Rockford Fosgate 100ix, 60ix, 200ix, 40ix User Manual



2-CHANNEL DSM AMPLIFIERS

PUNCH 40ix / PUNCH 60ix

PUNCH 100ix / PUNCH 200ix

INSTALLATION & OPERATION

MANUAL

®®

Dear Customer,
Congratulations on your purchase of the world's finest brand of car audio

amplifiers. At Rockford Fosgate we are committed to musical reproduction at its
best, and we are pleased you chose our product. Through years of engineering
expertise, hand craftsmanship and critical testing procedures, we have created a
wide range of products that reproduce music with all the clarity and richness you
deserve.

For maximum performance we recommend you have your new Rockford Fosgate
product installed by an Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer, as we provide
specialized training through Rockford Technical Training Institute (RTTI). Please
read your warranty and retain your receipt and original carton for possible future
use.

To add the finishing touch to your new Rockford Fosgate image order your Rockford
accessories, which include everything from T-shirts and jackets to hats and
sunglasses.

To get a free brochure on Rockford Fosgate products and Rockford accessories, in
the U.S. call 602-967-3565 or FAX [phone]. For all other countries, call
+001-602-967-3565 or FAX [phone].

PRACTICE SAFE SOUND™

CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS
OVER 100dB MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS. HIGH
POWERED AUTO SOUND SYSTEMS MAY PRODUCE SOUND
PRESSURE LEVELS WELL OVER 130dB. USE COMMON SENSE
AND PRACTICE SAFE SOUND.

If, after reading your manual, you still have questions regarding this
product, we recommend that you see your Rockford Fosgate dealer. If you
need further assistance, you can call us direct at 1-800-795-2385. Be sure to
have your serial number, model number and date of purchase available
when you call.

The serial number can be found on the outside of the box. Please record it
in the space provided below as your permanent record. This will serve as
verification of your factory warranty and may become useful in recovering
your amplifier if it is ever stolen.

Serial Number: ____________________
Model Number:____________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ...................................................................................... 1

Punch 2-Channel Amplifier Accessory Pack...................................... 1

Rockford Fosgate Accessories............................................................ 2

Technical Design Features ................................................................ 3

Design Features................................................................................. 6

Installation Considerations ................................................................ 8

Mounting Location............................................................................ 9

Battery and Charging....................................................................... 10

Wiring the System ........................................................................... 10

Using the XCard.............................................................................. 13

Basic Connections........................................................................... 14

System Diagrams............................................................................. 18

Troubleshooting .............................................................................. 22

Dynamic Power Measurements....................................................... 24

Specifications.................................................................................. 26

Warranty Information...................................................................... 28

GETTING STARTED

Welcome to Rockford Fosgate! This manual is designed to provide
information for the owner, salesperson and installer. For those of
you who want quick information on how to install this product,
please turn to the Basic System Diagrams in the Installation section
of this manual. Other information can be located by using the Table
of Contents. We, at Rockford Fosgate, have worked very hard to
make sure all the information in this manual is current. But, as we
are constantly finding new ways to improve our product, this
information is subject to change without notice.

INTRODUCTION

Rockford engineers designed the Punch 2-channel amplifiers to
withstand the rugged automotive environment while delivering
superior sound quality in a flexible, reliable, and efficient pack­age. A grounding technique called TOPAZ was used to eliminate
noise problems associated with car audio systems, while flexibil­ity was accomplished with the use of a built-in XCard. Reliability
was accomplished with the use of protection circuits called RTP
and NOMAD, while MOSFET and DSM technology improve
amplifier efficiency. The result of these components give the
Punch amplifier awesome sound quality in a “Bullet Proof”
package. An explanation of these technologies, some exclusively
designed by Rockford, are described in the Technical Design
Features.

PUNCH 2-CHANNEL AMPLIFIER
ACCESSORY PACK

The accessory pack shipped with the Punch 2-channel amplifiers
includes the mounting hardware necessary to secure them to the
vehicle as well as attaching the end caps.

