that's not the case.

___________
Tony Fabris

I am sure there is constant 12V on the line, though the empeg stops immediately; led goes out and harddisk stops abruptly

This sounds like your 12v is NOT permanent. This shouldn't happen unless the empeg receives no power at all.

How about when you put the empeg into the sled while the engine is off; should the empeg power on?

If I recall, mine powers up for a second (I think I see the logo, etc.) and then goes back to sleep mode. I'll post an edit in a half hour or so when I go home.

-Trevor

-----
Mk 2, Green 12GB 080000349

(..) ignition and 12V permanent reversed. If that were the case, wouldn't it keep playing after the ignition was turned off?

I don't think so. When ignition and permanent are reversed, the player would never shut itself down as the feeler wire will always see 12V. At the same time, it'll use the ignition wire to feed itself. Thus, when ignition is killed, the rug is pulled on the juice and the player will run out of power before it can shut itself down. Hence the thump . . .

Start-up sequence / flashing leds etc will tell.

Seeing as how I just posted a FAQ to that effect, I hope that's not the case.




Henno
mk2 6 nr 6

Thus, when ignition is killed, the rug is pulled on the juice and the player will run out of power before it can shut itself down. Hence the thump

I see your point. However, if the ignition sense wire can also pull the primary juice to feed the player without the yellow wire, then my theory (blown fuse on yellow wire with a correctly wired player) could also explain it.

Hugo, if the player is only getting juice through the ignition wire (i.e., if the yellow wire isn't getting any juice), then will it still run? And if so, can the software also tell the difference? In other words, if they have only the ignition wire hooked up but not the permanent wire, or if they have them backwards, then perhaps the player could display a (defeatable) warning message?

___________
Tony Fabris

If there is no power on the yellow wire but there is power on the orange one, the mk2 will run and it cannot tell that there is no power on the yellow wire (permanent feed).

This is being addressed with a slight change to the main board for the next 1000 units - don't panic, there's no extra functionality just a design cleanup :)

If the unit is powering off suddenly when accessory goes away (and +12v permanent fuse is ok) then the problem does sound like the "permanent" 12v supply isn't very permanent.

Hugo

Hugo: Thanks for the clarification.

Henno: Told ya so. Neener neener.

Fvgestel: Something is screwy with the wiring. It's not as simple as the permanent/ignition wires being swapped. It could be more serious, like the installer hooked up the wires wrong, for instance swapping the headlight sense with the permanent 12v. (I'm not saying that's what he did, I'm just saying it could possibly be something serious like that.)

Why do I think it's more serious? Because you said you verified the 12v permanent wire once before, and it suddenly quit working. True, odds are it's a blown fuse, but something had to blow that fuse. The Empeg doesn't draw enough juice to blow your average radio fuse (At least I don't think it does). When you check the fuse, check how many amps it's rated for. Let us know what else you find.

___________
Tony Fabris

The follow-up I promised. Yes, the empeg powers up briefly when docked in the car.

-Trevor

-----
Mk 2, Green 12GB 080000349

NOW it sounds like everything is wired correctly; you should discuss it directly with Empeg at this point..
-mark

...proud to have owned one of the first Mark I units

OK, I just installed mine and am having the same problem with the same symptoms. I am 99% sure that in my case, both the accesory AND "constant" feeds are going off with the ignition. This is on a 2000 Jeep Wrangler. I plan to rewire with the main empeg lead going straight to the fuse box (rather than using the feed from the stock harness) tomorrow. Will post back with results.

-Mike

Told ya so. Neener neener
Excellent guess. Another brownie point for Toni

Too bad though that this won't apply to future empegs:

(Hugo said)
This is being addressed with a slight change to the main board for the next 1000 units - don't panic, there's no extra functionality just a design cleanup :)

Hugo: What about the units after the next 1000?
Tony: What are you going to say now in your FAQ


Henno
mk2 6 nr 6

I should have said "future units" though with the component shortages we're sufffering from at the moment you can't rely on anything :(

Hugo

Just for interest - Do you have a number of produced(or delivered) Mk2 units in mind?

