User manual focal power AMPLIfiers We thank you for choosing Focal amplifiers for your Car Audio system and for sharing our philosophy: "the Spirit of Sound". This product offers the latest advances in Focal amplifiers. In order to obtain the best results, we highly recommend you have your new amplifier installed by your local Focal distributor. To maximise the use of all the functionalities of your amplifier and to fully enjoy its performance levels, we recommend that you read the entire instructions in this booklet, and then keep it in a safe place for future reference. Any problems caused by not respecting the rules of use may render your guarantee null and void. In order to validate your guarantee, please fill out and return the last page of this document within 10 days of purchase . WARNING This symbol denotes important instructions. Non respect of these instructions may lead to serious injuries and even fatal injuries. CAUTION This symbol denotes important instructions. Non respect of these instructions may lead to injury or material damage Contents of the packaging: - 1 amplifier - 1 user's manual - 4 mounting screws - Fuses - 1 remote control (only supplied with the FP 1.800 and FP 5.500 amplifiers) - 5m cable for remote control (only supplied with the FP 1.800 and FP 5.500 amplifiers) - 1 quality control sheet - Allen keys Français page 25 Focal-JMlab® - BP 374 - 108, rue de l'Avenir - 42353 La Talaudière cedex - France - www.focal-fr.com Tél. (+33) 04 77 43 57 00 - Fax (+33) 04 77 43 57 04 Due to constant technological advances, Focal reserves the right to modify the technical specifications without prior notice. WARNING · Do not turn on any function which may distract you while driving the vehicle. Functions requiring sustained attention must only be used when the vehicle is at a complete standstill. Make sure to always stop your vehicle in a safe place before operating these functions. There is a risk of causing an accident. · Keep the volume at a low level so as to be able to hear exterior noises while driving the vehicle. There is a risk of causing an accident. · Do not open the amplifier or undertake any modifications of the product. There is a risk of accident, fire or electric shock. · Only use this amplifier with 12V. mobile applications. Any other use other than the use for which this product has been designed may lead to fire, electric shock or injury. · Use fuses of the correct amperage. There is a risk of fire or electrocution. · Do not obstruct radiators and/or vents. Internal overheating may occur and cause a fire. · Ensure all connections are properly made. Check the section of cable and the type of cable if it does not correspond with the use. There is a risk of fire, injury and/or damage to the product. · To be used only with 12V. batteries. Check with your distributor if required. There is a risk of fire, injury and/or damage to the product. · Do not use nuts or fasteners part of the steering or braking systems for ground connection. The fasteners and nuts used for the brake and steering systems (or any other security system) as well as various tanks must never be used for grounding. Use of these parts as ground may deactivate the vehicle's control system and cause a fire or other technical problem. · Keep all small objects which could be swallowed, such as the fasteners and screws, out of the reach of children. Swallowing such objects may cause serious injuries. In the event of swallowing any of these objects, seek medical advice immediately. · Before commencing the installation, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery to avoid any risk of injury, fire or damage to the equipment. 02 CAUTION Listening for prolonged period at a high volume level, over 100dB, can lead to permanent deterioration of your hearing. Listening at a volume of over 130dB, even for short periods of time, can cause incurable damage and injury to your hearing. Stop operation in the event of a problem. Failure to heed this precaution may result in injuries or damage to the product. If a problem persists, return the product to your Focal distributor for repair. Use the specified accessories and be sure to install them correctly. Only use the accessories specified in the user's manual and those which are supplied with the package. The use of other components could cause internal damage to the product, and their installation risks to not being correctly installed. The parts being used risk becoming loose and causing damages or technical faults with the product. Do not assemble in very humid or dusty places. Avoid assembling the product in places with high levels of humidity or an excessive presence of dust. Humidity or dust getting inside the product may cause a technical fault. Installation of the amplifier The installation of this product requires technical knowledge and experience. In case you are uncertain of your ability to correctly install the amplifier, we strongly recommend you contact your Focal distributor to install it for you, so that you will be able to take full advantage of all the different possibilities of the amplifier. Wiring of the amplifier Only use the wires recommended in this manual. The loudspeaker wire must ONLY be used for connecting the amplifier to the loudspeakers. The section of power cables must correspond with that which is detailed in the table (p. 7) and correspond with the power of the amplifier and the length of the cable. Use double or triple shielded RCA cables to avoid any interference of the low level signal. Duration of operation of the amplifier Avoid operating the amplifier for a long period of time (from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the amplifier) without starting the vehicle. Extensive use before starting the vehicle's engine may lead to the battery going flat. 03 FOREWORD NOTES Material required for the installation: · 2 conduits of suitable cross-section (1 conduit for the power cable, 1 conduit for the loudspeaker, REMOTE, · RCA signal and REMOTE CONTROL cables). · Multimeter (voltage/amperage) · Soldering iron + solder · Crimping tool · Stripping pliers · Wire cutter · Spanner for battery terminal · Hand drill and assorted drills · Heat shrinks of suitable diameter for the different cables. · Power cable of suitable length and section · Remote switch on cable (REM input) of suitable length and section · Ground cable of suitable length and section · Assorted connectors · Fuse holder and suitable fuse · Joint tag for the battery's positive (+) terminal · Joint tag for the vehicle's chassis (-) · Screw with minimum 6mm screw head and its nut for ground connection to the chassis of the vehicle. 