E90Post
 


Studio RSR
 
BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > Regional Forums > UK > UK Technical Forum > Blaupunkt Plug'N'Play Amp install.....



Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      07-28-2009, 12:07 PM   #265
cooperman
New Member
England
3
Rep
12
Posts

Drives: 325Msport Convertible E93 2007
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Leicestershire UK

iTrader: (0)

Re routing cables in E93

Just took these photos with the top half way down. It does look a reasonably easy job, you can see the loom coming through the foam in picture 3.

Just need to remove the seatback as you say.
Attached Images
   
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 06:36 AM   #266
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Yesterday my new THA555 was delivered...today busy working a feasable plan to install it using, of course, all the info posted hier; still I can not seem to understand how to get the cable harnass into the trunk without removing the rear seat back - I have a E90 with a fixed rear seat back
Anyway, I took a day off so tomorrow I will give it a hard try!
Wish me luck!
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 06:46 AM   #267
en6jwrs
Enlisted Member
5
Rep
47
Posts

Drives: BMW E61 M-Sport 535d
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cambridge

iTrader: (0)

To get the extension cable into the boot of an e90, make sure you run the cable up the passenger side of the car.

When you get to the rear seat, if you pull the base of the seat directly upward it will pop out of the retaining clip.

Then there is an obvious gap to post the cable through (there is already some pre-existing BMW wiring to guide you).

Just then push the seat base back down to clip it in.

I have just done this mod on my 2007 e90 and wasnt looking forward to getting the cable into the boot, but it was the easiest bit.

Good luck

(Just noticed you are in the netherlands so the side of the car might be different. Look in the boot for the routing of the exisitng wire from the telematics etc)
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 07:38 AM   #268
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by en6jwrs View Post
When you get to the rear seat, if you pull the base of the seat directly upward it will pop out of the retaining clip.
I have come so far but didn't notice the obvious gap...surely not on the driver's side; the cables do not seem to run to the trunk right under the seat but, instead, they seem to go up somehow... behind the side panel), I would prefer not to dismantle the whole back seat
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 09:16 AM   #269
en6jwrs
Enlisted Member
5
Rep
47
Posts

Drives: BMW E61 M-Sport 535d
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Cambridge

iTrader: (0)

You are right, the wires do look like they go up in the trunjk / boot, but behind the panel they angle downwards.

I took the side panel of the trunk / boot out. Once this is removed (via 2 or 3 clips) the hole is obvious.

However to access it (from the cabin side) you need to pull the base of the rear seat up (by pulling sharply upward).

I found it pretty straight forward and much easier to remove than other parts of the trim.

Hope this helps.
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 09:19 AM   #270
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by en6jwrs View Post
You are right, the wires do look like they go up in the trunjk / boot, but behind the panel they angle downwards.

I took the side panel of the trunk / boot out. Once this is removed (via 2 or 3 clips) the hole is obvious.

However to access it (from the cabin side) you need to pull the base of the rear seat up (by pulling sharply upward).

I found it pretty straight forward and much easier to remove than other parts of the trim.

Hope this helps.
Thanks a lot!
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 03:14 PM   #271
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Why do I need to use a 40A fuse on the positive cable since there is already one inserted in the amp? If one chooses to use the power cables provided within the harness (yellow and black) then no extra fuse will be needed....weird
Appreciate 0
      08-04-2009, 04:49 PM   #272
cooperman
New Member
England
3
Rep
12
Posts

Drives: 325Msport Convertible E93 2007
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Leicestershire UK

iTrader: (0)

blaupunkt reliability issues?

I'm ordering a THA 275 tomorrow, mainly because there don't appear to be any other option. The Alpine kit don't seem to fit my car because there are no connectors in the wiring as described in the instructions. I think the new cars have a different wiring arrangement, from looking at pictures of other cars on here.
Anyway, I'm a bit concerned about whether the Blaupunkt amps are reliable, given one or two reports of failures and poor customer service from Blue Spot.

