JL Audio 500/1v2 - Manual (Page 7)

12 | JL Audio - 500/1 v2 Owner’s Manual 13
IMPORTANT !
Speaker loads below 1.5Ω nominal are not
recommended and may cause the amplifier
output to distort excessively.
Speaker connections to the 500/1v2 are
straightforward and take place at the far right of
the front panel. You will notice that there are two
“+” positive connections and two “–” negative
connections. This is to facilitate multiple speaker
wiring. The two positive and two negative
connections are connected in parallel inside
the amplifier. Connecting two speakers, each to
one set of positive and negative terminals, will
result in a parallel speaker connection. If only
connecting one pair of speaker wires, it is not
necessary to use both sets of connections.
Do not chassis ground any speakers connected
to this or any other JL Audio amplifier. Doing so
will cause the amplifier to go into protection and
mute the output.
The 500/1v2’s speaker connectors are designed
to accept 12 AWG – 8 AWG wire.
To connect the speaker wires to the amplifier,
first back out the set screws on the top of the
amplifier, using the supplied 2.5 mm hex
wrench. Strip 1/2 inch (12 mm) of insulation
from each wire and insert the bare wire end
into the receptacles on the front panel of the
amplifier, seating them firmly so that no bare
wire is exposed. While holding each wire in place,
tighten each set screw firmly, taking care not to
strip the head of the screw and making sure that
the wire is firmly gripped by the set screw.
IMPORTANT !
Do NOT attempt to “bridge” two 500/1v2’s or
combine their output to a single load in any
manner. Doing so will damage the amplifier(s).
IMPORTANT !
Before reconnecting the battery ground and
turning the system on, verify that all control
settings on the amplifier are set according to
the needs of the system.
status indiCator ligHts /
ProteCtion CirCuitrY
There are three status indicator lights on the
top of the amplifier. These are as follows:
1) “Power” (Green): lights to indicate that the
amplifier is turned on and operating normally.
2) “Thermal” (Red): lights to indicate that
the amplifier has exceeded its safe operating
temperature, putting the amplifier into a self-
protection mode, which reduces the power
output of the amplifier. The red light will shut
off and the amplifier will return to normal,
full-power operating mode if the heat sink
temperature drops back to a safe level.
3) “Low Ω” (Amber): lights to indicate that the
impedance of the speaker load connected
to the amplifier is lower than the optimum
impedance load range for the amplifier. When
this light is on, a protection circuit engages
and reduces the power output of the amplifier.
The amber indicator will also light when a
short-circuit is detected in the speaker wiring
(this can be a short between the positive and
negative speaker wires or between either
speaker wire and the vehicle chassis).
There is only one condition that will shut
down an undamaged 500/1v2 completely… If
battery voltage drops below 10 volts, the entire
amplifier will shut itself off. The green “Power”
indicator on the top of the amplifier will turn
off when this occurs. The amplifier will turn
back on when voltage climbs back above 10 volts.
This may happen in a rapid cycle when bass-
heavy program material causes a weak charging
system to dip below 10 volts momentarily. If this
is happening in your system, have your charging
system inspected to make sure it is working
properly.
For information on troubleshooting this
amplifier, refer to Appendix E (page 21).