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 XD400/4v2’s “+12 VDC” and “Ground”
connections are designed to accept 4 AWG power
wire. 8 AWG is the minimum required wire size
for this amplifier.
If you are installing the XD400/4v2 with other
amplifiers and wish to use a single main power
wire, use 4 AWG, 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG main
power wire (depending on the overall current
demands of all the amplifiers in the system). This
4 AWG, 2 AWG or 1/0 AWG power wire should
terminate into a fused distribution block mounted
as close to the amplifiers as possible (within 12
inches / 30cm of wire length). The fused output
of the distribution block will connect to the
XD400/4v2 with 8 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
8 or 4 AWG 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.
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 XD400/4v2 is being run from that power
wire, use a 40A fuse.
If fusing the amplifier near its power
connections (when more than one amp is being
run from the main power wire), use a 40A fuse
(MAXI™ big plastic-body fuse is recommended).
Summary of Contents for XD 400/4v2
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