TeeMcBee
Got my Mk2! # 080000143

I now have a thump when I didn't before (MKII #335). Here's what I did:

I got a CD/Radio which I wanted to switch on with empeg, not the ignition. I installed this a few days ago and all had been going great, no thumps, could power up empeg after the key came out (radio was wired to ignition switch)

Today, wanting to get the radio to switch with the empeg I crimped the radio's switched power lead (red)in with the amp turn on lead (blue). I left the radio's full time 12 V (yellow) alone.

I turned on the ignition to position 2 (acc power). The empeg & radio turn on. I switched the key back to position 1 (no acc power) and the empeg turned off with a blinking LED. I turned the empeg on with the LH top button. The radio came on as well. All's good at this point.

With the empeg still on I put in the key and started the car's engine. Still good.

I switched the engine off and THUD. Now every time I switch between key position 2 and 1 (1 is just after the postion where you can remove the key) I get a thud. The continuous power line is still 12V (I checked). The switched lead goes from 12V to 0V when the key turns from 2 to 1 (I checked). So what is it?

I have the developer kernel 1.0 installed as well as the voladj kernel.

I'm willing to check anything (have multimeter, will travel), but as it worked once but then quit it sure feels like it might be a bug.

I wired it back the way it had been before (took radio switched lead off amp wire) and it still thumped. I checked the memory lead fuse & continuity, still good.

After a few more checks I can with certainty say that the memory lead stays +12V the whole time (measured inside the sled) and the switched lead goes from +12V to 0 when the key is switched from position 2 to 1.

(a very confused)
-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Aha! I've got an iffy crimp on the back of sled on the orange lead. I'll be contacting empeg customer service soon. I can wiggle the orange wire where it enters the back of th sled and get continuity on and off. This must be the problem. I wonder if this has happened to others.

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

I crimped the radio's switched power lead (red)in with the amp turn on lead (blue).

You what? Argh, no wonder you're having troubles. I think you should just activate the CB radio and the Empeg separately and not worry about it.

___________
Tony Fabris

Sorry it took so long for me to respond to this--- but I checked and double checked my power connections and they are all correct. I am however running the .99 version of the player (I haven't received my serial cable yet to upgrade it to 1.0). Could this be part of the problem?

My second post was completely wrong. The orange crimp on the sled is OK (the socket was moving away from my test lead when I wiggled).

No, Tony, the red is the switched lead for the Kenwood CD/radio (not CB) and it also has a yellow full-time power wire, which is hooked up with the empeg's to the full time from the harness. It thumps even when I cut the red radio lead out entirely.

Needless to say I'm pretty frustrated, and here's the weird bit: I can remove the car's fuse which is for the empeg's switched lead when the keys are in position two. The empeg shuts down gracefully (into sleep mode) and no thump. If I use the keys to turn off the switched lead, thump & the unit quits hard (display right out & no LED). All I can figure is a spike is going through when I use the keys. My multimeter doesn't pick anything up, but it's pretty slow (digital).

Does anybody have a suggestion for a good cap value to try to test my spike theory?

-Zeke


just say you weren't paying much attention...

A note for eyee: I reprogrammed my unit from MKII 1.0 developer to MKII 1.0 consumer & there was no change in the thump behavior (FWIW).

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Does anybody have a suggestion for a good cap value to try to test my spike theory?

Well, I have an entire thread on the subject of caps and stuff here, but my concern is that you started off with no thump problem, then you started having a thump when you tried wiring your radio power to the Empeg's amp remote. You shouldn't need to wire any capacitors with the Mark 2 unless something else is wrong.

I fear that by wiring a high-amperage line (the red lead from your other stereo) to the relatively low-capacity amp remote line (on the empeg), you may have damaged something which is making the thump happen now.

Can you draw us a diagram of the system's wiring scheme and post it here so we can see what we're dealing with?

