Zapco i-Force User Manual

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Contents

Mission Statement....................................................................2

Warnings

Wire Size

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Installation Guidelines............................................................. 6

i-FORCE Inputs

Bass Boost Control

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i-FORCE............................................................................11

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i-250

i-2100

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i-450..........................................................................................17

i-4100

i-5100

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i-600..........................................................................................26

i-1200

Speaker Wiring

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Speaker Impedance Table..................................................... 34

System Diagrams

Technical Assistance

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Mission Statement

ZAPCO IS DEDICATED TO THE PURSUIT OF AUDIO FIDELITY.

Our passion, our “Driving Force” is to design and manufacture car audio products of unsurpassed quality, to provide unparalleled support and service for these products and to conduct business in a manner that will enhance the quality of life for all involved. There is absolutely no substitute for experience; that is a simple fact of life. Another simple fact is that for over 30 years, ZAPCO has been the leader in defining quality standards for the car audio industry. These years of experience have led to a thorough understanding of the challenges that are unique to the world of car audio. ZAPCO’s relentless quest for sonic purity consistently yields imaginative designs that utilize the most innovative technologies. The resulting products set the criteria by which all others in the industry are judged. Feel the passion, hear the quality, know the performance and reliability by making ZAPCO the “Driving Force” in your car audio system.

The Quest

For over 30 years, Zapco has been building a reputation that is the envy of the industry. It is a reputation for sound quality, engineering integrity, and p roduct reliability. This reputation has spread throughout the world. And now, wherever you find audio equipment, the p erson who wants the best in 12-volt audio products knows that Zapco is the only name you need.

In today’s market, however, price often becomes as important as any other quality. There are a variety of o p tions competing for your aftermarket dollar. Today’s consumer must balance audio, performance accessories, and appearance accessories in their automotive budget. We at Zapco have been searching for several years to find a product that we could bring to this more price conscious market segment.

We have now found it.

The challenge for Zapco was to bring the market a bulletproof product that sounds on par with the industry’s better amps at a price that we knew today’s import/performance minded market would demand. We worked closely with one of Asia’s most respected manufacturers to develop a p roduct that would meet our sound quality and production quality standards at a price today’s consumers could appreciate.

i-FORCE!

A quick look at the following pages will show that we have certainly succeeded. These products proudly wear the Zapco brand, and will deliver the world famous Zapco reliability. To compliment the Zapco performance, we have assured that i-Force provides all the features today’s consumer wants and needs. Every i-Force amp provides variable electronic high/low crossovers, RCA and speaker level inputs, auxiliary outputs and variable remote b ass control. For maximum convenience, i-Force controls are accessed right from the top of the amp, under the removable Zapco badge.

And all this value is loaded into a package that will excite the most style conscious of buyers. The chassis of i-Force was designed to fit with today’s modern import styles and to fit naturally into a customized interior installation. And the bold i-Force styling underscores our intent to make the i-Force amps perform with a “take no prisoners” attitude.

Style, Performance, Value…i-Force

Warnings

Zapco highly recommends that a fuse or circuit breaker be placed within 18" of the battery. Although products have adequate internal protection, it is possible that a pinched power wire between the component and the battery may result in a fire. The protection device should be placed where it can be accessed easily and all wiring should be routed safely and correctly according to the following guidelines:

Do not run wiring close to hot or spinning objects.

Always use wire grommets when routing wire through the firewall or any other metal panels.

Make sure that the potential for pinched wiring is avoided by routing all wires away from moving hinges and seats. This a lso includes brake, gas and clutch pedals, hood and trunk hinges, etc.

Caution:

Continuous exposure to excessive sound pressure levels may cause permanent hearing loss. Zapco strongly advises that you use common sense when setting volume levels. If you experience ringing in the ears, it could cause permanent hearing damage!

CAUTION!

When connecting our amplifiers to pre-wired stock speakers, care must be taken that there are no common connections in the speaker wires, i.e. minus to minus or plus to plus connections, as this will cause the amplifier to go into immediate protection or may cause damage to the amplifier. Output connections are not common chassis ground. Please follow the hookup instructions in this owner’s manual. Any questions should be directed to your local Zapco dealer or call us at 209-577-4268.

Wire Size

Most people understand the importance of a clean signal source for good sou n d reproduction. But, what about your 12 volt power source? It’s often surprising how many people (even professional car sound people) will obsess about signal wire but routinely provide the amp only a fraction of the current it needs to do its job. The most common wire gauge used in car audio is 10-gauge. The most common location for amplifiers is in the trunk.