Does anyone have any info about reliability generally of these amps?
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 02:55 AM   #273
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by nmf69 View Post
Why do I need to use a 40A fuse on the positive cable since there is already one inserted in the amp? If one chooses to use the power cables provided within the harness (yellow and black) then no extra fuse will be needed....weird
I did'nt use the 40amp fuse on my cable! Where did it say you had to?
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 03:34 AM   #274
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

I am in the installation process and I wonder if I could just use 2 cables for feeding the amp without any additional fuse as suggested on the instruction sheet...I am planning to use the yellow/black wires provided in the harness but conected on the battery/some ground in the trunk
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 04:46 AM   #275
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by nmf69 View Post
I am in the installation process and I wonder if I could just use 2 cables for feeding the amp without any additional fuse as suggested on the instruction sheet...I am planning to use the yellow/black wires provided in the harness but conected on the battery/some ground in the trunk
I just connected the plug from the head unit (removing the optical pin) into the Blaupunkt loom and ran it into the boot of the car then connected to the Amp. There was no need to connect to the battery in the boot of the car!
It was as simple as that with the exception of the problem I now have with the amp driving too heavier a load on the front channels.
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 04:54 AM   #276
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by cooperman View Post
I'm ordering a THA 275 tomorrow, mainly because there don't appear to be any other option. The Alpine kit don't seem to fit my car because there are no connectors in the wiring as described in the instructions. I think the new cars have a different wiring arrangement, from looking at pictures of other cars on here.
Anyway, I'm a bit concerned about whether the Blaupunkt amps are reliable, given one or two reports of failures and poor customer service from Blue Spot.

Does anyone have any info about reliability generally of these amps?
From what I can gather from various forum members the problem with the Blaupunkt Amp is this. When you connect the Amp to a stock (basic) system it is fine, the problem arises when we owners add the tweeter speaker to the equation. The Front channel of the amp ends up driving 1) the Subs under the seat, 2) the door speakers & 3) the tweeters. These 3 are wired up together in series and the load drops below the 2 ohm limitation of the Amp. This is what is causing the Amp's to blow when any high volume is put through the Amp.

The only way round this is to remove the Sub from the front speaker circuit and connect it to the rear channel of the Amp. The rear speakers are either disconneted or powered from the head unit.

I hope this summary is correct as I am no electrical engineer!

This was a PM i received from a US forum member

Hi Richard

The main problem here is not the filters of the THA475, is the way that you connected the OEM speakers to this aftermarket amp, specifically the front speakers.

Your base system originally have the underseat subs connected in parallel to the front full range 4" drivers. There is a capacitor inline between the 6.5" underseat woofer and the 4" full range driver which accomplishes two jobs: keeps the total impedance in 4 ohms and separates the low frequencies (woofer) from the mid/high frequencies (4" full range).

By adding an extra set of tweeters to the front speakers you effectively changed both the impedance and the frequency filtering.

The filtering can be fixed, but the new impedance can damage your THA475 if it goes below 2 ohms, which it is in fact 1.33 ohms with the new tweeters at least. The amp will eventually overheat and fail if it is drawing too much current due to the low impedance.

If you do not understand all this mumbo-jumbo of technical information at least understand this: you cannot set this THA475 and the front speakers the way you did.

You will need to connect the THA475 4-channels only to the front speakers:

- channels 1-2: connect them to the front 4" full range driver and the new tweeters. Set the THA475 front filter to high pass, at around 150Hz.
- channels 3-4" connect them to the underseat woofers. Set the THA475 rear filter to low pass, at around 150Hz.

The rear OEM speakers will be driven by your OEM HU/iDrive unit.

Regards

Elías
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 06:23 AM   #277
ppenguin
New Member
0
Rep
5
Posts

Drives: X3 now
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Vegas

iTrader: (0)

amp install post

Saw your detailed writeup about the amp install you did but I am not positive that you had the idrive. I have an 09 e93 with idrive that I would like to change ouf the amp on. I don't have the logic 7. Do I need the Blankpunt 1250? Does that drive my fronts, rears and the subs under the seat ?

thanks
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 07:07 AM   #278
cooperman
New Member
England
3
Rep
12
Posts

Drives: 325Msport Convertible E93 2007
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Leicestershire UK

iTrader: (0)

Re: Illingworth 22

Quote:
"You will need to connect the THA475 4-channels only to the front speakers:
- channels 1-2: connect them to the front 4" full range driver and the new tweeters."

Thank you for the info. I have ordered one now so I will soon find out for myself how reliable they are.
The PM is interesting because he says to connect the underseat subs to channels 3 & 4 but I don’t think you can do this without modifying the pnp loom or modifying the car wiring so connecting the amp via speaker level inputs, which rather defeats the object of using this amp.

