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[How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub

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RagnarKon

RagnarKon

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Interesting. The "Amp en/clip" is only a 6V remote turn on. So that won't work for a remote turn on power source. Still need to run a remote turn on wire up front.
Ah, they changed it.

On older Ford vehicles it was 8V-10V (always measured 8.7V, so guessing it was actually a 9V signal) which was usually high enough to turn on the amp anyway. If you already have the 500.1 in-hand you may want to give it a shot and see if 6V is enough to turn it on.

I’m going to go hunting to see if I can find a suitable line to tap remote turn on.
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jrbreeland

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it does turn it on! I’ll test today and see if any issues and do final tuning before putting everything back together. So far it looks like the speakers don’t pop either like others have reported!
Thanks for all your help
 
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it does turn it on! I’ll test today and see if any issues and do final tuning before putting everything back together. So far it looks like the speakers don’t pop either like others have reported!
Thanks for all your help
Nice!!

If it doesn't work I found another suitable line, but obviously it's going to require some splicing and cable running to make it happen. The good news is you don't have to run the cable ALL the way back, because one of the Aux line cables is already ran back there to that corner (I'm sure you've seen it), and you can simply use that cable.

But if that 6V line works, I'd just stick with that.
 

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Nice!!

If it doesn't work I found another suitable line, but obviously it's going to require some splicing and cable running to make it happen. The good news is you don't have to run the cable ALL the way back, because one of the Aux line cables is already ran back there to that corner (I'm sure you've seen it), and you can simply use that cable.

But if that 6V line works, I'd just stick with that.
What’s the other wire to tap into? The 6V isn’t enough to keep it on and cuts on/off.
 
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What’s the other wire to tap into? The 6V isn’t enough to keep it on and cuts on/off.
Actually now I got several options.

Give me a few hours—I'm going to poke around in my Bronco to see if those lines are actually there. Sometimes the shop manual lies and I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase to find lines that aren't actually there.
 

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Do you have a diagram for the 2023 with sub or sub delete? I have a capped white/orange wire that is with the wiring harness that plugged into the fake DSP.
 

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Interesting. The "Amp en/clip" is only a 6V remote turn on. So that won't work for a remote turn on power source. Still need to run a remote turn on wire up front.
Just get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Power-Relay-Module-Control/dp/B0867Z2DXN and use it to trigger remote turn on. Use the existing amp power as the 12V source (common), hook the 6V into the vcc + trigger lines, ground it to your amp ground. Use the Normally Open output as your new 12V accessory wire.
 
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What’s the other wire to tap into? The 6V isn’t enough to keep it on and cuts on/off.
Actually now I got several options.

Give me a few hours—I'm going to poke around in my Bronco to see if those lines are actually there. Sometimes the shop manual lies and I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase to find lines that aren't actually there.
Alright good thing I checked cause two of the options weren't even in the vehicle. Go Ford.

Anyway...

Option 1 - Aux Switch

You can use an Aux switch to turn on/off your amplifier. I don't like this option. BUT it is definitely one of the easier ways. The Bronco will also shut off power to the Aux switches after the vehicle is off for a period of time, so you don't have to worry about switching it on/off all the time.

Option 2 - Image Processing module

The image processing module handles the 360 degree cameras. Power is only sent to that module when the vehicle is powered on, which makes it perfect for remote turn-on.

There are two ways to handle this...

Option A - High package only

If you have the High package, the image process module is installed in your Bronco in the passenger footwell on a bracket. You can simply unbolt it that bracket to access it.

Ford Bronco [How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub 1686238114640



There will be several wiring harnesses going to that module. One will be a 24-pin connector that only has 5-6 wires going to it. Pin 10 on that connector (on the end of the connectors) will be a Green/Orange wire directly next to a Black/Gray wire. Those two wires are your power/ground wires... with Green/Orange being the +12 V line. You can splice into that to get your remote turn on signal, and then use the Auxiliary wire in the Bronco to send it to the back of the Bronco.

Option B - All packages

Fuse 22 in the engine bay is what feeds that module:

Ford Bronco [How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub 1686237557927


You can use a fuse adaptor or an add-a-fuse to tap into that switched power. Then you can run a wire to the back of the Bronco OR use the Auxiliary lines already in the Bronco to run the wire to the back of the vehicle.

In my opinion this is a great option. Especially for those without the High package because that circuit is sitting there doing literally nothing. But it's perhaps a little more time consuming to do than other options.

