tim@oucs.UUCP (Tim Thompson) (02/16/86)
I know this message is going to show my ignorance, but at the risk of sounding
dumb, I want to find out what my problem is. I have a standard radio in my car
with 8 speaker wires coming out - positive and negative to two front and two
rear speakers. I have a tape deck with four speaker wires - two to the right
and two to the left speakers. My switch has four wires for the tape deck
connection (just right), and four wires for the radio connection (not right.)
My question: What four wires should I use for the radio connection to the
switch? Should I leave the wires that aren't necessary (if any) connected to
something, or just clip it?
As I said, this posting demonstrates my ignorance, but I'm willing to
learn. If anyone can explain how to solve this wiring problem, I'd be most
grateful and better educated. Please reply using uucp mail. Thanks!
--
Tim Thompson 414 Morton Hall Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701
ihnp4!{amc1,cbdkc1,cbosgd}!oucs!tim
Disclaimer: If the University finds out what I'm doing, they probably
couldn't care less.mat@mtx5a.UUCP (m.terribile) (02/18/86)
> . . . I have a standard radio in my car with 8 speaker wires coming out - > . . . I have a tape deck with four speaker wires - two to the right > and two to the left speakers. My switch has four wires for the tape deck > connection (just right), and four wires for the radio connection (not right.) Tim: If you want to use this setup, you are going to have to get an 8-pole switch. Why? Basically, your radio makes one set of assumptions about the speakers and the tape deck and switch make a second, conflicting assumption. The radio expects to have direct access to both terminals of each speaker. This means that you cannot assume that one terminal of each is at ground. 4 speakers times 2 wires/speaker = 8 wires . The tape deck and switch assume that one terminal of each speaker is grounded and that only the ``hot'' leads (wires) need to be switched. If you want to go through with this, you will have to find a 8 pole double throw switch. Your best bet is to look for a rotary switch, possibly a 12PDT (12 pole, double throw) ``Pole''s are each a complete set of contacts, a switch within the switch. ``Throw'' refers to the number of different ways that the switch can be ``on'' -- two, in this case, for the two different inputs that you wish to select. What you will do is first figure out how you will mount the darn thing mechanically in the car. Then connect up the radio, using the common terminals of the switch to go to the speakers, and one switched terminal of each pole to go back to the radio. Be consistant, of course, and then get it all working again. Take the car over some cobblestones to check out the connections: connections in a car are bastards of the worst order. Then, for each speaker, connect the appropriate hot lead from the deck to one pole on the open switched terminal, and connect the other pole's terminal securely to the chassis ground that the tape deck uses. Note that I did not say I recommend this setup. Unless there is something special about the deck (8-track, and you have a large collection of 8-track tapes) or about the manufacturer's radio, you will get much better results with a good 3rd-party deck and speakers. Of course, if you are on a budget ... -- from Mole End Mark Terribile (scrape .. dig ) mtx5b!mat (Please mail to mtx5b!mat, NOT mtx5a! mat, or to mtx5a!mtx5b!mat) ,.. .,, ,,, ..,***_*.
stever@videovax.UUCP (Steven E. Rice) (02/21/86)
In article <65@oucs.UUCP> tim@oucs.UUCP (Tim Thompson) writes: > . . . I have a standard radio in my car > with 8 speaker wires coming out - positive and negative to two front and two > rear speakers. I have a tape deck with four speaker wires - two to the right > and two to the left speakers. My switch has four wires for the tape deck > connection (just right), and four wires for the radio connection (not right.) > My question: What four wires should I use for the radio connection to the > switch? Should I leave the wires that aren't necessary (if any) connected to > something, or just clip it? As you have said, the radio has positive and negative for each speaker -- and a *safe* assumption is that neither one is grounded. The tape player uses ground as one side for each speaker. Unless you can *prove* beyond a shadow of a doubt that the radio grounds one side of each speaker, use a switch that switches all eight wires. Wire the radio so all eight wires are passed through when switched to "radio." Wire the tape player so one output wire and ground are switched to each speaker when the switch is in the "tape" position. Steve Rice ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- {ihnp4 | uw-beaver | hplabs | decvax}!tektronix!videovax!stever