If you still want to go the capacitor route, remember that you need a rectifier/diode as well. Here are the capacitor values, and here is the proper schematic as to how to wire them with the diodes. Although this is a simplified wiring diagram for an empeg-only installation. Yours would be much more complicated since you have multiple head units.

___________
Tony Fabris

I am however running the .99 version of the player (I haven't received my serial cable yet to upgrade it to 1.0). Could this be part of the problem?

I'm not sure. Possibly. If upgrading to 1.0 solves the problem, make sure you post that information here.

When you checked your wiring, did you get out the Empeg user's manual and look at the color-coding of the cables? Did you use a voltmeter on the car's wires to make sure that continuous power was really continuous, and that the ignition wire really switched properly?

___________
Tony Fabris

I crimped the radio's switched power lead (red)in with the amp turn on lead (blue).

You should be very careful doing things like this, as the switched power lead is not intended to supply any significant current (I believe it's fused at 1A). Since it's the accessory input to the radio it MIGHT not take much current, but some head units actually power up through the switched input and only use the permanant power feed to preserve memory.

Have you checked the current rating for that power line on your CD head?

Hugo will probably have to think about the thump problem - if it didn't do it originally, and now it does it after returning the configuration to the original state, SOMETHING must have changed.

Rob

Danger will robinson! The empeg +12v amp switched line will supply a MAXIMUM of 1A. Powering your CD head unit from this is *NOT* a good idea - it *will* probably blow the internal fuse in the empeg (which is resettable if you leave it for 10 minutes or so to cool down).

This probably accounts for your problem - the head unit is drawing so much current that the amp remote line is being dragged down and causing a "blip" which makes the amps thump.

If you want this setup, use a relay on the amp remote line to switch a permanent 12v line into the accessory power input of your CD head unit.

Hugo

This morning's progress:

Step 1: Cut CD/Radio switched power lead out of Amp relay circuit. Now empeg is wired exactly as it had been all week (with no thump).

Step 2: Slide empeg into sled.

Step 3: turn keys to positon 2 (acc power on). empeg starts up & plays.

Step 4: turn keys to positon 1. Thump.

Step 5: turn keys back to position 2, let empeg begin playing.

Step 6: pull fuse that controls switched power line. No thump and there was a correct LED & shutdown.

Results of the multimeter: switching the keys from 2 to 1 drops the switch power line to 0.001/0.000 VDC. Removing the fuse (with key in position 2) drops the switched power line to 0.030 VDC. Hmmmm. I checked all voltages at the sled, so I'm certain there's no continuity issues. I also confirmed the switched line voltage at the vehicle harness (empeg & radio harness disconnected) to be sure the something wasn't backdriving the switched line that 0.03V.

I also checked the load from the amps (two 2 channel amps) on the blue lead at 0.22-0.23 A, well within the 1A limit.

I think my next step may be to get a relay as Hugo suggested but use it for the switched power line (ie command line side from key switch and switched side between permanent 12V and empeg's switched 12V line). Further, if this helps the thump I'm going to get another relay and put its control lines on the amp line and the power side from permanent 12V to the switched power into the CD/Radio to achieve my original goal.

A thought on the didn't thump before, does now situation: most times I'm not switching the unit on/off multiple times. So, if it didn't thump the 1st time, I wouldn't have noticed it. However, it did thump 1st time round this morning, so I'm not sure what to think.

Thoughts?

-Zeke

ps: for what other product is a company principal going to answer a question on Sunday morning? -NONE-

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Hmm, I may have a related problem. I get the same boom while turning off the car. I thought at first that I had a wiring issue or that my 12volt constant lead might not be that constant. Then something weird happened. For 1 day everything worked fine, no thumps. I turned the car on and off several times with zero problems. The next day the thumps where back.

I have not had a chance to tear apart the wiring yet, but I am reasonably certain that my connections are solid (they are all soldered and encased in shrink tubing. I have the remote turn on leads for two amps running from the empegs remote lead. I am probably going to check the wiring this afternoon, so I will post back if I turn up anything.

