stereo installation

[bill-e-boy]

this may be a stupid question -

I've never hooked up a radio - is this very difficult? i searched for radios, stereoes, installations - i saw alot on mounting but not alot on actual wiring hookup. i'm installing into a 48v cart and I've already installed my voltage reducer, lights. Seems like I've read you have to ground a radio somehow but not to the frame.

is there a a good tutorial for wiring up the stereos?

thanks

[tonyton]

They are not very difficult. Just follow the instructions. I've installed bunches.
The ground needs to be to the batteries, or, in your case the negative on the voltage reducer.
Wait for someone to verify this. I'm quoting what I read. I've never used a V reducer. I used two 6v batts from the pack.

[skm2006]

Bill-e,

I just put a stereo in my cart this weekend. It's pretty simple. Obviosly the deck will have a wiring harness/plug coming off the back. Normally a car would have a corresponding plug, but your cart wont. So you have to be able to read the labeled wires off the deck, and route them appropriately. Its not tough though, just follow the directions.

As for the ground, you cant ground to the frame on your CC. I have an 04 CC and it has whats called a "ground block" under the seat. Thats a multi port panel that you can ground multiple things to.

I also have a voltage reducer on my cart, as well as lights, etc. I isolated the 2 batteries that are being used with my voltage reducer, and sent my power wire to one of those batteries. I'm not sure if thats the best way to do it, but it worked great, and so far so good.

Nice cart by the way. We have similar tastes. You can see my stereo install in my profile.

[indacup]

I want to install a stereo also.....and I already have lights on my Clubby....so does that mean I already have a voltage reducer I can hook it up to?

[floresm]

Hello, need help.
I just installed a Jensen jms 2212 stereo system. The radio seemed to work great until I accelerated the golf cart. The sound deadens, ( interference - like the knob has been turned down some ) but when I release the pedal the radio works fine. I then tried the mp3 player. It does the same on the mp3 player. I then tried using an independant battery soley for the the radio only. Still the same issue. I tried moving the control box that was under the seat away from the golf cart batteries but still got interference.
I then bought a RF suppressor from Best Buy and tried in hopes that my radio / mp3 sound system would work .Still the same problem.
I called Jensen and spoke to a tech advisor who informed me that radio is fine and it appears that the electric current the motor is generating is certainly interfering with the radio. They Jensen have advised me the brushes in the electric motor is causing the interference and they are recommending Installing a Capacitor. Don't know anything about
installling a capacitor or if it will work. They Jensen also advised me to replace the motor with a brushless motor if all fails. I didn't want to do that right now.

Can anyone out there help me with some suggestions to this issue ?

Southfloresm

[Tbinkley3]

floresm...i think thats why a lot of these guys are adding an extra 12V battery and running the radio off of it instead of the pack or voltage reducer. There have been a couple of other threads on this same issue. I have a voltage reducer, head & tail lights, but when i install my stereo i'm going with the extra battery method to dodge that issue.

[Scooter B]

I've had the best results with a seperate 12 V battery. This is by far the best website in the world for golf carts, but some of you may want to check out some car stereo forums for additional advice from some audio experts.

Just follow the instructions that come with the radio: Hot to Positive power source, negative to negative power source (not ground to frame), remote wire to switch, key switch or positive power - your choice, speakers to speaker wires. Don't worry about all the extra wires, you don't need them. Easy like Sunday Morning.

indacup - just follow the wires from the lights and see where they go, either to a reducer or to a battery or group of batteries.

floresm - I would replace the Jensen....before I start replacing major components of your drive system. See if a friend has an old stereo laying around in their garage and try that.

[webn237]

How would you install a separate 12v battery and keep it charged? Do you just put a connection onto the original battery?

[SaltLifeCC]

I've installed lots of stereos in vehicles, boats, and my cart. As referenced above, I also run my accessories off a dedicated battery instead of a reducer. I don't listen to radio much but I don't get interference when I do. We usually play mp3, pandora, or xm through our iphones.

Anyway, to address the last question - you have to charge the extra battery by itself. Some make a big deal out of this but I just don't see it. Takes a few extra seconds to plug it in. I have a quick disconnect that I keep on my battery all the time so when I plug the cart in, I plug the quick connect in and charge all of it at the same time.

In these configurations, stereos are easy installs. Where to put the speakers is usually the bigger pain. You will most likely have a red power wire and a yellow memory wire that need to plug into positive on the reducer or battery - use fused lines if they don't come fused (some units are fused on the back right where the wires come out). The black ground wire goes to the reducer ground or the negative battery terminal. Then it's just a matter of getting the right speaker wires to the speakers. They are in pairs and are either labeled or documented in the radio manual. If you add an amp and/or subwoofer, there is a little bit more to it but still not hard.

Installing an aftermarket stereo in newer cars is more of a pain and often requires vehicle specific harnesses or adapters to make them work. I put one in my truck recently and had to have a separate adapter to keep my steering wheel controls working and another adapter to bypass the head unit amp and use the factory amp wired to my speakers instead. Then there are wires for power antennas, amp on/off, light dimmers, etc. You don't need all that on a cart.

[bill-e-boy]

i've been away for a while....but now i've recently vacated with the cart and i realize i need BASS....anybody add a powered subwoofer on their DS model cart?....I've got a decent sound system but i gotta add some thump...my search of this forum begins :)

quick-search - i already see the bazooka tubes...anybody done anything that's less than $100?