XL-150
Cat. No. 12-2015
OWNER’S MANUAL
Please read before using this equipment.
XL-150
High Power 4-Channel
Stereo Amplifier
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2
FEATURES
Your Optimus XL-150 High Power 4-
Channel Stereo Amplifier is designed
to give added punch and power to your
vehicle’s existing autosound system.
The amplifier produces up to 40 watts
(front) and 110 watts (rear) per c han-
nel of clean, powerful sound at all au-
dio frequencies with minimum dis-
tortion. You can connect your auto-
sound system’s low-level or speaker-
level outpu t s to this amplifier.
Its features include:
14K Gold-Plated Noise-Isolated
Low-Level Input Jacks
—
let you con-
nect low-level (preamplifier) signal in-
puts to match your autosound sys-
tem’s output for the best high-fidelity
performance.
14K Gold-Plated Speaker Ter min als
—
designed for low impedance, high
conductivity, and minimum corrosion,
to provide the highest signal transfer
and lowest sound distortion.
Input Level Controls
—
let you adjust
the level of the audio signals that enter
the amplifier.
Automatic Power Switchin
g
—
can
automatically turn the amplifier on or
off when you turn your autosound sys-
tem on or off (depending on how you
hook up the amplifier).
Mute Turn On Circuit
—
eliminates
the thump you hear when you turn on
some amplifiers.
Power Indicator
—
lights when power
is supplied to the amplifier.
Auto-Off
—
protects the amplifier by
temporarily shutting do wn i f it gets t oo
hot or it detects an input overload. The
amplifier restarts automatically when it
cools or the problem is corrected.
Protection Indicator
—
lights if the
amplifier shuts down its rear channel.
Short Circuit Protection
—
distorts
the amplifier’s sound if any output
channel shorts, alerting you to turn off
the autosound system.
© 1997 Tandy Corporation.
All Rights Reserv ed .
Optimus and RadioShack are registered trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.
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CONTENTS
Preparation ........................................................................................................... 4
Supplied Hardware ......................................................................................... 4
Before You Begin the Installation .................................................................... 4
Choosing a Mounting Location ................................................................. 5
Preparing the Mounting Area .................................................................... 5
Routing Cables and Wires ........................................................................ 5
Installation Order ............................................................................................. 5
Before You Make the Connections .................................................................. 6
Connecting Ground and Switched/Primary Power ...........................................7
Connectin
g
Inputs ............................................................................................... 9
Low-Level Inputs ........................................... ....... .. .......... ....... ....... ....... ..... ..... 9
High-Level (Speaker Wire) Inputs ................................................................. 11
Four Speaker Outputs . ........................................................................... 12
Two Speaker Outputs ............................................................................. 13
Connecting Speakers .................................................................................... 14
Preparing the Speaker Wires ................................................................. 14
Connecting the Speakers to the Amplifier ...............................................15
Completin
g
the Installation .............................................................................. 16
Testing the Connections ................................................................................ 16
Mounting the Amplifier .................................................................................. 16
Operation ............................................................................................................ 18
Turning On the Amplifier ............................................................................... 18
Adjusting the Audio Level ............................................................................. 18
Troubleshootin
g
................................................................................................ 19
Care and Maintenance ...................................................................................... 21
The FCC Wants You to Know ....................................................................... 21
Replacing a Fuse .......................................................................................... 22
Replacing the SFE-Type Fuse ................................................................ 22
Replacing the Blade-Type Fuse ............................................................. 23
Specifications .................................................................................................... 24
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PREPARATION
SUPPLIED HARDWARE
Your amplifier comes with the following items. Be sure you locate everything shown
before you store or dispose of the packing materials.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE INSTAL LATION
Before you install your amplifier, rea d all the instructions in this owner’s manual.
And, you should be able to answer all of these questions about your vehicle’s elec-
trical and autosound systems.
• Does my vehicle have an autosound system, such as a car stereo or CD
player, already installed? (You must have a n existing aut osound system to use
this amplifier.)
• How do I connect a wire to the fuse box?
• Which of the autosound system’s wires is the power wire?
• Which of the autosound system’s terminals are low-level outputs and which are
high-level (speaker) outputs?
Also, be aware that installation in your v ehicle might require cutting or modifying
your vehicle.
(illustration - show all amplifier parts, wires, and hardware)
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Choosing a Mounting
Location
A good location for mounting the am-
plifier is in your vehicle’s trunk. Wh er-
ever you decide t o moun t it, choos e a
location that:
• Does not interfere with the vehi-
cle’s operation
• Lets you drill mounting hole s with-
out damaging other vehicle com-
ponents
• Allows enough space around the
cooling fins for proper airflow and
cooling
• Lets you easily see the ampl ifier’s
POWER and PROTECTION indi-
cators
Warnin
g
:
The amplifier gets very hot
while it is on. Do not touch the amplifier
or place flammable objects near it
while it is on.
Preparing the Mounting Area
Before you mount the a mplifier, make
sure you have all the materials you
need, such as an adapter harness,
additional wire, shielded audio cables,
and 16- or 18-gauge marked or color-
coded wires.
