From: brian@crow.ugrad.ee.ufl.edu (Brian Gentry)
Subject: Re: Speaker Connections
Organization: UF EE Department (student)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 17:52:15 GMT

In article <1992Apr16.054144.5644@scott.skidmore.edu>, jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser) writes:
|> brian@navaho.ugrad.ee.ufl.edu (Brian Gentry) writes:
|> > In article <1992Apr15.030702.1573@scott.skidmore.edu>, jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu (jason reiser) writes:
|> > |> There are a couple of ways to check which wire is which, the most
|> > |> obvious is the use of a continuety (sp?) meter.  However, the easiest
|> > |> way that will not require uninstallation of speakers is this...
|> > |> 	Grab a friend whose sole job will be to identify if a speaker
|> > |> cone moves out or in on your command.  Grab a pair of wires that are
|> > |> ready to be connected to the radio.  Touch one wire to the (+)
|> > |> terminal of a D cell battery and the other to the (-) side.  If the
|> > |> speaker cone moves outward, the wire connected to (+) is (+) and the
|> > |> other is (-).  If the cone moves in, the wire connected to the (+)
|> > |> battery terminal is (-) and the other is (+).  Of course, if nothing
|> > |> happens, then the two wires you are testing are not connected to the
|> > |> speaker.
|> > |> 	Best of luck!
|> > |> 				- Jason Reiser
|> > |>  
|> > |>  
|> > |>   /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
|> > |>   \                                                           /
|> > |>   / Jason Reiser  Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 \
|> > |>   \            E-Mail at jreiser@scott.skidmore.edu            /
|> > |>   /                    Or Call 518-581-7079                    \
|> > |>   \                                                            /
|> > |>    \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
|> > |>                                                                 
|> > 
|> > 
|> > This method is used by a lot of amateur car stereo installers.  
|> > Unfortunately, you can do a lot of damage to the computer system in
|> > your car if you touch the wrong wire.  In newer cars which have 
|> > computer equipment strewn throughout them, you can do some very expensive
|> > damage by putting voltage on a lead that goes to a computer.  In fact,
|> > even using an ohm-meter you can damage computer equipment, because an
|> > ohm-meter puts out voltage as well.  The safest way to check, is to use
|> > a voltmeter on any wire you think might be a speaker wire.  If it is a 
|> > speaker wire, then when the car is on (or off) there will be no voltage
|> > present.  If there is voltage on the wire, then you don't have the right 
|> > wire.  
|> > 
|> > 
|> >                        Brian L. Gentry
|> >                  (brian@sioux.ugrad.ee.ufl.edu)
|> 
|> 
|> Sorry Brian
|> 	I went out on a limb and assumed that he would know which
|> wires went to which speakers since he installed those wires himself.
|> Thanks for the advice on the dangers of this method though.  From my
|> experience, it's always best to do all the electrical wiring first and
|> then do the speakers.  Tends to avoid that scenario.
|> 
|> 				- Jason


It is I who should appologize.  I didn't read the original article before
I replied.  I assumed from your reply that this was a general question
about speaker wiring in a car.  I didn't realize that the original question
was about wires that the person had installed himself.  Just goes to show
that I should read all of the currently available articles before replying
to any of them.  Sorry.

                     Brian L. Gentry
              (brian@sioux.ugrad.ee.ufl.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car