Rockford Fosgate PUNCH 301M User manual

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DSM
4-CHANNEL AMPLIFIER
OWNER’S MANUAL

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 engineer-
ing 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 AuthorizedRockford Fosgate Dealer, as we
provide specialized training through Rockford Technical Training Institute
(RTTI).
Please read your warranty and retain your receipt and original carton
for possible future use.
To add the finishing touch to your new Rockford Fosgate image, order your
Rockford accessories, which include everything from T-shirts and jackets to
hats and sunglasses.
To get a free brochure on Rockford
Fosgate products andRockford accessories,
please call 602-967-3565 or FAX [phone]. For Canada, call Korbon
Trading at 416-567- 1920. For International orders, FAX +00l-1-602-967-
8132 or call +001-l-602-967-3565.
PRACTICE SAFE SOUND™
CONTINUOUS EXPOSURE TO SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS OVER
1OOdB MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING LOSS. HIGH POWERED
AUTOSOUND SYSTEMS MAY PRODUCE SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS
WELL OVER 130dB. USE COMMON SENSE AND PRACTICE SAFE
SOUND.
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 become useful
in recovering your amplifier if it is ever stolen and serve as verification of your
factory warranty.
Serial Number:
Model Number:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Specifications .................................................................................... 1
Punch 4-Channel Accessory Pack ................................................... 3
Introduction ....................................................................................... 4
Features and Benefits ................................................................. 4
Controls and Features...................................................................... 5
Top View of Amplifier and End Caps.. ......................................... 5
Power/REM/LED Side ................................................................. 6
Input/Output Terminal Side ......................................................... 7
Installation Considerations ............................................................... 8
Tools Needed ............................................................................... 9
Battery and Charging ........................................................................
9
Mounting and Location.. ................................................................. 10
Trunk Mounting ..........................................................................
10
Passenger Compartment Mounting ...........................................
10
Wiring the Punch .....................................................................................
10
Preparing Wires and Fuses ............................................................. 10
Wiring the Fuse Holder .............................................................. 10
Wiring the Ring and Spade Connectors ..................................... 12
Power ......................................................................................... 12
Ground ....................................................................................... 13
Remote Turn-on ........................................................................ 13
Input ...........................................................................................
13
Speakers .................................................................................... 14
Bridged/Mono Configuration ..................................................... 14
Passive Crossover Impedance ................................................ 14
Table
of Component Values........................................................... 16
Active Crossover Mode Selection
...................................................
17
Crossover Frequency Settings ....................................................... 17
Wiring Diagrams ........................................................................... 18
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 25
Dynamic Power Measurements ..................................................... 28
Warranty Information......................................................................
31

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PUNCH 4-CHANNEL ACCESSORY PACK
17’ (518cm)
Red Power
Wire
Remote Turn-on Wire
Connector Plug
Fuse Holder 4080
Punch
(366cm)
Blue‘ Remote
Turn-on Wire
1.5’ (46cm) Black
Grounding Wire
Power Ring
1SB9SG
Terminals
Allen Head Set Screws
and Mounting Screws
Fuse Holder 4040
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INTRODUCTION
Features
and
Benefits
This manual provides information on the features, instal-
lation, and operation of the Punch 4040 DSM and 4080
DSM Amplifiers. We suggest you save this manual for
future reference.
We strongly recommend you have your Authorized Rock-
ford Fosgate Dealer install your new Punch 4-channel
amplifier. If you do choose to install the amplifier yourself,
please be sure to read the entire manual before begin-
ning.
The Rockford Fosgate 4-Channel automotive stereo power
amplifiers provide state-of-the-art sound in cars, vans,
boats, or wherever a high current
12 volt power source is
available.
“Discrete Surface Mount” (DSM) technology is utilized
in the crafting of all of our Punch amplifiers. This process
provides greater ruggedness and consistency of both
components and layout. Already used heavily in aero-
space and industrial applications, this technology is also
highly advantageous in the hostile automotive environ-
ment.