I don’t intend adding tweeters but instead I am going to replace the door speakers with 4 ohm 2-way speakers with built in tweeter. Hopefully that will be OK
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 08:35 AM   #279
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by cooperman View Post
Quote:
"You will need to connect the THA475 4-channels only to the front speakers:
- channels 1-2: connect them to the front 4" full range driver and the new tweeters."

Thank you for the info. I have ordered one now so I will soon find out for myself how reliable they are.
The PM is interesting because he says to connect the underseat subs to channels 3 & 4 but I don’t think you can do this without modifying the pnp loom or modifying the car wiring so connecting the amp via speaker level inputs, which rather defeats the object of using this amp.

I don’t intend adding tweeters but instead I am going to replace the door speakers with 4 ohm 2-way speakers with built in tweeter. Hopefully that will be OK
A hack of the Bpunkt loom is required I have to get my electrical head round it this weekend, I also need to search the forum to find where all of the speaker wires meet in one location. Essentially what the loom dose is take the 4 channels from the Head Unit and feeds them to the Amp then there are 4 channels (amplified) sent back to the head unit plug which in turn connect to the speakers. (I wish I had left it the way it was!)

Good luck with the install, this site has a wealth of info
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 10:10 AM   #280
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Finally, I have finished the job in no less than 8 hours!!!! I lost almost an hour with the tiny f... hazard connector in the dashboard trim , anyway, the sound is improved, no doubt; i might need to adjust the settings on the amp - I am not sure what input value should i use for the subs (they are connected directly), still the OEM subs though.
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 10:19 AM   #281
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by nmf69 View Post
Finally, I have finished the job in no less than 8 hours!!!! I lost almost an hour with the tiny f... hazard connector in the dashboard trim , anyway, the sound is improved, no doubt; i might need to adjust the settings on the amp - I am not sure what input value should i use for the subs (they are connected directly), still the OEM subs though.
I did mine (a bit quicker than 8hrs mind but not much ) and started to take off the rear panel.... now I have a feckinf rattle

Ask Gizzie for settings... he is the expert
Appreciate 0
      08-05-2009, 06:02 PM   #282
cooperman
New Member
England
3
Rep
12
Posts

Drives: 325Msport Convertible E93 2007
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Leicestershire UK

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by illingworth22 View Post
(I wish I had left it the way it was!)
Me too, I've got so many bits off the car I can't remember where half of them are, and I've only had it 2 weeks
Appreciate 0
      08-06-2009, 04:10 AM   #283
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by biscuits View Post
For info, these are the settings I have settled with for now on the THA555 amp... Still needs a tweek here or there, but pretty pleased wit the results.

Is this sub level set o.k.? I understand you should have set it on 8V for front/rear as they come from the HU...but how do you determine the right value for the subs as they are directly driven?
Thanks...
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2009, 12:04 PM   #284
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

wow! It's getting really hot...after a 45 minutes ride I couldn't hold my hand on it, I probably should change the location - it's under the "carpet" in the trunk.
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2009, 12:50 PM   #285
illingworth22
First Lieutenant
illingworth22's Avatar
Ireland
30
Rep
304
Posts

Drives: F87 M2
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Dublin

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by nmf69 View Post
wow! It's getting really hot...after a 45 minutes ride I couldn't hold my hand on it, I probably should change the location - it's under the "carpet" in the trunk.
The only reason it is possibly getting hot is because it is drawing too much from the front speakers! (I assume you have not disconnected the subs from the front speaker curcuit) Try to connect the Subs to the 5th channel! This is a Digital Amp and should not get warm!

Last edited by illingworth22; 08-10-2009 at 01:38 PM..
Appreciate 0
      08-10-2009, 03:30 PM   #286
nmf69
Private
Netherlands
5
Rep
73
Posts

Drives: G20 BMW 320d
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: The Netherlands

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by illingworth22 View Post
The only reason it is possibly getting hot is because it is drawing too much from the front speakers! (I assume you have not disconnected the subs from the front speaker curcuit) Try to connect the Subs to the 5th channel! This is a Digital Amp and should not get warm!
The subs are fed by the 5th channel, still I could frie an egg or two on the amp - it's that hot!!!
I must say I still have the OEM subs running...but this shouldn't be a problem, I will disconnect them tomorrow to see if any effect occurs
Appreciate 0
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
amp, blaupunkt, diy, tha 475

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:58 AM.




e90post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST