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Dayton plate amp putting my AVR into protection mode

tomlinmgt

Lunatic Member
I picked up a few of the Dayton 240w subwoofer plate amps to power a few DIY subs. My Harman Kardon AVR320 (about ten years old) keeps going into protection mode as soon as I power the amp(s) up. It doesn't matter if I run one amp, two, woofer connected to the amp or disconnected, LFE sub out or tape out on the AVR...it goes into protection mode regardless. If I hook the plate amp up to the tape outs on my Sansui 8080db it operates just fine. Tech for PE had no clue and was as puzzled as I. Any thoughts what might be causing this?
 
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Don't recommend it as a permanent fix, but have you tried just one amp using a cheater plug on the power cord?

Could be some kind of a ground loop issue tripping out the protection circuit.
 
I wonder if there was a ground loop before? I've seen some ugly ground loops cause thinner ground traces to fry. If that happens, weird stuff can happen, like a power amp that loses it's input ground reference. This can cause all kind of weird stuff.

You can check you LFE out signal jack shell and the AHR's chassis ground. I'd expect continuity there. Does the AVR send preamp level signals to the sub and a power amp? There's no speaker level signals connecting to the sub plate amp?
 
I am not using speaker level inputs on the plate amp, and yes, I am using pre-outs on the AVR to power a seperate Onkyo M-501 power amp.

"Cheater plug"? By that do you mean a two prong adapter?
 
Killer, I'll give it a try. A friend of mine suggested it could be a ground loop issue as well, so sounds like I may be getting somewhere. If the cheater plug does indeed cure the problem, what do you suggest as a permanent fix since you seem to discourage the use of the adapter aside from testing.
 
Wow....that was easy. Nice call whoaru99....the cheater plug fixed it. Care to explain the ground loop issue at work here?
 
Wow....that was easy. Nice call whoaru99....the cheater plug fixed it. Care to explain the ground loop issue at work here?

Those ground plugs can cause some issues. I've heard many times that a lot of AudioSource amps will have big time transformer hum when the 3 pronged plug is used, but oddly enough, my AudioSource Amp Three is completely silent using the factory 3 pronged plug in a power strip with other components.
 
Wow....that was easy. Nice call whoaru99....the cheater plug fixed it. Care to explain the ground loop issue at work here?

Grounds, at least in theory, will always be at the same electrical potential. However, when there are different grounding points or loose connections, there can be an electrical potential difference between them. If so, this can cause a current in the interconnect between the gear which often results in hum and, apparently in some cases, can cause protection circuits to be activated.

120V is dangerous so one must use due caution when working with it. Personally, I'd start by pulling the receptacles (after turning off the appropriate circuit breaker/fuse) that your audio gear (including subs) connect to and check the wiring. Ensure the (usually bare wire or green) ground connections are tight, that the white wires go to the silver screw/long slot and are tight, and the black wires go to the brass screw/short slot and are tight.

Might also want to check the receptacles with one of those $5 plug-in testers to see that it indicates proper wiring.

If neither of those two reveal anything unusual, then it's probably into the power panel to ensure the connections are clean and tight at those points, and that the electrical system is properly bonded to the earthing system. It would also be wise to ensure the main neutral connector is tight at the main lugs in the electrical panel board. Note that in many electrical panels the main lugs are always "hot" with no convenient way to shut them off.

And again, I must remind, you can be hurt or killed by 120/240V. Don't do this stuff unless you know the proper safety measures and are comfortable doing it. If you don't feel comfortable doing this stuff then call in an electrician. Probably will cost a few bucks but lots cheaper than a funeral.
 
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You know, I must have some real grounding issues because several of the outlets around the house will arc when I pull I plug from them. The house was custom built by a mechanical engineer in the early 80's and he used 14g wiring throughout but evidently didn't adress grounding very well. Thanks for the info whoru99.
 
You know, I must have some real grounding issues because several of the outlets around the house will arc when I pull I plug from them. .

That arc is probably normal and unrelated to the ground loop issue. Current being supplied to an indusctive load (Transformer) will cause an arc when disconnected.
 
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