Take a look at the chart below. If you want to have any respectable amount of power for your amp, you need an 8-guage wire to the trunk as a bare minimum. If you want enough power to drive woofers, your going to need at least a 4-gauge wire to the rear.

Length of Run

0- 4 - 7 - 10 - 13 - 16 - 19 - 22 -

Current Demand

0 - 20 amps 14 12 12 10 10 8 8 8 20-35amps 12108866 6 4 35-50amps 1088664 4 4 50-60amps 886444 4 2 65-85amps 664422 2 0

85-105amps 66422220 105-125amps 44422000 125-150amps 22220000

4 Ft 7 Ft 10 Ft 13 Ft 16 Ft 19 Ft 22 Ft 28 Ft

Lets just look at a fairly small system. If you use an i-Force 250 (25 amps) for the highs and an i-Force 2100 (40 amps) for the woofers, you need at least a 4-gauge wire to provide 65 amps at the trunk. Anything less and your car won’t go boom. It’ll just go Blap!

It takes lots of current to make lots of power!

And remember! An electrical circuit is just that…a circuit. For current to travel, you must complete the circuit from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. Whatever you use for power (B+) you must also use for Ground (B-). 4-gauge power…4-gauge ground!

So! Use this chart! Add up your fuses and c hoose your wire to match the total maximum current draw. And always use the same gauge for the main ground as you do for main power.

Installation Guidelines

Mounting your i-Force Amplifier is easy. Keep in mind the following guidelines:

•

The a mplifier may be mounted in any direction, on wood, metal or carpet.

•

The metal case of the amplifier may be grounded or left isolated.

• The amplifier requires adequate ventilation. Position the amplifier with

sufficient surrounding area for proper cooling.

• Keep top and vents clear for proper internal cooling.

• Keep the amplifier out of the engine compartment and other locations

that may cause excessive heat or moisture.

• Do not mount the amplifier to a subwoofer enclosure or any other

place that may have excessive vibration!

i-FORCE Controls

Remove the Zapco name badge in the center of your i-Force amplifier to reveal the system controls. Below are the layouts for the 2 channel an d 4 channel and Mono i-Force amps.

2 Channel Controls

4 Channel Controls

Mono Controls

i-FORCE Inputs

To provide maximum versatility, i-Force amplifiers provide both RCA

and SymbiLink™ inputs. They also provide Balanced High Level inputs that

can hook directly to your speaker outputs of your factory system.

Below are the wire codes for the Balanced High Level input plugs.

Warning: The black reference ground wire must be hooked up to the head unit’s chassis ground or performance will be seriously degraded!

Mono and 2 Channel Input Plug

4 Channel Input Plug

Bass Boost Control

To provide more of the control you want with your system, we have developed a unique wired remote gain control for i-FORCE amplifiers.

The i-Force remote is included with every i-Force amplifier and is activated whenever the crossover is switched to low pass mode. The upper limit of volume, for the remote, is controlled by the gain control on the amp itself.

To set up for bass control, simply turn the remote fully clockwise, set the amp gain for the maximum you want the bass volume to be, then turn down the remote. You can now use the remote as your primary bass control.

i-FORCE

i-250

• 300 watts Total Music Power

•

• Remote Level Control with Wired Remote

• Top Mount System Controls for Easy Access.

• Highly Efficient Compact Design for Easy Mounting

• Switchable Bass Boost Circuit

•

2 Channel Stereo Amplifier / Bridgeable / 3 Channel Capable

RCA Inputs, SymbiLink™ inputs, or Speaker Level Inputs

Variable Crossover

i-250 Hookup

Power End

Signal End

i-250 Specifications

Output Power Rating

Stereo Output 4 ohm @ 14.4V (0.05%) 2 x 75W Stereo Output 2 ohm @ 14.4V (0.05%) 2 x 125W

Bridged Output 4 ohm @ 14.4V (0.05%) 1 x 250W

Channel separation (Full Rated Power) > 50dB THD Distortion with 22k Filter 0.10% Frequency Response (-3dB) 10 - 25KHz S/N Ratio (A-Weighted) > 90dB Input Gain Control

Low L evel Input 150mV — 4V

High Level Input 450mV — 12V

Input Impedance

Features

Battery Voltage Range for Operating 10.5V — 16V LED Indicator Red/Green Protection (Short, Thermal, Overcurrent) Yes Crossover HP/FULL/LP Variable Hi-Low Pass 40Hz — 400Hz Crossover Slope 12dB/Octave Bass EQ at FULL/LP at 45Hz 12dB

Dimensions mm / in.

Length 194mm / 7.625 in. Width 273mm / 10.75 in. Height 57mm / 2.25 in.

Power

20kΩ

+ 29 hidden pages