Low Level Input Senstivity. The Punch 4-channel ad-
justable input circuits are designed to match almost any
music source. The amplifiers will drive most normal
speaker types.
Punch Equalization. This circuit is designed to compen-
sate for the acoustic inadequacies of the automotive
environment. This patented circuitry will correct for the
poor bass response and natural high frequency roll-off
inherent in the world of automotive stereo. The result is
full-range sound without the unpleasant changes in the
mid-range sound produced by most tone control and
equalizer circuits.
Active Electronic Crossover Modules built-into the
4040 and 4080 features 12 dB/octave Butterworth filters.
The independent crossover points in these plug-in mod-
ules allow for various configuration possibilities.
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Real Time Power Protection (RT.P.P.) allows for the
greatest power output under all load conditions. When
output reaches an unsafe level it will be reduced, unlike
current limiting which often causes premature protection
or failure to protect at all.
To get a better understanding of the Punch let’s take a
closer look.
CONTROLS AND FEATURES
Punch
4-Channel
Housing
End Caps
This section describes the various controlsand features of
the Punch 4040 DSM and 4080 DSM amplifiers.
Top View of Amplifier and End Caps
The cast aluminum
heatsink of the Punch 4-Channel is
designed for high performance cooling. The raised design
of the housing allows cables and wires to run underneath
the unit. This provides for greater wiring flexibility and
protects the cables from damage caused by excessive
heat and bending.
Interchangeable end caps conceal the wiring and input
cables, giving the amplifier a clean, “stealth” look. Also
incorporated, is a holding dimple built into the end cap.
This small feature enables the cap to be held in place while
being mounted.
The end caps are secured to the housing with flush
mounting, captive screws.
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Mounting Four (4) custom, round, hex screws included in the acces-
Screws
sory pack hold the unit in place. These screws are covered
when the end caps are installed.
Power/REM/LED Side
LED B+/GND
Indicator
Power Connectors
Rear Speaker
Output Terminals Front Speaker
Output Terminals REM Connector
REM
Connector
LED Power
Indicator
B+/GND
Power
Connector
Speaker
Ouptut
Terminals
The Punch 4-Channel is turned on by connecting the blue
remote turn-on wire to the source unit’s “Accessory” or
“Auto Antenna” lead, either of which will go to +12 volts
when the source unit is turned on.
The LED illuminates when the unit is activated.
These connectors are used to supply power and ground
to the amplifier and accept 12 gauge
- 8 gauge wire.*
These gold-plated terminal blocks connect the Right/Left
Front and Right/Left Rear channel outputs to the speak-
ers and accept wire sizes from 8 gauge through 18 gauge.
Gold-plated connectors are immune to corrosion that cancause signal deterioration.
*Rockford Fosgate’s Perfect Interface line of accessories in-
cludes high quality power and speaker wire, gold plated RCA
interconnecting cable and other products to complete your
installation. Ask your Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealerabout
Perfect Interface.
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Input/Output Terminal Side
Front Treble Front Input Front Bass Rear Treble Rear Input Rear Bass
Adjustment Gain Adjustment Adjustment Gain Adjustment
Control Control Control Control Control / Control
Front Input Front+Rear Rear Input 0/180° Rear Front/Rear
Connectors Summed Pass-Thru Connectors Phase Selector lnput Switch
Front/Rear
Input Switch
0/180° Rear
Phase
Selector
Switch
Treble/Bass
Input Gain
Controls
Connectors Switch ’
This switch allows you to use the front input to drive both
Front and Rear channels. Switching to Rear position
allows you to run separate Front and Rear inputs. This
eliminates the need for a “Y-adapter” when using the
amplifier in a bi-amplified or
4-Channel mode.
This switch enables you to easily invert the phase of the
Rear channels on the amplifier without having to discon-
nect the speaker wires. See the wiring diagram on page
17 for use.
These controls adjust the amount of treble and bass
response desired. To increase the amount of response,
turn the controls clockwise; to decrease, turn the controls
counterclockwise. Note that there are separate Bass and
Treble controls for Front and Rear channels.
