Whine and POP cures

[road chicken]

Ok I have two seperate problems on the runner. I think I have a handle on what to do, but it's been a while since I've played with stuff.
First the system

I have a stock AM/FM case that has been upgraded to with a new SMD board. I also have a 6 cd changer, Kenwood EQ , pioneer amp ,and Bazzoka powered sub.

First the whine. It sONLY is present with the cd player playing. The CD player is fed power and ground thru the AM/FM head unit. When the radio is playing- NO problem. as soon as the CD player is enguaged the whine is there. I have installed a 10 amp noise filter to the supply side of the radio-( and by default the cd player-) and EQ.
My take on this is there is a ground loop problem associated with the CD Player. Should a seperate ground strap from the CD player directly to a body ground cure this?

The cd player control wires run thru the channel on the Pass side with the RCA signal cables going back to the amp and Sub.
All power cables are run seperately on the drivers side tray.


Second the 'POP"

No matter what is playing- radio or cd- when the turn signals or brakes are applied- I hear a loud POP in conjuction with them. The Sub and the amp are drawing their power directly from the battery, the rest of the system comes thru the fuse block.
I'm thinking this is due to a voltage drop in the system. AM I correct? If so, will a capacitor cure this. If so where do I install it. I would think between the + and the - on the battery. What size should I get? I have one floating around that is the size of a soda can.( I think I was gonna wire up my older brothers bed at one time). I forgot what the MFD rating is, but it's pretty high.

[DANS66DART]

First the whine. You didn't say if the CD player was a direct wire system, i.e., there are CD controls through your head unit, or if it's RF modulated (you have to put the radio on a preset to hear the CD). From what you're describing, it sounds like your CD player is modulated. Therefore, it will whine. I had a Clarion in my Dakota wired that way, and it whined.

Second the pop. Usually, when a "pop" is heard in conjunction with a music source, it's because the amp turned off before the head unit did, the speakers are still active, and the deactivation of the amp is heard in the form of a pop. There are $5 inline "breakers" you can wire in to cure that. A capacitor would only help if you're pushing a lot of bass. It acts as a voltage reservoir so that power isn't sucked from everything else in the vehicle. If you do decide to use one, wire it inline with the battery and amp. (battery+ to cap-, cap+ to amp, and don't forget to ground the cap).

Dan

[road chicken]

The CD is hardwired through the head unit. Sorry I should have mentioned that. Otherwise the RF path through the antenna would have been a sure suspect.

I figured the pop was because the voltage was dropping,( cutting off the amp momentarily) when the turn signals were engauged. I should have also stated that it only happens on the first time the "blinker" cycles on each turn. Which kinda made me think it has something to do with the power draw of initial operation of turn signal circuit. It also does it when the brake lights are enguaged.

After reading what you said What I'm thinking now is to wire a smaller cap in the AMP sensing,( turn on) wiring. The idea being to keep the voltage up and through the initial operation of the signal/brake circuit. until the voltage regulator can compensate.

[DANS66DART]

Got to thinking about it, and does the whine intensify and decrease with speed? If so, you may have outside interference from something else electrical, alt, etc.

Dan

[road chicken]

Yes it is definately connected to the alternator. Pitch of the whine follows the rpm. Thats why I was thinking of adding a ground to the cd player in the trunk. I figured it might be a " Ground loop" issue with the player so far from the head unit.

[IndyRamDriver]

I install stereo's at my local best buy and what it sounds like on the CD player is as you thought a ground problem. try grounding it to a chasis ground as this should solve the problem if it is indeed a grounding issue. secondly on the remote ''turn on'' lead to the amps is that hooked up to the fuse box or the turn on lead from the radio? try a new turn on source because if you place a cap on the turn on lead it would cause your amps to stay on even when the car is off because it would have a power storage sending to the amp causing the amps to stay on. a way to make the amps stop poping after you fix the turn signal problem such as when you turn the car off if they still pop run a ground wire from the radio to the grounding points for the amps and ground everything in one spot. this solves the problem 90% of the time. hope this helps.

[road chicken]

Thanks for the input. The units are all over the place. The amp, cd player and the Sub are in the trunk. The head unit is in the dash and EQ is in the Glovebox.
the amp and sub power are wired to the battery,( also in the trunk) and the rest all get power and gronded at the same point. I was thinking with the cap, a small cap, was just enough to keep the voltage high during th e transistion. While it should keep the amp on for a little bit, the power draw of the sensing circuit- Oh wait a second- I see, it JUST a sensing circuit and no power is drawn through it. Got'cha. Thanks.

[DANS66DART]

One thing, too. If you have too many things grounded in one location, you run the risk of having some of the grounds become "hot" so to speak. They cease being grounds, and start to act like really bad supply wires.

Dan

[landyacht67]

Also make sure your ground for your head unit isn't to the dash as this is where half your factory circuits and switches get their ground. It is fine when the car is new, but when the car ages a little (25 years or so) the dash ground isn't as good as it used to be. A lot of older cars suffer from noise because of this. Try moving the radio ground to the firewall instead. see if it helps.

good luck,
Julian