-Mike

Radio Shack 12V/30A automotive relay P/N 275-0226 SOLVED MY THUMP!!!

How to wire it: Put the switched line from the car harness into the on/off, the car harness ground to the ground terminal, the 12V constant into the 12V in and the empeg switched lead into the 12V out. VOILA. NO THUMP!!!! (can you tell I'm a little excited?)

I don't know for sure why it solved my thump (I'll stick with my voltage spike theory), but there it is. There must be _something_ about how the keyswitch was dropping the voltage from 12 to 0, otherwise what explains the fuse pull/keyswitch difference I observed? Any electrical engineers in the audience tonight? I'm just one happy camper. The stats on the relay can be found below:

http://www.radioshack.com/ProductSupport/DocumentDetail/Index/1,2360,,00.html?Doc=/support_auto/doc38/38002.htm

Since it draws only 160mA I'm going to put my 2nd one in the amp output line to switch my Kenwood head unit.

joy!

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Kenwood CD/Radio & empeg are both relayed & working wonderfully. I can't imagine I'm the only one who would try to set a second head unit as slave to turn on/off with empeg, maybe a FAQ on this subject? Now, about that clogged washer drain & flooded basement floor....

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Yep, definately appear to have a bug with the empeg here. I verified my wiring. The 12 volt constant is staying at 12 volts (consantly ;) and the accessory lead is turning off with the vehicle. And yet, the empeg shuts off abrubtly when the car drops power on the accesory lead and I get a thump as a result. If I physically remove power from the accesory lead the empeg shuts down gracefully as expected.

Is it possible that the empeg expects the accesory lead to go all the way to zero volts and if it stays just a bit above that the empeg shuts off abrubtly causing a thump?

For now I have wired memory and accessory to my car's constant on line so that the empeg stays on to avoid this thump.

Oh, by the way, the empegs memory appears to get cleared when it shuts off with a thump. I lose my playlist or position in the playlist as well as fader and equalizer settings.

-Mike

Oh, by the way, the empegs memory appears to get cleared when it shuts off with a thump. I lose my playlist or position in the playlist as well as fader and equalizer settings.

This indicates something serious going wrong with the power feed to the Empeg (or as you suggested, something possibly wrong with the Empeg itself). This is what happens when the Empeg gets a "powerfail" state, and it is not the intended behavior.

Can you make us a wiring diagram of how everything is hooked up, including amps, etc.? Maybe there's something obvious we can debug for you.

___________
Tony Fabris

Tony, I don't really think a wiring diagram is necessary as I disconnected everything in the process of testing. At one point the only three wires I had connected to the empeg where ground, 12v constant, 12v accessory.

I verified (with one of those automotive probes with the test light in it) that the 12v constant feed was always on and that the 12v accessory feed was going on and off with the key as one would expect. Whenever I shut off the ignition the empeg goes into the 'powerfail' state you mentioned. If I simply disconnected the accessory wire the empeg did a gracefull shutdown.

I also tried running the 12v constant feed straight to the battery with the same results.

I think this isolates it to the 12v accesory feed which is going on and off, but with my limited on hand testing gear, I can not determine the exact voltage level of the "off" state. Maybe I will try to dig up a multimeter tomorrow to determince exactly what is happening with the accesory line. For now, it seems to me that the line may be in some intermediate state between full on and full off that is confusing the empeg. Been a few years since my last electrical engineering course, but I think there is even a name for that :-)

Any of the empeg hardware dudes want to chime in and tell me if that is a possibility?

-Mike

For now, it seems to me that the line may be in some intermediate state between full on and full off that is confusing the empeg. Been a few years since my last electrical engineering course, but I think there is even a name for that :-)

YES!!! It's called "Debounce"!

You may have hit on something!

Hugo, is the sense on the 12v switched line debounced?!?

