How to test a blown sub

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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    edited February 2006
    i use the 19.2V battery of my craftsmen drill to check polarity...haha
    -Cody
    Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
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  • Getty17331
    Getty17331 Posts: 26
    edited February 2006
    Am I missing something here, you used wall current to break in subwoofers? :confused: How long do you do this? Why do you do this? Please explain this, this I gotta see.. :eek:
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  • neomagus00
    neomagus00 Posts: 3,899
    edited February 2006
    Getty17331 wrote:
    Am I missing something here, you used wall current to break in subwoofers? :confused: How long do you do this? Why do you do this? Please explain this, this I gotta see.. :eek:
    sure, if you have one ginormous sub, or a few less-powerful ones, it's the same as a 60 Hz tone from a powerful amp (albeit rather dirtier)
    It's not good, very fundamentally simply not good. - geolemon

    "Its not good enough until we have real-time fearmongering. I want my fear mongered as it happens." - Shizelbs
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited February 2006
    Getty17331 wrote:
    Am I missing something here, you used wall current to break in subwoofers? :confused: How long do you do this? Why do you do this? Please explain this, this I gotta see.. :eek:

    wall current is about 60 hertz.. 59.. 61.. whatever.. its around 60 depending on the time of the day.

    so...

    two 1000 watt rms subwoofers, with dual 4 ohm coils.

    string coil 1 and 2 in series on each sub... then series the subs... that's 16 ohms.

    put 16 ohms on your 110 volt AC line and you have...

    6.875 amps

    so... 6.875 * 110 vac rms = 756 watts rms across two subs...

    which is 378 watts rms across each subwoofer.

    that's pretty good break in wattage (1/3 of the rated rms wattage of the sub). leave em on there a good long time and they're nice and broken in for use.
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • Getty17331
    Getty17331 Posts: 26
    edited March 2006
    Holy **** :eek: , I thought you guys were joking. It makes sense now that you explain it. Huh... I can smell the smoke now ...:D
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  • neomagus00
    neomagus00 Posts: 3,899
    edited March 2006
    nope, no joke... just don't plug a single sub in, unless it's like a SoloX, or you WILL smell smoke :D
    It's not good, very fundamentally simply not good. - geolemon

    "Its not good enough until we have real-time fearmongering. I want my fear mongered as it happens." - Shizelbs
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited March 2006
    don't let the magic smoke out of the wires... or you'll need new catalytic transducers for your subwoofers.

    ((that IS a joke))
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • T_Unit616
    T_Unit616 Posts: 131
    edited June 2007
    Ya I tried w/ my blown Pioneer. It doesn't work if you only have the positives. I had both positive and negatives conncted to eachother on the sub and 9 Volt. Well, the sub went in. So I switched them around, (Positive to Negative on 9 V, Negative to Positive on 9 V) and the sub went out. Lol someone explain?
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  • PoweredByDodge
    PoweredByDodge Posts: 4,185
    edited June 2007
    that means the voice coil is not 'blown' -- it is functioning... and the motor structure is at least 'functional', although it may not be 'functioning in the manner it was built to function in'.

    a sub can be 'blown' even though it still electrically functions. formers can be burned up and trashed, spiders can tear, surrounds can tear, cones can be distorted (physically) or flat out cracked, voice coils can be partially fried (yielding a higher or lower impedance than nominal... etc etc...
    The Artist formerly known as PoweredByDodge
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  • mirra540ryder
    mirra540ryder Posts: 136
    edited June 2007
    dude im a newb to subs and stuff its not hard to tell if a sub is blown or it wouldnt be a bad thing. duhh just listin to it bro and if its blown u will deff tell
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  • T_Unit616
    T_Unit616 Posts: 131
    edited June 2007
    PoweredByDodge wrote: »
    that means the voice coil is not 'blown' -- it is functioning... and the motor structure is at least 'functional', although it may not be 'functioning in the manner it was built to function in'.

    a sub can be 'blown' even though it still electrically functions. formers can be burned up and trashed, spiders can tear, surrounds can tear, cones can be distorted (physically) or flat out cracked, voice coils can be partially fried (yielding a higher or lower impedance than nominal... etc etc...

    In English, can my sub be saved?
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited June 2007
    No. Your sub is toast. Buy a new one.
    polkaudio sound quality competitor since 2005
    MECA SQ Rookie of the Year 06 ~ MECA State Champ 06,07,08,11 ~ MECA World Finals 2nd place 06,07,08,09
    08 Car Audio Nationals 1st ~ 07 N Georgia Nationals 1st ~ 06 Carl Casper Nationals 1st ~ USACi 05 Southeast AutumnFest 1st

    polkaudio SR6500 --- polkaudio MM1040 x2 -- Pioneer P99 -- Rockford Fosgate P1000X5D
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  • T_Unit616
    T_Unit616 Posts: 131
    edited June 2007
    Dang it.
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  • Rubigurl06
    Rubigurl06 Posts: 1
    edited July 2008
    I bought my amp about 5 months ago, but just installed it about a month ago. Its a Pioneer 800W and its hooked to a Pioneer 400W which i've had for YEARS. it always sounded great, but my old amp was fried when I tried to disconnect it from my old car (long story). anyways, i have a jeep, and the top was down so naturally, you turn the music up enough to be able to just HEAR what the music is. With that, i got home from a long day and kept smelling this smoke smell. I got home, the amp was hot, smoke was coming out of the box and the box SMELLED. I have tested the amp, and there is adequate power going to it. I know its not the wires, as they are brand new, and i know they are of good quality. the sub, the wired running from the amp to the sub show no power through them. The sub doesn't turn on at all when the jeep is on. There is no sound, no movement. I'm scratching my head trying to think what it could be. I want to think its the sub and not the amp, since the amp is practically new. The fuses aren't busted. That was the first to be checked. Any ideas?
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