KENWOOD KAC-6201 (01) PDF Document

Troubleshooting Guide

What might appear to be a malfunction in your unit may just be the result of slight misoperation or miswiring. Before calling for service, first check the following table for possible problems.

Specifications subject to change without notice.

WARNING – To prevent injury or fire, take the following precautions:

• When extending the ignition, battery, or ground wires, make sure to use automotive-grade wires or other wires with a range of 5 mm2 (AWG 10) or more to prevent wire deterioration and damage to the wire coating.

• To prevent a short circuit, never put or leave any metallic objects (such as coins or metal tools) inside the unit.

• If the unit starts to emit smoke or strange smells, turn off the power immediately and consult your Kenwood dealer.

• Do not touch the unit during use because the surface of the unit becomes hot and may cause burns if touched.

CAUTION – To prevent damage to the machine, take the following precautions:

• Be sure the unit is connected to a 12V DC power supply with a negative ground connection.

• Do not open the top or bottom covers of the unit.

• Do not install the unit in a spot exposed to direct sunlight or excessive heat or humidity. Also avoid places with too much dust or the possibility of water splashing.

• When replacing a fuse, only use a new one with the prescribed rating. Using a fuse with the wrong rating may cause your unit to malfunction.

• To prevent a short circuit when replacing a fuse, first disconnect the wiring harness.

NOTE

If you experience problems during installation, consult your Kenwood dealer.

If the unit does not seem to be working right, consult your Kenwood dealer.

If the front panel gets dirty, turn off the power and wipe the panel with a dry silicon cloth or soft cloth.

CAUTION

Do not wipe the panel with a hard cloth or a cloth dampened by volatile solvents such as paint thinner and alcohol. They can scratch the surface of the panel and/or cause the indicator letters to peel off.

• When alternator noise is heard from the speakers with the engine running, connect an optional line noise filter (optional) to each of the battery wires.

• Do not allow the wire to directly contact the edge of the iron plate by using grommets.

• Connect the ground wire to a metal part of the car chassis that acts as an electrical ground passing electricity to the battery’s negative terminal. Do not turn the power on if the ground wire is not connected.

• Be sure to install a protective fuse in the power cord near the battery. The protective fuse should be of approximately the same capacity as the unit’s fuse capacity or larger.

• For the power cord and ground, use a vehicle type (fireproof) power wiring cord with a current capacity greater than that of the fuse. (Use a power wiring cord with a diameter of 3 to 6 mm2, AWG 12 to 8.)

• When more than one power amplifier are going to be used, use a power supply wiring wire and protective fuse of greater current-handling capacity than the total maximum current drawn by each amplifier.

Speaker selection

• The rated input power of the speakers that are going to be connected should be equal to or greater than the maximum rated power (in Watts) of the amplifier. Use of speakers with rated input power that is less than the rated output power of the amplifier will cause smoke to be emitted as well as damage.

• The impedance of the speakers that are going to be connected should be 2Ω or greater (for stereo connections), or 4Ω or greater (for bridged connections). When more than one set of speakers are going to be used, calculate the combined impedance of the speakers and then connect suitable speakers to the amplifier.

1. Remove the ignition key and disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to prevent short circuits.

2. Set the unit according to the intended usage.

3. Connect the input and output cables of the units.

4. Connect the speaker wires.

5. Connect the power wire, power control wire and ground wire following this order.

6. Install the unit in the car.

7. Connect the negative terminal of the battery.

CAUTION

• To prevent a short caused by a short in the wiring, connect a fusible link or breaker nearby the battery’s positive terminal.

• Since a large amount of power is radiated from this unit, be sure to install this unit in a well-ventilated location. After installation, if the unit remains hot even after the fan has operated for its specified time, change its location or improve ventilation. The fan runs even when the car engine is off and the key is removed from the ignition switch. The fan will automatically stop after several hours.

• Do not install the unit under the carpet. Otherwise heat build-up occurs and the unit may be damaged.

• To prevent fire, do not allow metal objects to touch the fan, and do not place any objects on top of the unit.

• The operating temperature of the amplifier will become very hot, so avoid touching the unit.

• Install this unit in a location which does not interfere with driving. When installing the unit, place where people, resins, and other substances will not make contact with it. If this unit comes into contact with resins, etc. the fan may be damaged.

• When making a hole under a seat, inside the trunk, or somewhere else in the vehicle, check that there is nothing hazardous on the opposite side such as a gasoline tank, brake pipe, or wiring harness, and be careful not to cause scratches or other damage.

