Frying Circuit Board

[Joe689]

Well I am getting my third car bay circuit board warrentied by SSI for my neo. For some reason my Oldsmobile Alero is not giving stable power. I have the neo connected through the radio amp fuse, and powers only when car is started and won't even try to start until ignition is on. Support reminds me not to turn on the car when the neo is in "on" mode but i still ensure them that i don't since this is the 3rd time. They suggested buying the

http://mp3car.com/store/product_info...=fbdaef6ea537f
338a17036937aa6c9e3

Im am not electronic handy, the neo car players was hard enough to get power. Im not sure if product is even going to help, support email is brief and says "hopefully" this will help. I dont want to buy a expensive product if it isn't going to work. Has anybody had the same problem as me? I dont want to sell the NEO because i went through so much tearing up the interior to get electric cords hidden. I read some other threads about cold weather, I live in Buffalo and it gets cold but even when i got a new circuit board it never had truble starting up in the cold. When i say the circuit baord is frying, I mean i get the error "Can not find hard drive" or firmware "ata 11" I beleive it is a Maxtor 20 gig hard drive. I am getting so frustrated that I was going to install the homebay in my car and buy a ac-dc converter? SSI support provides no solutions, only ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
JOE

[samc]

what is a neo, is that some mp3 player?
Anyway it probably wants a stable 12v. If you did some research car voltage spikes around and on a good battery with altnernator going the voltage should be like 13.2-13.4 volts. That's your probably right there, its not your alero its a general car thing.

[frenchnew]

Is that the Neo Car Jukebox you have?

If so, SSI should have designed it to work properly with in-car voltage to start with.

One thing, if you have voltage stability problems. have you notice having to replace more burned lights?

If so, this would indicate that your alternator is pushing over 15 volts and you should have it fixed.

Since you indicate that you are not very handy in the electronic department, may I suggest that you have you car's charging system checked by your trusted mechanic.

Best regards

frenchnew

Well I am getting my third car bay circuit board warrentied by SSI for my neo. For some reason my Oldsmobile Alero is not giving stable power. I have the neo connected through the radio amp fuse, and powers only when car is started and won't even try to start until ignition is on. Support reminds me not to turn on the car when the neo is in "on" mode but i still ensure them that i don't since this is the 3rd time. They suggested buying the

http://mp3car.com/store/product_info...=fbdaef6ea537f
338a17036937aa6c9e3

Im am not electronic handy, the neo car players was hard enough to get power. Im not sure if product is even going to help, support email is brief and says "hopefully" this will help. I dont want to buy a expensive product if it isn't going to work. Has anybody had the same problem as me? I dont want to sell the NEO because i went through so much tearing up the interior to get electric cords hidden. I read some other threads about cold weather, I live in Buffalo and it gets cold but even when i got a new circuit board it never had truble starting up in the cold. When i say the circuit baord is frying, I mean i get the error "Can not find hard drive" or firmware "ata 11" I beleive it is a Maxtor 20 gig hard drive. I am getting so frustrated that I was going to install the homebay in my car and buy a ac-dc converter? SSI support provides no solutions, only ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
JOE

[Joe689]

Yes, The Neo from SSI America. I checked the voltage using one of those thingys(multimeter?) and I got a steady 13.3 volts. Will the product I suggested have any bearing on my problem and how exactly does it work?

Thanks
JOE

[frenchnew]

They (SSI) advocate the use of their Neo Car MP3 for car use if it is the "Neo Car Jukebox" you are using.

Expected car voltage range from 12 to 15 Volts is average on most cars with some being a little bit less (High 14 volts).

As a protective measure for yourself, you should have your car charging system checked by a professional mechanic and have a written report.

This way if you do fry another of their mainboards, you can point out to them that it suffers from a misconception to start with as you car's charging system as been verified by a qualified technician and you have a written report to prove it.

I have just browsed their installation manual and no where do they make mention of having to add somekind of voltage regulator for in car use. They just refer to +12 Volt Ignition and +12 Volts Battery.

It is in your hands if you elect to buy additional products to use with their products as for me if I would be stuck with this I would ask for a refund.

Best regards

frenchnew

Yes, The Neo from SSI America. I checked the voltage using one of those thingys(multimeter?) and I got a steady 13.3 volts. Will the product I suggested have any bearing on my problem and how exactly does it work?

Thanks
JOE

[Almost a Ghost]

http://www.ssiamerica.com/open/forum...opic.php?t=436

[binary.h4x]

you connected it to your radio's power, right? This is why it will not work until the ingition is on, because the radio doesnt receive power until you turn the key.

[no1knows]

the ITPS they recomended has notoiously bad 12v regulation. You'd be better off getting one of the regulators mentioned here: http://www.ssiamerica.com/open/forum...opic.php?t=436