Option 3 - Tap into the Power Port

There is the 12V DC power port in the trim panel near the back of the Bronco right next to the where the amplifier mounts. Two wires go to that connector, with the Brown/White cable being the +12V line. The Bronco does control power to that port and will turn it off shortly after the Bronco is shut off.

Do you have a diagram for the 2023 with sub or sub delete? I have a capped white/orange wire that is with the wiring harness that plugged into the fake DSP.
That capped wire is the Auxiliary wires that are included in the Bronco if you have the Aux switch option. That particular wire runs up to the passenger kick panel—isn't connected to anything, it's just a wire Ford included to allow you to wire other accessories.

Because it runs up to the passenger kick panel, it is a really good option if you want to wire it to the image processing module power line, given the module is also up there in the passenger foot well.
 
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Alright good thing I checked cause two of the options weren't even in the vehicle. Go Ford.

Anyway...

Option 1 - Aux Switch

You can use an Aux switch to turn on/off your amplifier. I don't like this option. BUT it is definitely one of the easier ways. The Bronco will also shut off power to the Aux switches after the vehicle is off for a period of time, so you don't have to worry about switching it on/off all the time.

Option 2 - Image Processing module

The image processing module handles the 360 degree cameras. Power is only sent to that module when the vehicle is powered on, which makes it perfect for remote turn-on.

There are two ways to handle this...

Option A - High package only

If you have the High package, the image process module is installed in your Bronco in the passenger footwell on a bracket. You can simply unbolt it that bracket to access it.

1686238114640.png



There will be several wiring harnesses going to that module. One will be a 24-pin connector that only has 5-6 wires going to it. Pin 10 on that connector (on the end of the connectors) will be a Green/Orange wire directly next to a Black/Gray wire. Those two wires are your power/ground wires... with Green/Orange being the +12 V line. You can splice into that to get your remote turn on signal, and then use the Auxiliary wire in the Bronco to send it to the back of the Bronco.

Option B - All packages

Fuse 22 in the engine bay is what feeds that module:

1686237557927.png


You can use a fuse adaptor or an add-a-fuse to tap into that switched power. Then you can run a wire to the back of the Bronco OR use the Auxiliary lines already in the Bronco to run the wire to the back of the vehicle.

In my opinion this is a great option. Especially for those without the High package because that circuit is sitting there doing literally nothing. But it's perhaps a little more time consuming to do than other options.

Option C - Tap into the Power Port

There is the 12V DC power port in the back of the Bronco right next to the where the amplifier mounts. Two wires go to that connector, with the Brown/White cable being the +12V line. The Bronco does control power to that port and will turn it off shortly after the Bronco is shut off.


That capped wire is the Auxiliary wires that are included in the Bronco if you have the Aux switch option. That particular wire runs up to the passenger kick panel—isn't connected to anything, it's just a wire Ford included to allow you to wire other accessories.
Fantastic. Thank you again for this.
 

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Do you have a diagram for the 2023 with sub or sub delete? I have a capped white/orange wire that is with the wiring harness that plugged into the fake DSP.
That's one of the aux switch accessory wires that's pre-installed for you to use.

Did you do this? Curious if the relay gets hot and where you mounted it.
Not in the Bronco, but I did a whole infotainment system replacement at one point in my LR3 using a Raspberry Pi, 7" display and a micro controller. It wasn't pretty but it worked and gave me Android Auto, current maps and reverse camera until I finally did something different when I needed CarPlay. That solution relied heavily on a bunch of relays in various configurations to act as controls for high power (12V high amp) from a RPi that only put out 3.3V on it's GPIO pins. Never had a problem with heat, the relays themselves are very low power and really don't have much chance to generate heat.

This was the 2nd iteration of that solution after I'd figured out how to tap into the factory nav display instead of using my own 7" display. All this mess of wires, relays, usb hub, power supplies, controllers and interfaces was stashed into the dash. Do not recommend. Eventually I replaced all this junk with a Pioneer DMH-C5500Nex. I do miss the extra functionality my steering wheel buttons had when I had my own microcontroller, but I don't miss the wires and complexity. There's better options today to get the same results.
Ford Bronco [How-To] Subwoofer Upgrade - Replacing/Upgrading the Factory Sub 20201120_213112351_iOS
 
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2023 with sub delete has fake amps and fake subs installed. It's bizarre.
Yes, I have one (High pkg so no B&O) . . . and to my knowledge there's no fake DSP. So that's why I was asking.
 
 





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