Engine sound through headphones

[Mark G]

Since I can't ride it, I've been attempting some of the farkles I've read of here, and knew of on my own. I've got a problem perhaps someone can help solve.

I added a fused power block per Warchile's plan (generally, I should say; i located mine under the seat. I sent the ground wire back to the battery.

I added an Autocom unit, and sent the ground wire back to the battery. Everything's perfect.

I added a little amplifier, in an attempt to get better sound out of the Autcom system...running an ipod into it.

Ran the ground wire back to the battery.

If I start the engine with the amplifier hooked up, I get every electrical impulse the bike feels like making directly through the headphones. If I run just the Autocom, no interference.

I thought if I grounded everything to the battery, I'd be in good shape, but it's not. I tried grounding the little amp to the frame, made no differink.

Now, I realize the obvious solution is to delete the amplifier, but it does help the sound a little bit, with the big bonus of adding a remote volume control.

I'm never sure of anything with electrical stuff; I'm not even sure what a ground loop is, but I can spell it. Can anyone suggest a solution that will allow me to use the little amp thingie?

Thanks.

 

[dobias]

MarkG,

You were right to run all grounds back to the same connection at the battery negative terminal, but that isn't enough.

You can either bandaid the problem or relocate all of your sound amplifiers, satellite receiiver, MP3, wiring, terminals & fuses, etc. to the front fairing. Avoid electrical wiring & connectors past the engine and you'll avoid the excess heat & electrical noises it produces.

Otherwise, Radio Shack can provide power filters, ground loop isolators and coaxial wiring (yes, even for the power) for your troubles. You'll have to go to NAPA for the high temperature sleeves to protect the wires from the engine heat.

dobias :glare:

PS: it may help your present installation if the auxillary amplifier had it's own battery power.

 

[Mark G]

MarkG,You were right to run all grounds back to the same connection at the battery negative terminal, but that isn't enough.

You can either bandaid the problem or relocate all of your sound amplifiers, satellite receiiver, MP3, wiring, terminals & fuses, etc. to the front fairing. Avoid electrical wiring & connectors past the engine and you'll avoid the excess heat & electrical noises it produces.

Otherwise, Radio Shack can provide power filters, ground loop isolators and coaxial wiring (yes, even for the power) for your troubles. You'll have to go to NAPA for the high temperature sleeves to protect the wires from the engine heat.

dobias :glare:

PS: it may help your present installation if the auxillary amplifier had it's own battery power.

Yeah, I thought about that after posting...but the whole point of the fused block and the items under the seat was to have them easily accessible. I'm going to try a power line filter, see if that solves the problem, meanwhile I'll just run it without the little amp, which doesn't do that much anyway...assuming I ever get to ride the bike again.

I went to NAPA, by the way, and they didn't have the sleeves. I found a source for minimum 100 feet for peanuts...like 16 cents a foot, but dunno what I'd do with a hundred feet. So I opted for the plastic version of "loom", which is good to 250 degrees, and ran it under the tank, above the insulation.

Seems like a good idea would be to put the power line filter in the lead from the relay to the power strip, thereby filtering all the connections?

Thanks for the reply

 

[FatNakedGuy]

That happened with my Garmin gps (or was it the radar?) and once I installed an adapter to the audio output (lifts the ground), the engine noise went away.

I have the same setup as you by the way (power from battery to under the seat using NAPA tubing (I think?)

 

[Mark G]

Well, I tried a simple noise filter, and it did exactly nothing. Removed the little amp and all was well, until I plugged the ipod car charger into the glove box receptacle...noise again.

FatNaked, are you talking about a ground loop isolator?

 

[Mark G]

Fixed this problem. Got a ground loop isolator from The Electrical Connection, with male and female mini-plug adapters, so all I had to do was put the isolator between the amp output and the Autocom's input.

Right now I have three ground wires running back to the battery from under the seat. I'm going to add a ground block (same exact thing as Warchild's fuse block from Radio Shack) under the seat and use just the big 12 gauge wire from the block back to the battery. May not help any, but it will be a neater installation.

Remote controlled iPod is in the glove box, Roady will go somewhere out on the cockpit, with power from the glove box, using velcro.

Under the seat is the Autocom unit, the little amp, and the ground loop isolator. I'm still not sure the little amp does anything to improve sound, but the wired remote volume control is a GREAT addition. I attached it with velcro in the pocket where you put your hand to put the bike on the center stand...still plenty of room for my hand, and it's out of sight and out of the weather.

No plastic was cut for any of this.

It's nothing new, really, although I haven't seen the remote volume control thing on this site. I'll take some pix and post if anyone asks.

 

[pawtracks]

Thanks for the tip

Installing a similar setup tonight

I ordered:

https://www.electricalconnection.com/audio/filter-gli.htm

03205 $29.95 1 Universal 3.5mm Ground Loop Isolator

03208 $14.95 1 6' 3.5mm Extension Cable with Right Angle Male End

 

[Mark G]

Thanks for the tip Installing a similar setup tonight

I ordered:

https://www.electricalconnection.com/audio/filter-gli.htm

03205 $29.95 1 Universal 3.5mm Ground Loop Isolator

03208 $14.95 1 6' 3.5mm Extension Cable with Right Angle Male End

I thought the extension cable was a little pricey. I got a four foot one at Radio Shack for just a few bucks. Maybe it's five feet. Maybe it doesn't have the right angle deal...can't remember...but it works.

