Rockford Fosgate PUNCH 100ix User manual

®®
INSTALLATION & OPERATION
MANUAL
PUNCH 40ix / PUNCH 60ix
PUNCH 100ix / PUNCH 200ix
2-CHANNEL DSM AMPLIFIERS


Dear Customer,
Congratulations on your purchase of the world's finest brand of car audio
amplifiers. At Rockford Fosgate we are committed to musical reproduction at its
best, and we are pleased you chose our product. Through years of engineering
expertise, hand craftsmanship and critical testing procedures, we have created a
wide range of products that reproduce music with all the clarity and richness you
deserve.
For maximum performance we recommend you have your new Rockford Fosgate
product installed by an Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer, as we provide
specializedtrainingthroughRockfordTechnicalTrainingInstitute(RTTI). Please
read your warranty and retain your receipt and original carton for possible future
use.
ToaddthefinishingtouchtoyournewRockfordFosgateimageorderyourRockford
accessories, which include everything from T-shirts and jackets to hats and
sunglasses.
To get a free brochure on Rockford Fosgate products and Rockford accessories, in
the U.S. call 602-967-3565 or FAX [phone]. For all other countries, call
+001-602-967-3565 or FAX [phone].
The serial number can be found on the outside of the box. Please record it
in the space provided below as your permanent record. This will serve as
verification of your factory warranty and may become useful in recovering
your amplifier if it is ever stolen.
Serial Number: ____________________
Model Number:____________________
If, after reading your manual, you still have questions regarding this
product, we recommend that you see your Rockford Fosgate dealer. If you
needfurtherassistance,youcancallusdirectat1-800-795-2385.Besureto
have your serial number, model number and date of purchase available
when you call.
PRACTICE SAFE SOUND™
CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS
OVER100dBMAYCAUSEPERMANENTHEARINGLOSS.HIGH
POWEREDAUTOSOUNDSYSTEMSMAYPRODUCESOUND
PRESSURE LEVELS WELL OVER 130dB. USE COMMON SENSE
AND PRACTICE SAFE SOUND.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...................................................................................... 1
Punch 2-Channel Amplifier Accessory Pack...................................... 1
Rockford Fosgate Accessories............................................................ 2
Technical Design Features ................................................................ 3
Design Features................................................................................. 6
Installation Considerations ................................................................ 8
Mounting Location............................................................................ 9
Battery and Charging....................................................................... 10
Wiring the System ........................................................................... 10
Using the XCard.............................................................................. 13
Basic Connections........................................................................... 14
System Diagrams............................................................................. 18
Troubleshooting .............................................................................. 22
Dynamic Power Measurements....................................................... 24
Specifications.................................................................................. 26
Warranty Information...................................................................... 28
GETTING STARTED
Welcome to Rockford Fosgate! This manual is designed to provide
information for the owner, salesperson and installer. For those of
you who want quick information on how to install this product,
please turn to the Basic System Diagrams in the Installation section
ofthismanual.OtherinformationcanbelocatedbyusingtheTable
of Contents. We, at Rockford Fosgate, have worked very hard to
make sure all the information in this manual is current. But, as we
are constantly finding new ways to improve our product, this
information is subject to change without notice.

– 1 –
INTRODUCTION
Rockford engineers designed the Punch 2-channel amplifiers to
withstand the rugged automotive environment while delivering
superior sound quality in a flexible, reliable, and efficient pack-
age.AgroundingtechniquecalledTOPAZwasusedtoeliminate
noiseproblemsassociatedwithcaraudiosystems,whileflexibil-
itywasaccomplishedwiththeuseofabuilt-inXCard.Reliability
was accomplished with the use of protection circuits called RTP
and NOMAD, while MOSFET and DSM technology improve
amplifier efficiency. The result of these components give the
Punch amplifier awesome sound quality in a “Bullet Proof”
package.Anexplanationofthesetechnologies,someexclusively
designed by Rockford, are described in the Technical Design
Features.
PUNCH 2-CHANNEL AMPLIFIER
ACCESSORY PACK
TheaccessorypackshippedwiththePunch2-channelamplifiers
includesthemounting hardware necessary tosecure them to the
vehicle as well as attaching the end caps.
Installation & Operation Manual
Punch Verification Certificate
(1) 17' (518.16cm) Red Power Wire
(1) 12' (365.76cm) Remote Turn-On Wire
(1) 1.5' (45.72cm) Black Grounding Wire
(1) Female Connector for Remote Turn-On Wire
(1) Ring Terminal for Ground Wire
(1) Ring Terminal for Battery Post
(1) ATC Inline Fuseholder (Punch 40ix, 60ix, 100ix)
(1) AGU Inline Fuseholder (Punch 200ix)
(6) Hex Head Screws for speaker and power connectors
(4) Mounting Screws for end caps
(4) Mounting Screws for amplifier
(1) Allen Wrench 7/64"
(1) Allen Wrench 3/32"

– 2 –
ROCKFORD FOSGATE ACCESSORIES
Thefollowingaccessorieswere designed to enhance the perfor-
mance of the Punch 2-channel amplifiers.
Energy Storage Capacitor
ThePunchcapacitorsareusedtoprovideextracurrentneededby
amplifiers to reproduce musical transients. The Punch Caps also
havethenaturalabilitytofilterACripplecausedbythealternator,
reducing the chance of noise in the system. The Punch Caps will
maximizeboththesoundqualityandperformancethatRockford
Fosgate amplifiers can deliver.
Punch Link (FG-LINK)
The Punch Link is a specially cast heatsink interconnect which
allows you to join any of our current Punch or Punch Power
amplifiers together. While providing additional cooling through
thecouplingprocess, the PunchLink adds thefinishing touch by
giving you the look of one awesome amplifier.
XCard
Additional crossover card frequencies are available for special-
ized requirements. You can get the following XCards from your
Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer.
XM50 = 50Hz XM275 = 275Hz
XM70 = 70Hz XM400 = 400Hz
XM100 = 100Hz XM4.5k = 4,500Hz
XM150 = 150Hz XM6.5k = 6,500Hz
XM200 = 200Hz XM00 = Blank card for
custom crossover