These controls are factory preset to 500 millivolts to
match most head units and are variable from 100 millivolts
to two volts. (More than likely they will not need
adjusting. )
If just a little volume from the source unit drives the
amplifier into distortion, reduce the input gain controls so
that the distortion doesn’t start until the source volume is
at about 3/4 of its rotation. Note that there are separate
Front and Rear gain controls.
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Input
Connectors
Front & Rear
Summed
Pass-Thru
Connectors
The amplifier’s signal input, female, RCA jacks should be
connected to the source unit’s signal outputs with high-
quality RCA cables. The connectors have been plated in
gold to eliminate the possibility of corrosion that can cause
signal deterioration.
These pass-thru connectors allow you to daisy-chain an
additional Punch amplifier without running an additional
set of RCA cables from the front of the vehicle to the rear
amplifier location. The crossover module in the Pass-Thru
RCA circuit allows the daisy-chained amplifier to be con-
figured independently of the Front and Rear channels for
low pass, high pass or full range operation.
The Pass-Thru signal isderived by summing the Front Left
and Rear Left inputs to create the Left output, and sum-
ming the Front Right and Rear Right input to create the
Right output. This provides constant output regardless of
the source unit fade position.
INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
This section focuses on some of the vehicle consider-
ations for installing your new Punch 4-Channel amplifier.
Checking your battery and current sound system, as well
as pre-planning your system layout and best wiring routes
will save installation time. When deciding how to lay out
your new system, be sure that each component will be
easily accessible for making adjustments.
Before beginning any installation, be sure to follow these
simple rules:
1. Carefully read and understand the instructions before
attempting to install the amplifier.
2. For easier assembly, we suggest you run all wires
prior to mounting your amplifier in place.
3. Use only quality connectors for making connections.
See your Authorized
Rockford Fosgate Dealer for
Perfect interface wire enhancements.
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BATTERY AND CHARGING
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Think before you drill! Be careful not to cut or drill
into gas tanks, fuel lines, brake or hydraulic lines,
vacuum lines or electrical wiring when working on
any vehicle.
For safety, disconnect the battery ground cable prior
to beginning the installation process.
Never run wires underneath the vehicle. The cleanest,
safest wiring connections are made by running the
wire under the carpet or behind the side panels.
Never leave wires exposed.
Avoid running wires over or through sharp edges.
Use grommets to protect wires routed through holes
in metal.
ALWAYS protect the battery and electrical system
from shorts with properfusing. A fuse holder and fuse
must be installed within 18” (46cm) of the battery
terminal to safeguard from possible damage or in-
jury.
Grounding connections should be as short as pos-
sible and always be connected to metal that is
welded to the main body, or chassis, of the vehicle.
The following is a list of tools you will need for installing
the Punch amplifier:
7/64” & 3/32” Allen Wrenches (included)
Wire Strippers Wire Cutters
Battery Post Wrench Voltmeter
Electric Hand Drill with assorted bits Wire Crimpers
Tools
Needed
Punch amplifiers will naturally put an extra load on your
battery and charging system. We recommend you check
your alternator capacity to ensure ample charging capa-
bility to handle the additional load of your new Punch
equipment. Stock electrical systems in good condition
should typically handle the extra load of any individual
Punch unit without problems. If problems arise, we sug-
gest you first check the charging system, then use a heavy
duty battery and/or a high output alternator as needed.
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MOUNTING AND LOCATION
Trunk
Mounting
Passenger
Compartment
Mounting
The mounting location and position of the Punch 4-
Channel will have a great effect on its ability to dissipate
the heat generated in normal operation. The Punch 4-
Channel has a
heatsink designed for heat dissipation
and internal shutoff circuitry to avoid overheating. It is
reasonably tolerant of mounting variations. However,
care should be taken to ensure adequate ventilation.