• Do not install near the dashboard, rear tray, or air bag safety parts.

• Installation to the vehicle should securely fasten the unit to a place in which it will not obstruct driving. If the unit comes off due to a shock and hits a person or safety part, it may cause injury or an accident.

• After installing the unit, check to make sure that electrical equipment such as the brake lamps, turn signal lamps and windshield wipers operate normally.

① Fuse

• 25 A x 1: KAC-6201

• 15 A x 1: KAC-5201

NOTE: If you can’t find the specified capacity fuse at your store etc., consult your Kenwood dealer.

② Battery terminal

③ Ground terminal

④ Power control (REMOTE) terminal

⑤ SPEAKER OUTPUT terminals

• Stereo Connections: When you wish to use the unit as a stereo amplifier, stereo connections are used.

• Bridged Connections: When you wish to use the unit as a high-output monaural amplifier, bridged connections are used. (Make connections to the LEFT channel [+] and the RIGHT channel [-] SPEAKER OUTPUT terminals.)

⑥ RCA cable ground lead terminal

When using an RCA cable with a ground lead attached, connect the ground lead to this terminal.

CAUTION: Do not use this terminal for power source grounding. This unit will be damaged if the power source grounding wire is connected to this terminal.

⑩ LINE IN terminal

⑪ Speaker level input terminals

The FILTER switch (⑦) allows filtering of the speaker output signals.

• HPF (High Pass Filter) position (KAC-6201 only): Only frequencies of 150 Hz or higher are output. (Frequencies below 150 Hz are cut.)

• LPF (Low Pass Filter) position: Only frequencies of 80 Hz or lower are output. (Frequencies above 80 Hz are cut.) The Lch and Rch will be mixed before output even if the operation switch is set to STEREO.

• OFF position: The original sound without filtering is output.

The OPERATION switch (⑧) allows selection of the amplification method of input signals.

• STEREO position: The amplifier can be used as a stereo amplifier.

• L+R position (KAC-6201 only): The input left and right signals are combined before being amplified. Use this position when the unit is used for subwoofer speakers or the L+R (monaural) sound is required.

• MONO (Lch) position: Amplifies the signal input from the left side only. Set to this position and make bridged connections to use as a high-power monaural amplifier. (The input right signal is not output.)

Set the INPUT SENSITIVITY control (⑨) according to the pre-output level of the center unit connected with this unit, or to the maximum power output of the genuine-accessory car stereo. For the pre-output level or the maximum power output, refer to the “Specifications” in the instruction manual of the center unit.

When the power is turned on, the Power indicator lights. If the Power indicator does not light when the power is turned on, the protection function may be activated. Check whether there is any indication of trouble.

The KENWOOD KAC-6201 is equipped with a protection function for protecting this unit and your speakers from various accidents or problems that can occur. When the protection function is triggered, the Power indicator goes off and the amplifier stops operating. The protection function is activated in the following situations:

• When a speaker wire may be short-circuited.

• When a speaker output contacts ground.

• When the unit malfunctions and a DC signal is sent to the speaker output.

• When the internal temperature is high and unit won’t operate.

• When a ground wire of the center unit (cassette receiver, CD receiver, etc.) or this unit is not connected to a metal part serving as an electrical ground passing electricity to the battery’s negative terminal.

Tri-mode is a method of frequency band division using a coil (L) and capacitor (C). The coil passes low frequencies and blocks high frequencies (low pass), while the capacitor passes high frequencies and blocks low frequencies (high pass). This allows you to power a subwoofer (L+R) and stereo speakers (High pass) simultaneously.

Example Calculation:

To set a crossover frequency of 120 Hz using speakers with an impedance of 4 ohms:

• Capacitor (C) = 159000 / (fc x R) = 159000 / (120Hz x 4Ω) = 331.25 µF

• Coil (L) = (159 x R) / fc = (159 x 4Ω) / 120Hz = 5.3 mH

CAUTION:

• If you wish to bridge-connect a speaker, the speaker impedance must be no less than 4 ohms. Connecting a speaker with an impedance lower than 4 ohms may damage the unit.

• Be sure to connect capacitors to speakers to which high frequencies will be passed. Failure to do so will result in a drop of the combined impedance with the subwoofer.

• Ensure that the withstand voltage and current ratings of the capacitors (C) and coils (L) are sufficient.