Installation & Operation Manual
Punch Verification Certificate
(1) 17' (518.16cm) Red Power Wire
(1) 12' (365.76cm) Remote Turn-On Wire
(1) 1.5' (45.72cm) Black Grounding Wire
(1) Female Connector for Remote Turn-On Wire
(1) Ring Terminal for Ground Wire
(1) Ring Terminal for Battery Post
(1) ATC Inline Fuseholder (Punch 40ix, 60ix, 100ix)
(1) AGU Inline Fuseholder (Punch 200ix)
(6) Hex Head Screws for speaker and power connectors
(4) Mounting Screws for end caps
(4) Mounting Screws for amplifier
(1) Allen Wrench 7/64"
(1) Allen Wrench 3/32"

– 1 –

ROCKFORD FOSGATE ACCESSORIES

The following accessories were designed to enhance the perfor­mance of the Punch 2-channel amplifiers.

Energy Storage Capacitor

The Punch capacitors are used to provide extra current needed by
amplifiers to reproduce musical transients. The Punch Caps also
have the natural ability to filter AC ripple caused by the alternator,
reducing the chance of noise in the system. The Punch Caps will
maximize both the sound quality and performance that Rockford

Fosgate amplifiers can deliver.

Punch Link (FG-LINK)

The Punch Link is a specially cast heatsink interconnect which
allows you to join any of our current Punch or Punch Power
amplifiers together. While providing additional cooling through
the coupling process, the Punch Link adds the finishing touch by

giving you the look of one awesome amplifier.

XCard

Additional crossover card frequencies are available for special­ized requirements. You can get the following XCards from your
Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer.

XM50 = 50Hz XM275 = 275Hz
XM70 = 70Hz XM400 = 400Hz
XM100 = 100Hz XM4.5k = 4,500Hz
XM150 = 150Hz XM6.5k = 6,500Hz
XM200 = 200Hz XM00 = Blank card for

custom crossover

– 2 –

TECHNICAL DESIGN FEATURES

◆ TOP AZ (Tracking Operation Pre-Amplifier Zone)

The

TOPAZ

solves ground loop noise problems common to automotive
amplifier design. This innovative new development allows vastly
improved isolation of the input signal grounds from the power
supply ground of the amplifier. This is accomplished by allowing
the source unit to control the potential “environment” of the
entire input structure or “zone” of the amplifier. This process
improves the noise rejection of the amplifier by 30-40dB – an
astounding 30-100 times better than amplifiers without TOPAZ.

THE RESULT: Elimination of troublesome ground loop noise
between source and amplifier.

◆ RTP (Real Time Protection)

NOMAD (NOn-Multiplying Advanced

Decision)

(Tracking Operation Pre-Amplifier Zone) circuitry

The Punch and Power amplifiers use an

process

conditions. Rockford Fosgate pioneered and developed
(Real Time Protection), a crucial element in the performance
edge of our amplifiers. The innovative
ing Advanced Decision) system is the most sophisticated version
of this technique ever used, bringing previously unavailable
levels of accuracy, stability, temperature immunity and reliabil­ity to this critical process. NOMAD makes advanced decisions
based on device voltages to precisely control the awesome levels
of current available in the output MOSFETs to safe values – but
only when absolutely needed.

THE RESULT: Extremely fast protection system that always
protects the amplifier and never degrades the sound.

to maximize safe output power under all operating

– 3 –

analog computer

NOMAD

(NOn-Multiply-

RTP

◆ DSM (Discrete Surface Mount) Technology

The

DSM

(Discrete Surface Mount) manufacturing process com­bines the advantages of both discrete components and integrated
circuitry. Rockford Fosgate is the only American amplifier manu­facturer to have invested millions into this process. DSM compo­nents differ from conventional discrete components in three
different ways. They are more compact, more rugged, and they
take much better advantage of the PC board to allow them to get
rid of any heat they generate. Using them wherever appropriate
allows the advantages associated with discrete circuitry to be
retained while also providing room for both highly advanced
processing features and generous PC board copper paths where
needed. Their short lead-out structures allow maximum audio
performance and highest signal-to-noise ratios to be obtained in
amplifiers of desirable package size without resorting to “ampli-
fier-on-a-chip” shortcuts. These advantages are shown below in
Figure 1.

