5
POWER 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.
The RD1500/1’s “+12 VDC” and “Ground”
connections are designed to accept 2 AWG
copper power wire. 2 AWG is the minimum
copper wire size for this amplifier.
If you are installing the RD1500/1 with other
amplifiers and wish to use a single main power
wire, use 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG main power wire
(depending on the overall current demands of all
the amplifiers in the system). This 2 AWG or
1/0 AWG copper power wire should terminate
into a fused distribution block mounted as
close to the amplifiers as possible (within 12
inches / 30 cm of wire length). The fused output
of the distribution block will connect to the
RD1500/1 with 2 AWG power wire. JL Audio
ECS fused distribution blocks are recommended
(XD-FDBU–2 and XD-FDBU–4).
Note: Smaller 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.).
To connect the power wires to the amplifier,
first back out the set screw on the top of the
terminal block, using the supplied 2.5 mm hex
wrench. Strip 1/2 inch (12 mm) of insulation from
the end of each wire and insert the bare wire into
the terminal block, seating it firmly so that no
bare wire is exposed. While holding the wire in
place, tighten the set screw firmly, taking care not
to strip the head of the screw.
The ground connection should be made using
2 AWG 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 a clean, metal-to-metal connection between
the chassis and the termination of the ground
wire. 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.
Any wires run through metal barriers (such
as firewalls), must be protected with a high
quality rubber grommet to prevent damage to the
insulation of the wire. Failure to do so may result
in a dangerous short circuit.
Only use oxygen-free copper (OFC) wire or
tinned copper wire for your amplifier’s
Power/Ground connections. Copper-clad
aluminum (CCA) wire is not recommended.
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 when installing amplifier systems
with main fuse ratings above 60A.
FUSE REQUIREMENTS
It is absolutely vital that the main power
wire(s) to the amplifier(s) in the system be
fused within 18 inches (45 cm) of the positive
battery post connection. The fuse value at each
power wire should be high enough for all of the
equipment being run from that power wire. If
only the RD1500/1 is being run from that power
wire, use a 150A fuse.
If fusing the amplifier near its power
connections (when more than one amp is being
run from the main power wire), use a 150A fuse
(ANL, AMG, AMI, etc.).
