Clarion APX400 Operating & Installation Manual Download Page 11

INSTALLATION

This section lists Mounting and Wiring Precautions for installing the Clarion
APX400.4M.  Combined with the experience of a professional installer, these
safeguards provide enough detail to successfully complete an installation.  If
you do not have the necessary skills, do not install the amplifier yourself.
Instead, see your authorized Clarion dealer for installation recommendations.

MOUNTING PRECAUTIONS

Although the Clarion APX400.4M incorporates heat sinks and protection
circuits, mounting the amplifier in a tight space without any air movement can
still damage internal circuitry over time.  Choose a site that provides adequate
ventilation and is isolated from the marine environment.  For easy system set-
up, mount the amplifier so the front panel controls will be accessible after
installation.

In addition, observe the following precautions:

1. For the most efficient cooling, mount the amplifier so cool air runs along the
length of the fins rather than across them.  Remember, any moving air will
dissipate heat.

2. Mount the amplifier on a rigid surface.  Avoid mounting to subwoofer
enclosures or areas prone to vibration. 

3. Prior to drilling, make sure proposed mounting holes will not cut into the
fuel tank, fuel lines, brake lines (under chassis), or electrical wiring.

WIRING PRECAUTIONS

Read all wiring precautions.  If you are not sure of the connections, contact
your authorized Clarion dealer.

1. Before installation, make sure the source unit Power switch is in the OFF
position.   

2. Disconnect the negative (-) lead of the battery before making any power
connections.

3. When making connections, be sure that each connection is clean and secure.
Insulate final connections with electrical tape or shrink tubing.  Failure to do so
may damage your equipment.

4. A secure clean ground connection is critical to the performance of your
Clarion amplifier.  Use the shortest ground wire possible and securely connect
to the vessel battery to minimize resistance and avoid noise problems.

5. Add an external fuse on the amplifier’s positive (+) power lead and connect
it as close as possible to the vessel’s (+) battery terminal.  Use a rating that
equals the total current consumption at full output of all amplifiers in the
system.  Adding an external fuse will protect the electrical system from short
circuits that can cause a fire.  

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Summary of Contents for APX400

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...ulated PWM MOSFET power supply with low AM RFI and protection circuits for overheating and speaker shorts 2 ohm load capacity to drive a variety of speaker systems Gold plated input output connectors and an external automotive type fuse Aluminum heat sink for efficient heat dissipation Low profile compact size for space limited installations ABOUT THE MANUAL AND W ARRANTY To start enjoying your ne...

Page 3: ...keeps AM RFI at low levels so you won t hear unwanted noise when the level is cranked up Protection circuits safeguard the amplifier against overheating speaker shorts or improper load conditions that may occur All connections and controls are on the end panels and are easy to understand We use gold plated RCA and barrier connectors to ensure the best electrical connection for your system Included...

Page 4: ...tiplier for a wide range of crossover points Use this feature along with your speaker manufacturer s recommended crossover frequencies to quickly design a more advanced system see Applications on page 6 NOTE If either of the X Over Mode Switches is set to OFF varying the Freq Hz Control will produce no effect Rear X Over Frequency Multiplier Switch When engaged this switch increases the crossover ...

Page 5: ...s are unavailable WARNING When using the speaker high level inputs the Black wire must be grounded at the Radio Failure to do this will result in noise and improper operation CONNECTIONS FOR POWER AND SPEAKERS The rear panel of the APX400 4M contains power and speaker connections as shown below 3 1 Left Front Speaker Output 2 Right Front Speaker Output 3 Remote Turn on Input 4 Ground Input 5 Batte...

Page 6: ... used in a variety of system applications We ve enclosed some example systems to help plan your own installation 4 Channel Full Range Stereo System Figure 3 In this application the APX400 4M is used as a 4 channel amplifier to drive four full range speakers in stereo 4 ...

Page 7: ... System 2 Channels High Pass 2 Channels Low Pass Figure 4 In this 4 channel system the APX400 4M drives a pair of stereo satellites for the front and a pair of stereo subwoofers for the rear Note the filter settings 5 ...

Page 8: ...l Stereo System with Low Pass Bridged Mono Channel Figure 5 The APX400 4M can also be used to drive a pair of stereo satellites for the front and a single mono subwoofer for the rear Note the filter settings 6 ...

Page 9: ...2 Channel High Power Systems Satellite or Subwoofer Figure 6 The APX400 4M can be set up as a 2 channel high power amplifier to drive a pair of satellites or subwoofers 7 ...

Page 10: ...r 3 4 amplifier sections The table provides component values to create a 6dB per octave crossover at specified frequencies Use components that have a 5 tolerance and capacitors rated at 100V NOTE Choose the same frequency for both LP and HP crossovers Do not overlap frequencies as this may damage the amplifier 8 FREQ hz 80 100 125 150 200 L mH 8 0 6 4 5 1 4 2 3 2 C uF 497 398 318 265 199 ...

Page 11: ...d surface Avoid mounting to subwoofer enclosures or areas prone to vibration 3 Prior to drilling make sure proposed mounting holes will not cut into the fuel tank fuel lines brake lines under chassis or electrical wiring WIRING PRECAUTIONS Read all wiring precautions If you are not sure of the connections contact your authorized Clarion dealer 1 Before installation make sure the source unit Power ...

Page 12: ... you may need to add a second battery and possibly upgrade the alternator with a higher output rated model Consult your authorized Clarion dealer for recommendations 9 To avoid noise problems run the amplifier s positive power lead along one side of the vessel to the battery Run the remote turn on wire and RCA audio cables down the center and route the speaker wires along the remaining side If wir...

Page 13: ... select the desired mode LP for Low Pass HP for High Pass and OFF for Full Range 2 Using the Freq Hz Selection Control select the desired frequency If the desired frequency exceeds the range of the Freq Hz Selection Control press the Crossover Frequency Multiplier Switch to increase the value by a multiplier of 10 For example 55Hz x 10 550Hz or 550Hz x 10 5 5kHz 3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 for both the...

Page 14: ...ud even at low Volume Control settings Until you get an audio feel of the system s power use care when adjusting controls 2 Turn the Balance Controls to their extreme positions and listen to the results Audio output should match control settings audio from the left speaker when balance is left 3 Increase the volume and verify that the amplifier reproduces audio at full frequencies without distorti...

Page 15: ...Turn down input gain move audio cables away from power wires Check power and ground connections on amplifier install an in line noise filter on source unit s power wire check alternator and or voltage regulator test for weak battery or add water to battery PRODUCT SPECS APX400 4M NOTES Frequency Response Signal Noise Ratio THD Input Sensitivity Low Level Input Sensitivity Speaker Level Max Power O...

Page 16: ...661 W Redondo Beach Blvd Gardena CA 90247 1 800 GO CLARION www clarion usa com APX400 4M 10 Rev 2 05 00 ...

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