___________
Tony Fabris

I can't see how this would happen: obviously, it's a binary input so can either be 1 or 0. If it's 1, the empeg stays powered. If it goes to 0, the empeg *still* stays powered (as long as the permanent 12v feed does not go away *at all*). The empeg turning off is a *software* action - for example, if you quit the player then turn the ignition off, the empeg will stay on forever. This is how the configurable software delay works.

The fact that your player turns off suddenly sounds very much like a glitch in the permanent 12v line when the accessory input is also low.

I'd like to verify this with some proper test gear (ie, dual channel storage scope) but we can't replicate the problem on my MX5, beetle, or the empeg a-class. Steve hasn't reported any problems either on his Volvo :(

Hugo

See my last message - it's not debounced, but doesn't have to be as powering off is a software action. I've tried to reproduce some bounce (our dashboard we use for shows has switches in both main and accessory power lines) but I'll try again. Maybe there's a race condition in the player which is causing the problem.

Actually, this might give me useful info. Can someone with the problem hook up a laptop in-car (you will need to ensure the laptop gnd is the same as the car ground due to the missing pin on the in-car serial connector :( ), quit the player, then turn the ignition off and see if the empeg dies? If it stays on, it's a software fault...

Hugo

But you could drive a relais with the amp remote - line. And the relais switches the direct battery-power to the CD-headunit. That's the same thing amps do.

TeeMcBee
Got my Mk2! # 080000143

Ooopss - as I just read you've already done this by now... sorry..

TeeMcBee
Got my Mk2! # 080000143

I might be able to hook up a laptop this week if I can sneak one out of the office for a night. Can you tell me specifically how to ensure the laptop is grounded directly to the car? I'll have to take my relay out, but this is not a big deal.

-Zeke

just say you weren't paying much attention...

Mike,

You wrote:
"And yet, the empeg shuts off abruptly when the car drops power on the accesory lead and I get a thump as a result. If I physically remove power from the accesory lead the empeg shuts down gracefully as expected."
This is precisely the behavior I observed.

You also wrote:
"...the empegs memory appears to get cleared when it shuts off with a thump. I lose my playlist or position in the playlist as well as fader and equalizer settings."

This also happened on my unit when the player dropped after a keyswitch with a thump.

Repeatability is a wonderful thing.

My vehicle is a 99 Subaru Forrester S that came equipped with (HA!) "premium sound package" (radio/tape head and single CD player slave).

-Zeke


just say you weren't paying much attention...

Hugo,

you write: "...sounds very much like a glitch in the permanent 12v line when the accessory input is also low."

This thought does not jibe with my relay solution. I did not change the permanent 12V input line, just the switched line. It also doesn't match with Mike & my observations about proper operation when power is manualy removed from the switched 12V line (ie it works properly).

You say that the power is at either 0 or 1 (0 or 12 V). In reality the shutoff is never going to be a nice square wave. (Not knowing how you have things set up on the inside...) Could it be that depending on when the voltage level is sampled it may not be this simple and this is misinterpreted by software as a powerfail? It just seems that the behavior of the empeg is affected the quality/shape of the 12V to 0 step down. Or, perhaps the strange step down pulls the ground level of the empeg up briefly so that the empeg thinks it's getting less than 12V from the unswitched main? I don't know how things are laid out in there and I'm just spitballing possibilities.


-Zeke


just say you weren't paying much attention...

This is the exact problem I had earlier. I posted how I fixed it in this message. When I was doing testing I did just about everything except quit the player and see if it would stay alive.

-Finally received my Mark2 no thanks to customs.

I've yet to read anything in this thread that says where you have connected your car cables too on your empeg. Are you sure you have 12V (perm) going to the 12 V (perm input, empeg), the 12V (switched) going to the 12 V (switched input, empeg), and ground-ground? You haven't for example connected the switched lead to the empeg Accessory control (output) line?

Are you using an ISO connector or splicing in?

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

If you're suffering from this problem, please refer to the thread I started in the Technical forum.

Thanks.