Solder

Component

Solder

Figure 1

Thru-Hole Surface Mount

THE RESULT: Fewer connections, improved reliability, shorter
signal paths, superior signal-to-noise ratio and awesome sonic
performance.

– 4 –

◆ XCard (Internal Crossover)

The Punch and Power amplifiers utilize internal active crossovers.
These crossovers have many performance advantages such as using
discrete components for exact frequency adjustments which are far
superior to potentiometers. Additionally, the
ured for high-pass, low-pass and full range operation. With slight
modifications, many crossover frequencies and slope configurations
can be achieved.

THE RESULT: Increased system design flexibility with a precise
electronic crossover without the limitations of conventional poten-

tiometer designs.

XCard

can be config-

◆ MOSFET Devices

Rockford Fosgate is one of the few manufacturers in the sound
community to utilize MOSFET devices in both the
and the
Field Effect Transistor) devices offer several important inherent
advantages over the 30 year old technology of bi-polar design.
These advantages include: thermal stability, switching speed,
ultra low output impedance and wider bandwidth linearity. In
addition, MOSFETs and vacuum tubes share many important
operating characteristics. However, the MOSFET device is much
faster, wider in bandwidth, measurably lower in distortion and far
more linear than vacuum tubes.

output stages. MOSFET

(Metal Oxide Semiconductor

power supply

THE RESULT: Operational characteristics of vacuum tubes

without the performance limitations of tube design.

– 5 –

DESIGN FEATURES

1. Cast Aluminum Heatsink – The cast aluminum heatsink of the
Punch amplifier dissipates heat generated by the amplifier's
circuitry. The inherent advantage of casting provides a 30%
improvement of cooling over conventional extrusion heatsink
designs.

2. End Caps – Interchangeable end caps conceal the wiring and
input cables, giving the amplifier a clean “stealth” look.

3 8 7 7

Speaker Speaker

6 6

Right

Right

Left

Left

Input

GainTreble

Gain

Input

3

8

+R–+L–

Bass

49 5

LED

REM

GNDB+

3. Speaker Terminals – The heavy duty, gold-plated terminal block
connectors (+ and –) will accept wire sizes from 8 AWG to 18
AWG. These gold-plated connectors are immune to corrosion
that can cause signal deterioration.

4. Power Terminals – The power and ground connectors on the
Punch amplifier are gold-plated and will accommodate up to 8
AWG wire maximizing the input current capability of the
amplifier.

5. REM Terminal – This spade terminal is used for the AP (auto
power) or remote turn on of the Punch amplifier.

– 6 –

6. RCA Input Jacks – The industry standard RCA jacks provide

➝

➝

➝

➝

↕

easy connections for signal level input. They are gold-plated to
resist the signal degradation caused by corrosion.

7. Input Sensitivity Controls – The input level controls are preset
for 825mV which will match the output of most source units.
They can be adjusted to match input levels ranging from 150mV
to 3V.

8. Punch Equalization Controls – The Punch EQ helps correct for
acoustical deficiencies of the listening environment. The Bass
control allows a narrow band adjustment of up to 18dB
centered at 45Hz. The Treble control is a wide band hinged
adjustment with a maximum of 18dB at 20kHz. The Punch EQ
can be bypassed by turning the controls to their minimum or
counterclockwise position.

9. LED Power Indicator – The LED illuminates when the unit is
turned on.

10. XCard (Internal Crossover) – This built-in crossover card is
configurable for a multitude of operating frequencies. The
orientation of the card in its socket determines the function of
high-pass, low-pass, or full range operation.

®

MOSFET AMPLIFIER

DSM

100 Watts RMS continuous power per
channel into 4 Ohms with less than 0.05%
Total Harmonic Distortion from 20-20kHz.

®

ROCKFORD CORPORATION

MADE IN THE USA

®

LP

Low-Pass Full RangeHigh-Pass

HP

10

HP

LP

XCard

Front

XCard

FULL

– 7 –