– 3 –
TECHNICAL DESIGN FEATURES
◆TOPAZ (Tracking Operation Pre-Amplifier Zone)
The TOPAZ (Tracking Operation Pre-Amplifier Zone) circuitry
solves ground loop noise problems common to automotive
amplifierdesign.Thisinnovativenewdevelopmentallowsvastly
improved isolation of the input signal grounds from the power
supplygroundoftheamplifier.Thisisaccomplishedbyallowing
the source unit to control the potential “environment” of the
entire input structure or “zone” of the amplifier. This process
improves the noise rejection of the amplifier by 30-40dB – an
astounding 30-100 times better than amplifiers without TOPAZ.
THE RESULT: Elimination of troublesome ground loop noise
between source and amplifier.
◆RTP (Real Time Protection)
NOMAD (NOn-Multiplying Advanced
Decision)
The Punch and Power amplifiers use an analog computer
process to maximize safe output power under all operating
conditions. Rockford Fosgate pioneered and developed RTP
(Real Time Protection), a crucial element in the performance
edgeofouramplifiers.Theinnovative NOMAD (NOn-Multiply-
ingAdvancedDecision)systemisthemostsophisticatedversion
of this technique ever used, bringing previously unavailable
levels of accuracy, stability, temperature immunity and reliabil-
ity to this critical process. NOMAD makes advanced decisions
basedondevicevoltagestopreciselycontroltheawesomelevels
of current available in the output MOSFETs to safe values –but
only when absolutely needed.
THE RESULT: Extremely fast protection system that always
protects the amplifier and never degrades the sound.

– 4 –
◆DSM (Discrete Surface Mount) Technology
The DSM (Discrete Surface Mount) manufacturing process com-
binestheadvantagesofbothdiscretecomponentsandintegrated
circuitry.RockfordFosgateistheonlyAmericanamplifiermanu-
facturertohaveinvestedmillionsintothisprocess.DSMcompo-
nents differ from conventional discrete components in three
different ways. They are more compact, more rugged, and they
take much better advantage of the PC board to allow them to get
rid of any heat they generate. Using them wherever appropriate
allows the advantages associated with discrete circuitry to be
retained while also providing room for both highly advanced
processing features and generous PC board copper paths where
needed. Their short lead-out structures allow maximum audio
performance and highest signal-to-noise ratios to be obtained in
amplifiers of desirable package size without resorting to “ampli-
fier-on-a-chip”shortcuts. These advantages are shown below in
Figure 1.
Figure 1
Thru-Hole Surface Mount
Component
Solder
THE RESULT: Fewer connections, improved reliability, shorter
signal paths, superior signal-to-noise ratio and awesome sonic
performance.
Solder

– 5 –
◆XCard (Internal Crossover)
The Punch and Power amplifiers utilize internal active crossovers.
Thesecrossovershavemanyperformanceadvantagessuchas using
discrete components for exact frequency adjustments which are far
superior to potentiometers. Additionally, the XCard can be config-
ured for high-pass, low-pass and full range operation. With slight
modifications,manycrossoverfrequenciesandslopeconfigurations
can be achieved.
THE RESULT: Increased system design flexibility with a precise
electronic crossover without the limitations of conventional poten-
tiometer designs.
◆MOSFET Devices
Rockford Fosgate is one of the few manufacturers in the sound
community to utilize MOSFET devices in both the power supply
and the output stages . MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor
Field Effect Transistor) devices offer several important inherent
advantages over the 30 year old technology of bi-polar design.
These advantages include: thermal stability, switching speed,
ultra low output impedance and wider bandwidth linearity. In
addition, MOSFETs and vacuum tubes share many important
operatingcharacteristics. However, theMOSFET deviceis much
faster,widerinbandwidth,measurablylowerindistortionandfar
more linear than vacuum tubes.
THE RESULT: Operational characteristics of vacuum tubes
without the performance limitations of tube design.

DESIGN FEATURES
1. Cast Aluminum Heatsink – The cast aluminum heatsink of the
Punch amplifier dissipates heat generated by the amplifier's
circuitry. The inherent advantage of casting provides a 30%
improvement of cooling over conventional extrusion heatsink
designs.
2. End Caps – Interchangeable end caps conceal the wiring and
input cables, giving the amplifier a clean “stealth”look.
– 6 –
3. SpeakerTerminals–Theheavyduty,gold-platedterminalblock
connectors (+ and –) will accept wire sizes from 8 AWG to 18
AWG. These gold-plated connectors are immune to corrosion
that can cause signal deterioration.
4. Power Terminals – The power and ground connectors on the
Punch amplifier are gold-plated and will accommodate up to 8
AWG wire maximizing the input current capability of the
amplifier.
5. REM Terminal – This spade terminal is used for the AP (auto
power) or remote turn on of the Punch amplifier.
49 5
GNDB+
LED
REM
+R–+L–Bass
Right
Gain
Right
Input
Left
Input
Left
GainTreble
Speaker Speaker
3 8 7 7
6 6 83