Last Updated on: October 6, 2022
If you want the best listening experience while traveling, you should get the best speakers and amplifiers. After all, the best sound quality of your speaker is dependent on an amplifier. An amplifier is an outstanding device that amplifies weak signals and turns them into stronger ones, resulting in a smooth and precise listening experience.
Unfortunately…,
Amplifiers can go into a protection mode and shut down completely, affecting the car audio system. So if you want to know how to bypass protection mode on an amp, please read on…
What Is the Protection Mode of a Car Amp?
The most crucial part of an amp is the power output transistors, which are used to switch or amplify electrical power and digital alerts. It’s the priciest component of an amp, and if it gets damaged within the shortest time possible, then the car amplifiers and car audio system become useless.
Plus, the voice coil of most top brands can be easily destroyed; therefore, it’s crucial that they have a safety mechanism to help protect them.
Most trendy amps come with a protection mode circuit inside for under-or-overvoltage and thermal overloading. So when they encounter any of these factors, the amplifier shuts down and activates the protection mode until the problem is corrected. Protection mode is a shutdown state that most high-end amps go to under certain circumstances.
The shield mode is designed to forestall the amp and prevent it from destroying itself. But dealing with shield mode can be pretty annoying, especially if you don’t know how to get the amp out of protection mode.
How to Confirm if the Car’s Amp Is in Protection Mode
Most car owners don’t know how to tell when their amps are in shield mode or even how to get the amp out of protection mode, which has forced most guys to get a new car amp. Luckily, determining if your car amp is in protection mode is relatively easy; the first thing you should check is the amp’s power LED light.
The LED light indicates either a red or orange color if it’s in protection mode. But if it’s green, then the car amp is in normal mode.
Some brands come with a power LED that goes off when in protection mode. Therefore, it’s crucial that you learn more about certain amplifier brands, and this includes how to get an amp out of protection mode before upgrading the car audio setup.
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Why Does the Car Amplifier Go Into Protect Mode?
Before we learn how to get an amp out of protection mode, we need to understand why they go into protect mode. Shield mode is designed to help protect your amp in case of an emergency power surge or overloading. The amp goes into shield mode automatically, so here are a few factors that can force your car amp to switch to protect mode:
1. Overheating
The amp of most cars is usually placed in a location with very poor ventilation, like beneath the seats. In this situation, the car amp will overheat, thanks to the fact that there is less airflow. So to protect most components, it automatically activates protection mode.
2. Mismatch in Power Load
Another leading thing that can cause the amp to switch to power mode is load mismatch problems. When you connect a sub to an amp with a lower impedance than the recommended rating, it can switch to protection mode.
And that is because it has to increase its power load and work even harder to produce high-quality music, resulting in the car amp overheating and switching to protect mode
3. Internal Failure
At times internal failure can also become the key reason why the car amplifier can automatically go to protection mode. Some components like transistors, rectifiers, and transformer winding can cause the car amp to switch to protect mode.
How Do I Get My Amp Out of Protection Mode?
If the car amp keeps switching to protect mode, then the first thing you should do is run a detailed inspection on all the parts of the amp.
Disconnect the subs/speakers and switch the car amplifier on; if it works perfectly, the problem may be with the subs/ speakers.
You can also repeat this procedure with the head unit but make sure the power wire is in good condition.
But if the amp is still not working and the head unit and speakers are okay, you can examine the amp’s patch, ground wire, and power cables. Make sure the wires are securely connected to the car stereo system before moving to the inline fuse, which has been known to activate shield mode.
1. Check Amp’s Impedance Load
As aforementioned, the car amp can overheat and end up switching to protection mode thanks to a load mismatch. If you connect your amp to a sub with low impedance, then the amp is bound to overwork and overheating, which will switch it to shield mode. Therefore, you should confirm whether the amplifier’s impedance load is inline with the speaker’s rating.
If the amp is extra hot when it switches to protection mode, the issue may be a load imbalance.
Therefore, you should confirm whether the amplifier’s impedance load is inline with the speaker’s rating.
2. Recalibrate the Amplifier’s Gain
Generally, the amp gain has nothing to do with switching to protection mode. But if you’ve used the stereo for a very long time without adjusting the amp gain, it can result in overheating, distortion, and background noise.
So if the impedance load is perfect, there is no ventilation problem, and the car amplifier still switches to shield mode, you have to recalibrate the amp gain.
By recalibrating the amp gain, we mean matching the receiver output with the amp’s input.
3. Replace the Malfunctioned Transistor
Another critical reason your car amplifier has switched to shield mode is malfunctioning output transistors. When an isolated amp switches to shield mode, there is a strong likelihood that the output transistor has blown.
Since replacing an output transistor can be pretty technical for someone learning how to get my amp out of protection mode, you should call a professional.
Pro Auto Thought: Your radio might be experiencing occasional lock-ups, too. If you own one of the popular brands (i.e. Kenwood), then you could reference our article to help you out — How To Reset Kenwood Radio Without Any Technical Assistance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes Your Car’s Amp to Switch to Protect Mode?
Most of the time, the main reason why any car amplifier can go to protection mode is overheating. Therefore, if you install the amp in the wrong part of the car, like under the seat, it can overheat due to poor ventilation.
How Can I Reset My Car’s Amp?
Resetting the amp is relatively easy — you have to remove the power wire by unscrewing the remote. After unscrewing the amp, you can switch off the car and wait for 30 seconds. After half a minute, you can reconnect the amplifier and confirm if it’s working correctly.
Can a Poor Ground Cable Cause an Amplifier to Switch to Protect Mode?
Yes, a bad ground wire can force your amp to switch to protection mode most of the time.
Conclusion
Protection mode is a safety mechanism that can protect your car’s amplifier from getting damaged by overheating, which is triggered by poor ventilation. Luckily, bypassing or preventing your amp from switching to protect mode can be pretty easy, but you have to first determine the cause of the problem.
If the cause is impedance imbalance or ventilation, you can quickly solve the problem without breaking the bank. But if the internal parts of the amp have been damaged, you should contact a professional.