Then con firm that the amplifier fits in
your vehicle’s available mounting ar-
ea. This amplifier requires a 2
1
/
16
-inch
high by 10 -inch wi de by 12
1
/
8
-inch deep
(5.2 ¥ 25.4 ¥ 30.8 cm) mounting area
with adequate ventilation space.
Routing Cables and W ires
Avoid routing the connection cables
and any speaker wires near moving
parts or sharp edges. You can usually
route wires and cables along the wiring
channel b eneath the vehic le’ s door fac-
ings by carefully removing the molding
that holds the carpet in place. After
routing the cables and wires, replace
the molding.
INSTALLATION ORDER
For trouble-free installation, simply fol-
low the sections in this Owner’s Manu-
al in order. First, temporarily connect
the amplifier to:
Ground and power
Your autosound system’s outputs
Your speakers
Then test the connections. When you
verify that everything works as expect-
ed, disconnect the amplifier , mount it in
your vehicle, and reconnect it.
Caution:
If you do not make the con-
nections in the order shown, d amage
to the amplifier and your autosound
system is possible if any wire connec-
tions are made incorrectly.
Note:
For easier installation, mark
each wire you plan to connect with the
name of the terminal you will connec t
it to.
1
2
3
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BEFORE YOU MAKE THE
CONNECTIONS
The supplied connection cables in-
clude all the lead wires you need to
connect the amp l ifier to ground, power,
and your existing autosound system.
Important:
• Do not cut these wires. If you cut
any wire, you cannot obtain a
refund or exchange on t his prod-
uct. However, RadioShack
will
provide warranty service if you cut
a wire and find the product is
defective.
• If the connectors on your vehicle’s
autosound system are not com-
patible with the amplifier’s con-
nectors, you might need an
adapter harness to complete the
connections. RadioShack stores
sell adapter harnesses for most
vehicles.
You might need additional wire, de-
pending on your individual autosound
system, to complete the connections.
Your local RadioShack sto re carries a
full line of wire a nd wire managem ent
accessories.
Cautions:
• For added safety and to protect
your amplifier and autosound sys-
tem, disconnect the cable from
your vehicle’s negative (–) battery
terminal before you begin.
• Be sure your front speakers can
handle as much as 20 watts per
channel and your rear speakers
as much as 55 wat ts per channel
of power. Each speaker must
have an impedance of at least 4
ohms. Your local RadioShack
store carries a full line of speak-
ers.
To make it easier to gauge wire length
and connect the amplifier, temporarily
place the amplifier as close as possible
to the selected mounting location.
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Follow these steps to connect the am-
plifier to ground, switched power, and
primary power.
1. If you have not done so already,
disconnect the cable from your
vehicle’s negative (–) battery ter-
minal.
2. Use a screwdriver to connect the
spade end of the supplied black
ground wire to the am pl ifier ’s
GND
(ground) terminal.
3. Connect the black ground wire’s
other end to a chassis ground,
such as a metal bolt attached to a
metal part of the vehicle’s frame.
Be sure the bolt is not insulated
from the chassis by a plastic part.
4. Use a screwdriver to connect the
spade end of the supplied blue/
white wire to the amplifier’s
REM
(remote power) terminal.
CONNECTING GROUND AND
SWITCHED/PRIMARY POWER
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5. Connect the blue/white wire’s
other end to your autosound sys-
tem’s switched power lead using
one of the supplied twist-on termi-
nal connectors.
This connection turns on the
amplifier when you turn on the
autosound system, and turns off
the amplifier when you turn off the
autosound system. This prevents
your vehicle’s battery from being
drained if you leave your am plifier
on when you turn off your auto-
sound system.
If your autosound system does
not have a switched power lead,
connect the blue/white wire’s
other end to a point in your vehi-
cle’s fuse block that has power
only when you turn on the ignition
or turn the key to ACC.
This connection turns on the
amplifier when you turn on the
ignition or turn the key to ACC,
and turns off the amplifier when
you turn off the ignition. This p re-
vents your vehicle’s battery from
being drained if you leave your
amplifier on when you turn off the
ignition.
6. Use a screwdriver to connect the
spade end of the supplied red
power cable (with in-line fuse
holder) to the amplifier ’s
+ 12V
ter-
minal.
7. Connect the other end of the red
power cable to your vehicle’s pos-
itive (+) battery terminal as shown.
Then tighten the terminal.
Caution:
Due to the amplifier’s
high current requirement, you
must
connect the red power
cable’s fused end directly to the
vehicle’s positive (+) battery termi-
nal or damage to your vehicle’s
wiring could result.
Do not reconnect your vehicle’s nega-
tive (–) battery cable yet.
(illus)
(illus)
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CONNECTING INPUTS
LOW-LEVEL INPUTS
You can connect your auto sound system’ s low-level line out jacks to the amplifi-
er’s low- leve l l ine in jacks.
If your autosound system does
not
have low-level line out jacks, see “High Level
(Speaker Wire) Inputs” on Page 11 to connect your amplifier.
1. Temporarily place the amplifier as close as possible to the selected mou nting
location.
2.
If your autosound system has four separate line out jacks
, connect the auto-
sound system to the amplifier as shown:
Note:
For the best results, use shielded audio cables such as Cat. No. 42-2368
(not supplied).
(illus)
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