Radio Shack XL-50 User Manual

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XL-50 High Power Trunk-Mount
Stereo Amplifier

Owner’s Manual

Please read before using this equipment.

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Contents

Features .................................................................................................................................. 3

Preparation ............................................................................................................................. 4

Supplied Hardware ............................................................................................................ 4

Before You Begin the Installation ...................................................................................... 4

Choosing a Mounting Location .................................................................................. 4

Preparing the Mounting Area ..................................................................................... 5

Routing Cables and Wires ......................................................................................... 5

Installation Order ........................................................... ..................................... ............... 5

Before You Make the Connections .................................................................................... 5

Connecting Ground and Switched/Primary Power ............................................................ 6

Connecting Inputs ................................................ .................................................................. 7

Preparing the Speaker Wires ............................................................................................ 7

Low-Level Inputs ............................................................................................................... 8

High-Level (Speaker Wire) Inputs ..................................................................................... 8

Two Speaker Outputs ................................................................................................ 9

Four Speaker Outputs ............................................................................................. 10

Connecting Speakers ...................................................................................................... 11

Completing the Installation ................................................................................................. 11

Testing the Connections .................................................................................................. 11

Mounting the Amplifier .................................................................................................... 12

Operation .............................................................................................................................. 13

Turning On the Amplifier ................................................................................................. 13

Adjusting the Audio Level ................................................................................................ 13

Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................... 14

Care .................................................................................................................................. ..... 15

Replacing a Fuse ............................................................................................................ 15

Replacing the SFE-Type Fuse ................................................................................. 15

Replacing the Blade-Type Fuse ............................................................................... 15

Specifications ....................................................................................................................... 16

©

2000 Tandy Corporation.

RadioShack and RadioShack.com are trademarks used by Tandy Corporation.

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All Rights Reserved.

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Features

Your RadioShack High-Power Trunk-Mount
Stereo Amplifier produces a total of 50 watts
to give added punch and power to your vehi­cle’s existing auto sound system.

The amplifier produces up to 25 watts per
channel of clean, powerful sound at all audio
frequencies with minimum distortion. You
can connect your auto sound system’s low­level or speaker-level outputs to this amplifi­er.

Its features include:

14K Gold-Plated Speaker Terminals

signed for low impedance, high conductivity,
and minimum corrosion, to provide the high­est signal transfer and lowest sound distor­tion.

High- or Low-Level Input Signal-Com pati­ble

— accepts either high-leve l (speak er)
or low-level (pre-amplifier) input signals, to
match your stereo system’s output for the
best performance.

Input Level Control

level of the audio signals that enter the am­plifier.

— lets you adjust the

— de-

Auto-Off

plifier to protect the amplifier from overheat­ing, output channel shorts, or input
overloads. The amplifier restarts automati­cally when it cools or the problem is correct­ed.

— temporarily shuts down the am-

THE FCC WANTS YOU TO
KNOW

Your amplifier might cause TV or radio inter­ference even when it is operating properly.
To determine whether your amplifier is caus­ing the interference, turn off your amplifier. If
the interference goes away, your amplifier is
causing it. Try to eliminate the interference
by:

• Moving your amplifier away from the
receiver

• Contacting your local RadioShack store
for help

Automatic Power Switching

matically turn the amplifier on or off when
you turn your auto sound system on or off
(depending on how you hook up the amplifi­er).

Power Indicator

supplied to the amplifier.

Short Circuit Protection

plifier’s sound if any output channel shorts,
alerting you to turn off the auto sound sys­tem.

— lights when power is

— can auto-

— distorts the am-

Features

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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.

Power Wire (Red) (1)

Ground Wire (Black) (1)

Remote Wire (Blue/White) (1)

4-Pin Connector with Wire (1)

Sheet Metal Screws (4)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE
INSTALLATION

Before you install your amplifier, read all the
instructions in this owner’s manual. You
should be able to answer all of the se ques­tions about your vehicle’s electrical and auto
sound systems.

• Does my vehicle have an auto sound
system, such as a car stereo or CD
player, already installed? (You must
have an existing auto sound system to
use this amplifier.)

• How do I connect a wire to the fuse box?

• Which of the auto sound system’s wires
is the power wire?

• Which of the auto sound system’s termi­nals are low-level outputs and which are
high-level (speaker) outputs?

Flat Washers (4)

Lock Washers (4)

Also, be aware that installation in your vehi­cle might require cutting or modifying your
vehicle.

Twist-On
Terminal
Connectors (4)

Choosing a Mounting Location

A good location for mounting the amplifier is
in your vehicle’s trunk. Wherever you decide
to mount it, choose a mounting location that:

• Does not interfere with the vehicle’s
operation

• Lets you drill mounting holes without
damaging other vehicle component s

• Allows enough space around the cooling
fins for proper airflow and cooling

• Lets you easily see the amplifier’s
POWER indicator

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Preparation

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Warning:

is on. Do not touch the amplifier or place
flammable objects near it.

The amplifier gets very hot while it

Preparing the Mounting Area

In addition to the supplied hardware, you
need these materials:

• an adapter harness

• additional wire

• shielded audio cables

• 16- or 18-gauge marked or color-coded
wire.

Confirm that the amplifier fits in your vehi­cle’s available mounting area. This amplifier
requires a 5
6-inch deep (13.9 × 23.5 × 15.3 cm) mount­ing area.

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/2-inch high by 93/4-inch wide by

Routing Cables and Wires

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 beneath the
vehicle’s door facings 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 follow the
sections in this owner’s manual in order.
First, make all the connections temporarily
by connecting the amplifier to:

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Ground and power

2

Your auto sound system’s outputs

Then test the connections. When you con­firm that everything works as expected, dis­connect the amplifier, mount it in your
vehicle, and reconnect it.

Caution:

in the order shown, damage to the amplifier
and your auto sound system is possible if
any wire connections are made incorrectly.

Note:

you plan to connect with the name of the ter­minal you will connect it to.

If you do not make the connections

For easier installation, mark each wire

BEFORE YOU MAKE THE
CONNECTIONS

The supplied connection cables include all
the lead wires you need to connect the am­plifier to ground, power, and your existing
auto sound system.

Important:

• Do not cut any of the supplied wires. If
you cut any wire, you cannot obtain a
refund or exchange on this product.

will

However, RadioShack
ranty service if you cut a wire and find
the product is defective.

• If the connectors on your vehicle’s auto
sound system are not compatible with
the amplifier’s connectors, you might
need an adapter harness to complete
the connections. Your local RadioShack
store has adapter harnesses for most
vehicles.

You might need additional wire, depending
on your individual auto sound system, to
complete the connections. Your local Ra­dioShack store has a variety of wire and wire
accessories.

provide war-

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Your speakers

Preparation

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