The temperature inside a trunk can reach as high as
175°
F (80° C) during the summer months. Since the thermal
shutoff point for the Punch 4-Channel is
195° F (90° C),
it is easy to see that the amp must be mounted for
maximum cooling capability. Mounting the amplifier on
the floor or under the rear parcel tray prevents sufficient
convectional airflow cooling. Mounting the unit vertically
on a surface with the fin grooves running up and down
usually results in the best cooling.
Under the seat or floor mounting will work as long as there
is a minimum of 1” (2.5cm) of air gap above the amplifer’s
heatsink.
Vertical mounting of the amplifier is still the best.
WIRING THE PUNCH
Preparing
Wires and
Fuses
Caution! Be sure to avoid running the power wires
near the low level input cables, antenna, power leads,
sensitive equipment or harnesses. The power wires
carry substantial currents and could induce noise.
The following instructions explain how to prepare the
wires, connectors and fusing. We suggest you perform
these procedures prior to wiring and mounting your new
Punch 4-Channel amplifier.
Wiring the
1. Use approximately 18” (46cm) of the red power wire.
Fuse Holder Strip one end of the wire back
1/2” (1.3cm) as shown
in the following diagram:
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2.
3.
For the Punch 4040, place the protective boot onto
the wire. Inset-t the wire into one end of the fuse holder
so that the insulation is just inside the crimp area as
shown in the diagram. Crimp the wire in place with the
notched portion of a crimping tool. Cover the crimped
area with the protective boot that is supplied with the
fuse holder.
For the Punch 4080, place the protective boot onto
the wire. Slide the wire into the wire sleeve. Making
sure the screw holes on the wire sleeve and fuse
holder align, insert the prepared wire sleeve into the
smaller end of the fuse connector. Tighten the wire in
place with the enclosed allen screw. Screw the pro-
tective boot onto the fuse holder.
wire fuse connector
wire sleeve
4. Repeat the above steps to connect the remainder of
the red power wire to the other side of the fuse holder
and route to the amplifier mounting location.

Wiring the
Ring and
Spade
Connector:
Power
Using Larger
Gauge Wire
1. Strip back approximately 3/8” (1 cm) of insulation.
2. Insert the bare wire into the connector and crimp in
place as shown in the following diagram:
This connector is used for
the Red Power wire and
Black Ground wire.
Crimp Here This connector is for the
Blue Remote Turn-On wire.
The gold B+ terminal on the amplifier must be connected
directly to the positive (+) terminal of the battery with an
appropriate size fuse. (See the Specifications Table for
more information.) This provides a power source with a
low voltage drop and low noise. Be sure to use the
supplied fuse and fuse holder within 18” (46cm) of
the battery’s positive terminal. Failure to do so may
cause damage to the vehicle and the amplifier.
If the power wire must be extended beyond 17’
(518cm),
we recommend you use 8 gauge, or heavier, stranded
wire.
If using a larger gauge wire than that supplied with your
new Punch 4-Channel, cut the wire casing on the diago-
nal as shown in the following diagram. Insert the wire into
the connector. Twist the wire around so that the long end
of the insulation faces up. Bend the wire
prior to tightening
in place. This will make it easier for attaching the end cap
to the amplifier.
Note: For easier assembly, only
5/8” (1.6cm) of wire
should be bare.
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Ground
Remote
Turn-on
Input
STRIP WIRE
\
/-
INSULATION
i-y
AMP,
The GND terminal grounds the amplifier and is con-
nected to the chassis of the vehicle with 12 gauge, or
heavier, stranded wire. When grounding, scrape paint off
metal to ensure a good, clean ground connection. To
prevent ground loops, we recommend you refrain from
extending the ground wire beyond 18” (46cm) in any
installation.
The Punch 4-Channel amplifiers are turned on by supply-
ing positive (+) 12 volts to the REM terminal. Usually the
terminal is connected to the source unit’s “Accessory” or
“Auto Antenna” lead, either of which will go to +12 Volts
when the source unit is turned on.
Although the majority of high-quality automotive source
units have an Accessory or Antenna output, there are
many which require different turn-on methods. If the
source unit has no Auto Antenna lead (or if the Auto
Antenna goes down during tape operation), we recom-
mend a switch in the car with one terminal connected to
+12 volts and the other to the Punch 4-Channel REM
lead. This will allow you to engage the amplifier manually.
