Audio problems.. No sound from my speakers!! help!

It sounds like blown output transistors. Probably a matched pair in an IC. Take it to a car radio repair shop.

Steve R.

really know about Audio >It sounds like blown output transistors. Probably a matched pair in an IC.

IC stands for Integrated Circuit chip. In this application, it's a series of transistors that actually performs the task of "amplifying" the audio. The source audio, which is a very low level, is fed into a transistor, and it amplifies it as much as it can. Any single transistor can't amplify a whole lot, but the output is "louder" than the input, which is the key. Manufacturers chain transistors together so that the output of one transistor goes to the input of the next transistor and so on, until the signal level is powerful enough to drive the speakers. Since no single transistor provides sufficient "gain" to the signal, usually multiple transistors are put together into a single unit, called an Integrated Circuit. This makes things easier for the manufacturers, and makes things much smaller.

What Steve R. was saying was, when you shorted the add on amplifier, you sent that "load" back through that amp to the factory amplification stage, and almost certainly "overloaded" the IC's and burned them up. Each amplifier is designed to handle a certain load. Speakers usually provide that load. The most common load is 8 ohms, but there are some amps that can drive 4 ohm loads, or even 2 ohm loads. Even so, when you short the wires, you're providing what's basically a 0 ohm load. No amp will handle that for long.

In another post, I mentioned that if you could disassemble the RCU, and if you could find the amplifier IC's, and if they were socket mounted, you might be able to fix this yourself. Otherwise, you're going to have to replace the RCU.

CJB

Ok, Say I take apart the RCU, Is there any description on the IC's? what they look like? Where I can go to pick up new ones? We have a part store here, But I garantee they wouldnt carry stuff like that.. Perhaps Cartunes, O'rielys? Auto zone?

The first thing to do is get a schematic of the RCU, and I have no idea where to point you to find that. Then you'd have to hope that the IC's are socket mounted. If they're surface mounted, and soldered in place, you have little chance of doing the intricate soldering needed.

The best thing for you to do is go to the junkyard and get another RCU.

CJB

Oookkkk....

If the amp IS bad... The speaker wires should have input into the amp, just since the amp is blown the sound doesnt pass 'Through' the amp.... Correct??? So perhaps if I splice one speaker connection (Both negative and positive) before they enter the factory amp, and attach the neg and pos directly into a speaker.... shouldnt they're be sound???? I done this, and, well... there wasnt any sound... Does this mean the factory amp ISNT the problem? Perhaps its something BEFORE the amp? GAH... now Im WAY confused again..

No, not at all. The audio signal coming in from the airwaves, and picked up by your tuner, for example, is measured in milliwats. There's no way that signal can drive a speaker. It has to be amplified. You're thinking of the idea of an "amp" as an add on to the radio. What I'm trying to tell you is that amplification is part and parcel to the radio's working. Immediately after the tuning stage in a radio is an amplification stage. This is separate from any additional high power amplifier you might add on later.

CJB