Weird electrical issue

pumper316

pumper316

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Wondering if someone could provide a little direction on how to troubleshoot this weird issue.

I stream audio from my iPhone to my Sena 20s while I'm riding. I also have a Sena SM10, which is connected to my Sena 20s via BT. The Sena SM10 has audio inputs from my Zumo as well as my radar detector and is powered from a 12VDC socket. Everything works perfectly, except for a one weird glitch. Every time I use my horn, the audio cuts out in my Sena. There's a 4-5 seconds silence and the music resumes after that. I am not sure what is going on over here. I've learned to live with it for now, but it would nice to resolve this issue.

Thanks.
 
maximark

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I’d check if any of the power wires that’s feeding any of these accessories especially sm10 tied to horn wiring.

mark
 
Nashcat

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The horn may be loud enough that it's triggering the VOX (voice actuated transmit) in the intercom. I have mine set, so that the intercom activates when it hears speaking in the mic, but a cough will also turn it on. Snapping the visor shut will also trigger it. When that happens, the music takes a few seconds, before it resumes. The level to activate the VOX is adjustable, so if this is your problem, it's an easy fix.

Ride Safe
John
 
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pumper316

pumper316

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Nashcat said:
The horn may be loud enough that it's triggering the VOX (voice actuated transmit) in the intercom. I have mine set, so that the intercom activates when it hears speaking in the mic, but a cough will also turn it on. Snapping the visor shut will also trigger it. When that happens, the music takes a few seconds, before it resumes. The level to activate the VOX is adjustable, so if this is your problem, it's an easy fix.

Ride Safe
John
Click to expand...
Thanks. Never thought about that. I'll check it out today.
 
Nashcat

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This is from the users manual and it sort of describes your situation.

image.jpg
 
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pumper316

pumper316

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Spent some time tinkering with this issue yesterday. This is definitely a power related issue. As soon as I disconnected the SR10 from the 12V cigarette charger and pressed the horn, the music did not cut out. Now to determine if this is a ground loop issue!
 
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jfheath

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Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I am wondering if it possible for the horn / cigarette socket to be wired incorrectly ?

I'm wondering if something is wired in series - possible if a power feed is taken from the wrong side of another device, or by a circuit not making a good enough earth contact. Not all devices have their switch on the positive side. Some are permanently connected to positive and have a switch to connect / disconnect the route to earth.

So questions I would be asking are:

What voltage is there between the cigarette lighter contacts and earth - both in the normal state and when the horn is sounded.
Try the above testing both lighter contacts against a good earth. (eg the battery !)
Where does the horn get its power from ?
Where does the horn relay get its power from ?
How is the cigarette lighter socket turned on and off ?
Where does the lighter socket get its power from ?

What earth contact points are you using, and are they sound ? (Test the resistance between the connected wire and the battery -ve terminal - It should be very small figure in ohms (not kohms)).
 
DavidR8

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Bad grounds/earths in a 12v system will cause all sorts of bizarre behaviour.
I chased them when I owned a boat as devices would show voltage on my meter but the device wouldn't work.
Bad grounds were always the issue.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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pumper316

pumper316

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jfheath said:
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I am wondering if it possible for the horn / cigarette socket to be wired incorrectly ?

I'm wondering if something is wired in series - possible if a power feed is taken from the wrong side of another device, or by a circuit not making a good enough earth contact. Not all devices have their switch on the positive side. Some are permanently connected to positive and have a switch to connect / disconnect the route to earth.

So questions I would be asking are:

What voltage is there between the cigarette lighter contacts and earth - both in the normal state and when the horn is sounded.
Try the above testing both lighter contacts against a good earth. (eg the battery !)
Where does the horn get its power from ?
Where does the horn relay get its power from ?
How is the cigarette lighter socket turned on and off ?
Where does the lighter socket get its power from ?

What earth contact points are you using, and are they sound ? (Test the resistance between the connected wire and the battery -ve terminal - It should be very small figure in ohms (not kohms)).
Click to expand...
Everything is connected to a centech AP-2 fuseblock. All outputs from the centech block are switched. I have other devices connected to the fuseblock and none of them have any issues. Right now the horn and the 12V outlet are on separate circuits. I am going to either try moving them to the same switched circuit or ground the horn directly to the battery.
 
Nashcat

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How are you powering the SR10? I have a SM10 that I power from a USB outlet that's made by Blue Sea and available at Amazon. Never any problem with electrical noise in the system. I think that before I spent that kind of money for a power supply, I'd try some of the available noise filters. Filters are generally inexpensive.
 
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