04 installation The below section deals with issues regarding the vehicle which are necessary to take into account for the installation of the amplifier. You'll save time by planning the system layout and wiring in advance. Ensure that during this preliminary step all the adjustments are accessible once the installation is complete. Before starting the installation, please follow the following rules carefully: 1 - After reading the whole manual, be sure that you have understood all the instructions before installing the amplifier. 2 - Disconnect the battery's negative wire before starting the installation. (fig. 1). 3 - To facilitate the assembly, we strongly recommend that you unwind all the wires before installing the amplifier. 4 - Put aside all the RCA cables, loudspeaker, REM and REMOTE CONTROL {REMOTE CONTROL only supplied with models FP 1.800 and FP 5.500} from the power cables in order to avoid any interference of the signal. 5 - Use quality connectors to ensure a reliable installation and to minimise any losses of signal or power. 6 - Think carefully before drilling anything. Be extremely careful not to cut or drill the petrol (fuel) tank, the fuel, brake, hydraulic or vacuum pipes, as well as the electrical wiring. 7 - Never route a wire under the vehicle. It is absolutely imperative to install them inside the vehicle for better protection. While routing the wires, verify that they do not impair the driving of the vehicle. Cables obstructing or routing through areas such as the steering wheel, pedals (brake, accelerator and clutch, etc.) may be extremely dangerous. 8 - Avoid routing wires above or through sharp rims. Any wire routed through metal must be protected with a grommet. Route the wires well away from mobile parts (seat rails,...) and from sharp or pointed cutting edges. This will avoid catching or damaging the wires. 9 - Always protect the battery and electrical circuit from potential damages with the help of fuses. Install a fuse holder and suitable fuses on the 12V positive (+) power cable at less than 40cm from the battery terminal. Ideally, this abovementioned distance should be the shortest possible. (fig. 7). 10 - Prepare the chassis ground by scraping any trace of paint on the metal surface in order to ensure correct grounding. The grounding connections should also be as short as possible and ALWAYS connected to the metal welded to the body or the chassis of the vehicle. (fig. 4). 11 - NEVER install this product in the engine compartment of the vehicle. This will void the guarantee. 05 installation I - Set-Up and Cabling Where to install the amplifier? The amplifier power is such that substantial heat is generated when it is operation. This is why the amplifier has to be placed in a well-ventilated area of the car. 2 - Attaching the Amplifier (fig. 2) The surface onto which you want to attach the amplifier (boot of the car, etc.) may not be smooth enough (due to bumps, ribs, etc) to make it easy or even possible to fasten the amplifier. If this is the case, we recommend that you mount the amplifier and its attachment system on a wooden base ­ i.e. MDF, plywood ­ which itself is attached to the surface in question. Position the amplifier at the desired location. Mark the location of attachment holes using appropriate means ­ i.e. an indelible marker, a screwdriver, etc. Make sure that there is nothing below the surface which could be damaged during drilling ­ i.e. tanks, bundles of cables, etc. Remove the amplifier, making sure that you are using a 3mm-diameter drill bit, and then drill. Put the amplifier back into the initial position you chose for it. Attach the amplifier using the four self-tapping screws supplied. For additional help, see the "General Installation Guidelines" section. WARNING Think carefully before drilling anything. Be extremely careful not to cut or drill the petrol (fuel) tank, the fuel, brake, hydraulic or vacuum pipes, as well as the electrical wiring. Fig. 2 06 - Screws - Holes - Steel base - MDF base installation 3 - Cabling WARNING If there is a doubt as to your ability to install the amplifier and to cable the system properly, get a Focal distributor to do it for you. WARNING Before you begin the connection phase of set-up, remove the vehicle battery's negative (-) terminal. (fig. 1). CAUTION Avoid routing power supply cables close to low-level input cables (RCA), to your car's radio aerial, or to sensitive units. High-current power supply cables can cause static/interference that affects audio signals. CAUTION Keep cables as short as possible to optimise the system's set-up performance and to reduce signal loss. 3.1 - What power supply wire gauge should I use? Amplifiers Main fuse 0-1m 8mm2 Power 2.75 1 x 40A 8AWG 16mm2 Power 2.150 2 x 40A 5AWG 16mm2 Power 4.75 2 x 40A 5AWG 25mm2 Power 5.500 4 x 30A 3AWG 16mm2 Power 1.800 3 x 30A 5AWG AWG : American Wire Gauge Length of Cable in Metres 1-1.8m 10mm2 7AWG 16mm2 5AWG 16mm2 5AWG 25mm2 3AWG 16mm2 5AWG 1.8-2.5m 10mm2 7AWG 25mm2 3AWG 25mm2 3AWG 25mm2 3AWG 25mm2 3AWG 2.5-3.3m 16mm2 5AWG 25mm2 3AWG 25mm2 3AWG 35mm2 2AWG 35mm2 2AWG 3.3-4.1m 16mm2 5AWG 35mm2 2AWG 35mm2 2AWG 53mm2 0AWG 35mm2 2AWG 4.1-5.6m 25mm2 3AWG 35mm2 2AWG 35mm2 2AWG 53mm2 0AWG 35mm2 2AWG 5.6-7.1m 25mm2 3AWG 53mm2 0AWG 53mm2 0AWG 53mm2 0AWG 53mm2 0AWG 07 installation 3.2 - Route the low-level audio cables (RCA), the loudspeaker cables, the REMOTE cable, and the REMOTE CONTROL cable together (a REMOTE CONTROL is ONLY supplied with product references FP 1.800 and FP 5.500} and insulate them from other high-power car accessories, and in particular insulate them from electric motors (i.e. the windscreen-wiper motor, etc.). Retain the full length of the cables ­ adjustments can be made later. 3.3 - Route the positive power cables (+). Make sure when doing so to route them opposite the cables that you have previously drawn ­ this is to avoid any interference. DO NOT CONNECT THE CABLE YET. 3.4 - Get hold of the negative power cable. This cable should be as short as possible and ideally should not be any longer than 1 metre, to ensure effective coupling between the amplifier and the car's chassis. The cable and its wire gauge should comply with the table on page 7. Find a suitable ground p ...