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RMWK V2 Series Owner's Manual

Keith Harris
Updated

Marine Amplifier Wiring Kits

 

⚠️Attention

Before you begin your installation, disconnect the NEGATIVE ( - ) terminal from your vessel’s battery. This safety precaution will avoid possible short circuits while wiring your amplifier.

It is recommended that you lay out your sound system design on paper first. This will help you during the installation so that you will have a wiring flow chart and not miss-wire any of your components.

Be sure to observe proper polarity when wiring the speakers.

Always run the RCA cables on the side of the vessel opposite to the side used to route the power and ground leads of the amplifier. The high-quality, shielded RCA patch cords included with this kit reduce and eliminate unwanted electrical noise to your system. Cheaper cables usually have poor shielding that can cause interference pickup.

 

Fuse Installation

  1. Securely mount the fuse holder 18 inches or less from the house battery.
  2. Cut power cable to proper length. Trim half an inch of the power cable insulation and insert into one end of the fuse holder. Screw it down tightly. Attach a large ring connector to the other end. Secure it to the POSITIVE ( + ) terminal of the house battery.
A technical diagram illustrates the correct installation and placement distance for an inline power fuse connected to a battery terminal. Distance Requirement: A double-ended arrow at the bottom indicates that the distance between the battery post and the inline fuse holder must be 18" or less. Battery Terminal Connection (Left Inset): A power cable connects to a circular red positive battery terminal using a ring terminal connector. A top pink inset box shows stripped wire inserting into the crimp sleeve of the metal ring terminal. Inline Fuse Holder Connection (Right Inset): The power cable extends from the battery into an inline fuse block housing a fuse element. A top pink inset box shows stripped wire inserting directly into the set-screw terminal input of the fuse holder block.

 

Power Cable

  1. Depending on the location of your fuse block, cut an appropriate length section of power cable. Trim half an inch of insulation from both ends. Attach a ring connector to one end and attach it to the POSITIVE (+) terminal of the HOUSE BATTERY (a). Insert the other end into the fuse holder. Screw it down tightly.
  2. Cut another section of power cable long enough to go from the fuse holder to the amplifier. Trim half an inch of insulation from both ends. Insert one end into the fuse holder. Route the power cable through the firewall and along the inside of the vessel to the amplifier (b). Make sure to run it on the side opposite the RCA cables. Insert the other end into the POSITIVE (12V+) terminal of your amplifier (c). Screw it down tightly.
An overhead schematic view of a boat layout illustrates the path for running a power cable from a marine battery to an amplifier, with callout letters a, b, and c. Label a (Battery Connection & Fuse): Points to the positive (+) battery terminal connector linked directly to an inline fuse block mounted near the battery compartment. Label b (Cable Routing): Points to the power cable extending from the inline fuse and running along the lower interior wall/hull of the boat toward the rear. Label c (Amplifier Connection): Points to the power input terminals where the cable connects to a Rockville amplifier mounted in the rear cabin compartment.

 

Ground Cable

  1. Cut the ground cable to the appropriate length and trim half an inch of insullation from both ends. Attach a ring connector to one end and attach it to the NEGATIVE (–) terminal of the house battery (a).
  2. Route the ground cable through the firewall and along the inside of the vessel to the amplifier (b). Make sure run it on the side opposite the RCA cables. Now insert the other end into the amplifier’s GROUND (GND) terminal (c). Screw it down tightly.
An overhead schematic view of a boat layout illustrates the path for running a blue ground cable directly from a marine battery's negative terminal to an amplifier, with callout letters a, b, and c. Label a (Ground Connection): Points to a ring terminal attached directly to the negative (-) battery post on the lower battery unit. Label b (Cable Routing): Points to the blue ground wire running along the lower interior side/hull of the vessel toward the back. Label c (Amplifier Connection): Points to the GND input terminal on the Rockville amplifier mounted in the rear cabin area.

 

Remote and RCA

  1. Ensure that the head unit is turned off.
  2. Connect the RCA cables to the head unit (a) and route through the inside of the vessel to the amplifier (b). Connect to the RCA inputs on the amplifier (c).
  3. Make sure that you run the RCA cables on the side opposite the power cable.
  4. Connect the blue remote cable to the remote turn-on terminal of the headunit (d). Route through the inside of the vessel to the amplifier (e). Connect to the amplifier terminal marked REMOTE (REM)(f).
An overhead schematic view of a boat layout illustrates the correct path for routing RCA audio interconnects and remote turn-on wires from the head unit (receiver) to the amplifier, labeled with callout letters a through f. RCA Audio Interconnect Routing (Top Hull Side): a: Points to RCA patch cables plugged into the RCA pre-outs on the back of the head unit mounted at the helm console. b: Points to the RCA cables routed along the starboard (upper) interior wall/hull of the boat. c: Points to the RCA cables connecting into the line-level inputs on the top side of the Rockville amplifier in the rear. Remote Turn-On Wire Routing (Bottom Hull Side): d: Points to the remote turn-on wire connected to the wire harness extending from the back of the head unit. e: Points to the remote turn-on wire routed along the port (lower) interior wall/hull, kept visually separate from the audio signal cables to prevent noise. f: Points to the remote wire connecting into the "REM" power terminal block at the bottom end of the amplifier.

 

Diagram

A comprehensive system schematic illustrates all signal, power, ground, and speaker connections for a Rockville Krypton MF4 4-channel marine amplifier setup. Head Unit & Input Signal Connections: RCA Cable: A stereo RCA cable runs from the rear outputs of the HEAD UNIT to the RCA input jacks at the top of the AMPLIFIER. Remote Cable: A blue remote turn-on wire runs from the HEAD UNIT directly to the REM power input terminal at the bottom of the AMPLIFIER. Power & Ground Connections (House Battery): Power Cable: A grey power cable connects the positive (+) terminal of the HOUSE BATTERY through an inline FUSE block to the +12V power terminal on the bottom of the AMPLIFIER. Ground Cable: A blue ground cable connects the negative (-) terminal of the HOUSE BATTERY directly to the GND power terminal on the bottom of the AMPLIFIER. Speaker Output Connections: Four circular speakers are arranged around the amplifier (two on the left, two on the right). Dedicated SPEAKER WIRE pairs run from the speaker output terminal block at the bottom of the AMPLIFIER directly to each of the four individual speakers.

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