 

[pawtracks]

I thought the extension cable was a little pricey. I got a four foot one at Radio Shack for just a few bucks. Maybe it's five feet. Maybe it doesn't have the right angle deal...can't remember...but it works.

Yeah, a little $$$ but when you factor in gas prices and running around time and the fact that my local radio shack never has anything in stock, sometimes it is just easier to pay a little extra and have it. Thanks for the tip, the audio hum would have driven me crazy.

 

[pawtracks]

I went to NAPA, by the way, and they didn't have the sleeves. I found a source for minimum 100 feet for peanuts...like 16 cents a foot, but dunno what I'd do with a hundred feet. So I opted for the plastic version of "loom", which is good to 250 degrees, and ran it under the tank, above the insulation.

If you do want to find the Napa stuff my local Napa store carried it but would only sell me a box of 50' or 100'. What he did tell me was if I go to the local Napa warehouse they will sell it by the foot (paid $0.69/foot) - got two sizes. Ask for asphalt loom, part #'s were 737101, 737103 (I think) should be close - Catalog had a whole page of the stuff

Pretty sure each Napa has a warehouse "relatively" close-by.

I'm in San Diego so it may be a larger city thing.

 

[dcarver]

"Remote controlled iPod is in the glove box, Roady will go somewhere out on the cockpit, with power from the glove box, using velcro."

The power from the glovebox on my 06 is real dirty. Others have noticed (ionbeam?) that when on an oscope the power is quite distorted. Looks nothing like a nice clean dc level.

You may get more noise using this as a source. I'm getting some engine noise through my StarCom using this power source, but my current install is temporary until all my farkles arrive..

Good Luck - let us know how it worked out.

 

[Mark G]

"Remote controlled iPod is in the glove box, Roady will go somewhere out on the cockpit, with power from the glove box, using velcro."
The power from the glovebox on my 06 is real dirty. Others have noticed (ionbeam?) that when on an oscope the power is quite distorted. Looks nothing like a nice clean dc level.

You may get more noise using this as a source. I'm getting some engine noise through my StarCom using this power source, but my current install is temporary until all my farkles arrive..

Good Luck - let us know how it worked out.

Aha. I was suspicious of just that, wondering why it's so 'dirty.' The ground loop isolator took care of it.

If someone could tell me how to convert the wires from the male cigarette lighter plug on the iPod and Roady power supplies so I could hard wire them into the electrical system, I'd do that...but I sorta think there's more to it than just finding the hot and ground wires. The iPod cord also charges the unit, and I think the Roady reduces the voltage (as does the iPod thing).

Perhaps a simple solution would be to replace the factory receptacle with one powered from the fused power block? Yay, take the tank off again, and the left fairing.

Suggestions?

I went to NAPA, by the way, and they didn't have the sleeves. I found a source for minimum 100 feet for peanuts...like 16 cents a foot, but dunno what I'd do with a hundred feet. So I opted for the plastic version of "loom", which is good to 250 degrees, and ran it under the tank, above the insulation.

If you do want to find the Napa stuff my local Napa store carried it but would only sell me a box of 50' or 100'. What he did tell me was if I go to the local Napa warehouse they will sell it by the foot (paid $0.69/foot) - got two sizes. Ask for asphalt loom, part #'s were 737101, 737103 (I think) should be close - Catalog had a whole page of the stuff

Pretty sure each Napa has a warehouse "relatively" close-by.

I'm in San Diego so it may be a larger city thing.

I found that stuff online a few weeks ago, for something like $.14 a foot in 100' minimums. I just used the plastic stuff you can find everywhere. Goes under the tank, over the foil, is good up to 250 degrees F.

That's a LOTTA farkles you got there!!

 

[Mark G]

Update on the noise issue. Took the advice regarding the glove box power outlet being noisy, and installed an aux one wired into the fused power block. Same amount of noise. It's either the nature of the connection (doesn't compute, I never have this problem in my car) or my wiring, or magic, or all three. Or something else.

The ground loop isolator solves the problem.

Interestingly, the ipod is MUCH noisier than the XM Roady.

The little amp I described is crap for sound improvement. It's only advantage is the remote volume control. At only reasonably loud levels there's a lot of distortion. Spoiled with the Goldwing sound, I guess.

Now have the fused power block and relay under the seat, and have installed a ground block there as well...better than having all the wires wandering up to the battery, I think...now just have one big one from the ground block to the battery, the rest of the grounds are at the block

Now, if my tailbone would just heal, I could ride the bike enough to bitch and moan about the buzzing in my feet and hands and the windshield, and all the other things that make this such a terrible bike.

OH: that asphalt cloth wire loom that's so necessary? I personally think it's old school stuff, works but has become a specialty item for car restorations, IMO. I used the corrugated plastic high temp loom you can get anywhere...look under the hood of your car, that's what's in use there.

If you have to have the asphalt loom, you can get 100 feet of it for about $15 here: https://www.delcity.net/delcity/servlet/cat...=279&page=1

I posted this link elsewhere, too.