Second off, MY WIFE decided to RUN OVER our digital camera so these pictures will suck. I'll be using my BlackBerry to take them. So, just a heads up.
I wanted to throw this little picture tutorial together on how to wire your own remote for competition-inspired amps like DaveMade, Fatboy, X-Force, etc. Most of the newer amps produced by the big names in the business have a remote port to install a remote control. If you’re like me, you may be limited on space on where you can install your amp. For me, I drive a 09 Tacoma and the best place is behind the second row of seats in my quad cab truck.
If you go to these companies and look for a remote, most start around $35 and go up from there. Some single switch remotes with a LED can cost $50 depending on what manufacturer you buy it from. With my help and this tutorial you can create a custom length remote for under $12. In some instances as cheap as $5-10.
You can make this as simple or as fancy as you like. I personally like cheap and clean…I don’t need to wire up 10 LED’s to make it look pretty, and I sure as heck don’t need a stainless steel box for mine. For this setup I’m going to be using a simple Rat Shack project box, the smallest of the boxes they currently have which is ABS plastic. It’s simple to drill, and feels good in construction. If you wanted to get "cute" you could add some LED's, multiple switches, or whatever else you can dream up.
Here’s the things you need to get started:
#1. ¼” Stereo Phone Jack – 3 Conductor
#2. Single Pole switch. I chose a blue illuminated switch for ease of use.
#3. 3-wire cable. I went to the local hardware store and picked up 10 ft and it was .25 cents a foot. The type I used is made for alarms and is 3 wire. You can use 4, 5, or eve 6 wire…just use the 3 wires and cut the other wires off.
#4. Enclosure box. Like I said above, go simple, or go expensive. Better yet you can go without this and just install the switch in your vehicle somewhere.
Tools I used:
#1. Decent soldering iron and solder.
#2. Wire stripper or your favorite pair of needle nose pliers.
#3. Heat Shrink. Not needed but I use the stuff on everything.
#4. Drill with 2 bits. One big one for the switch and one small one for the wire feed.
#5. Screwdrivers.
Now, let’s get started.
First off, decide how you want to mount the switch. I decided I wanted mine on the narrow side of the project box so it will fit in my hand. Drill a small hole to feed the wire through the box.
I like to take the wire and make a KNOT in it. This way if something snags the wire, it will pull on the knot and NOT your solder joints.
Splice the wires down. My 3 wire has RED, WHITE, GREEN. For my install I’m making RED HOT, WHITE ACCESSORY, and GREEN GROUND. It doesn’t matter really how you use which color as long as it matches on both sides.
Drill a hole in the box for the switch and test fit. Now install the wires into the terminals on the switch.
The next thing to do is some light soldering. Solder the wires onto the switch. This makes a nice secure connection. I’m sure you can do without soldering, but that’s your baby and not mine.
Feed the switch in the box, and secure it with the locking nut.
Put the excess wire in the box and secure the box cover. This side of the box is complete.
Next up is the ¼” Stereo Phone Jack.
There are 3 connectors inside this Stereo Phone Jack.
The center connector is the TIP
The middle connector is the RING
The outer connector is the GROUND
So, you want to do RED to the TIP, WHITE to the RING, and GREEN to the GROUND
At this point I slid the heat shrink tubing on, the insulator on, and the outside screw on shield on.
Feed the wires through and strip them.
Bend the wires over the terminals and apply solder.
Slide the insulator and heat shrink tubing over and apply heat to the tubing.
Slide the cover/shield over the Stereo Phone Jack and screw it on.
YOU’RE DONE!
Next thing up is to test it out. I took mine outside and it works awesome. Leave the amp turned off, plug in the stereo phone jack, and flip the switch. The LED in the illuminated switch, the LED on the amp, and the fan should kick on. YOU’VE DONE IT! Best part, is you’ve just spent $10 on something that the big amp builders charge $50 for. The switch options are endless. Today at Radio Shack I saw probably 100 different switches. I wanted one that would light up, but I didn't need one that was 2" long, and I don't really like the small lay flat ones with the little RED led. Just find whatever type of switch you like, and use it.
I hope you enjoyed, and hope you will save some coin and build your own remote as well. This is a nice fun project and anyone can do it...all you need is some basic soldering skills and a few minutes of time. An experienced solderer can probably do it in a couple of minutes. It took me about half an hour, and that was with typing this out and taking pictures, lol. Once again, sorry about the crappy pictures...a cell phone can only do SO much!
