This is making me crazy.
Here's the scenario: I have no cash. I have the stock "premium sound" cd player. I was given a used Hifonics 200w 4-channel amp. I want to replace the stock amp with the Hifonics amp. I purchased a wiring kit from Knu, wired everything up, and that's where the problem reared its ugly head:
To test out my wiring I connected a 12v constant power supply to the remote turn-on of the amp, it powers up and plays great, but since the amp is always on there's a wicked "thump" whenever you turn the CD player on and off. OK, so of course you want to use a switched power source for the remote turn-on. However...
The stock Ford system uses a remote turn-on lead of 7 volts. When connected to the Hifonics amp, the voltage drops to around 5 volts, so obviously there's not enough current there to trigger the amp's turn-on.
I then tried the 12v antenna lead - same problem. As soon the it sees a load (ie. physically wired to the amp), the voltage drops even more, to just a couple of volts. Again, not enough to trigger the turn-on on the amp.
Then I got creative. I bought a Bosch-type 30 amp 4-post automotive relay, wired it into the antenna lead, and used it to switch a 12v constant supply from the same feed going to the amp's 12v constant. Same problem - the 12v antenna lead doesn't even supply enough current to switch the relay.
I'm going crazy with this... does anyone have the solution to my problem? (Other than buying a new head unit - that's obvious, but simply not an option at this time.)