The amplifier’s signal input RCA jacks should be con-
nected to the source unit’s signal outputs with high-
quality braided or double-shielded interconnecting RCA
cables.
Note: Be sure to route the Punch 4-Channel signal
input cable away from the main power wire and the
car’s wiring harnesses to avoid noise coupling.
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Speakers Punch 4-Channel amplifiers are rated for safe operation
into loads of 2Q, or greater in stereo mode or 4Q in
bridged/mono configurations. The primary loads on any
amplifier come from directly connected speakers without
using capacitors. The measured resistance for each side
should not be less than 2Q stereo or 4R bridged/mono,
Bridged/Mono The Punch 4-Channel amplifiers are capable of bridged/
configuration mono configurations.
This configuration enables you to:
l Run amplifier as a separate 2 channel subwoofer or
satellite amplifier.
l Create a high power stereo system
l Run 2 channels with a bridged mono woofer and the
other 2 as a high-frequency stereo amp, etc.
Note: Both Punch 4-Channel amplifiers allow the
above 3 configurations all in one.
For more information refer to the wiring diagrams begin-
ning on page 18.
Note: To bridge the amplifier use the L+ and R-
speaker connectors.
Caution! Punch 4-Channel amplifiers are not recom-
mended for impedance loads below 2Q stereo or 4R
bridged/mono.
Be sure to observe proper speaker terminal polarity
throughout the system. It is critical for the Punch
4-
Channel to use the correct negative terminals for
right and left channels, since the RIGHT NEGATIVE
(-) terminal is the “hot” terminal for the right speaker.
DO NOT chassis ground any of the speaker leads as
unstable operation may result.
Passive A passive crossover is a circuit that employs capacitors
Crossover and/or coils and is placed on speaker leads between the
Impedance amplifier and speaker to delegate frequencies in the
speaker’s optimum performance range.
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The most commonly used filter networks are 6 dB per
octave systems. These are easy to construct and require
a minimum number of parts. A filter network can perform
one of three functions, These are highpass (capacitors),
lowpass (inductors, chokes or coils) and bandpass (com-
bination of a capacitor and a coil).
The result, limiting the types of frequency to the speaker,
is directly dependent upon the speaker’s impedance and
component values.
The most common filters used in speaker crossovers, as
stated above, are 6 dB per octave which use one compo-
nent per filter. Placing this filter in series with the circuit will
reduce power to the speaker by 6 dB per octave above or
below the crossover point depending on whether it is a
High Pass or Low Pass filter. When passive crossover
components are used in multiple speaker systems, the
crossover system’s effect on the overall impedance should
be taken into consideration along with the speaker’s
impedance when determining amplifier loads.
~ More complex systems such as 12 dB or 18 dB per octave
can cause impedance problems if not professionally de-
~ signed. If such a system is required, we recommend
consulting an Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer.
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Active
Crossover
Mode
Selection
Crossover
Frequency
Settings
Punch 4-Channel amplifiers feature selectable elec-
tronic crossovers. Selection is made by positioning of a
removable module card. These modules control the
output channels and can be configured in a High Pass,
Low Pass or Full Range (factory default) position. The
4-
Channel amplifiers are shipped with 100Hz 12dB per
octave Butterworth aligned crossover modules, Addi-
tional crossover frequency modules are available from
your Authorized Rockford Fosgate Dealer,
Note: The factory default is Full Range.
To change the crossover mode, remove the crossover
module from the housing. Rotate the module to the
desired setting and gently push the module back into the
amplifier housing as shown on the diagram on the back
of the amplifier,
Example: The 4040 DSM is shipped with three 100 Hz
modules. With the modules in the Full Range setting, the
amplifier will pass through all 20Hz -20kHz frequencies.
In the Low Pass setting, only those frequencies below
100 Hz will pass through the amplifier.
In the High Pass setting, only those above 100 Hz will
pass through the amplifier.
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