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HID and Radio Interference

3K views 25 replies 5 participants last post by  Prop1 
#1 ·
After installing my HID's Ive noticed an annoying little hiccup.

I have a SQ based aftermarket sound system:

Eclipse CD7000
Eclipse XA5000 Amp
Eclipse SC6500 6.5" comps
2 Image Dynamic ID8D2V3's

The wiring there is perfect.

The radio is flawless until I turn on the HID's. Doesnt matter what input source Im using on the HU (iPod, CD, Radio, or Aux) Ill get a nice little beep and then it will be fine until I turn them off and back on.

Aside from the beep I have 0 issues, 0 error codes, 0 flickering, and overall a flawless HID install for $70.

Any ideas on how to fix this issue?

Ive read that I can wrap the ballasts in tinfoil or electrical tape, but dont want to as it will look tacky. Trying to think up some sort of housing to mount the ballasts in.

I think the ballast may be to close to the antenna. Its about a foot away from the antenna on the passenger side and right in the fender on the driver side by the 4 gauge power wire for my amp. Neither of these make sense to me as it happens on any input source.
 
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#2 ·
Ive read that I can wrap the ballasts in tinfoil or electrical tape, but dont want to as it will look tacky. Trying to think up some sort of housing to mount the ballasts in.

I think the ballast may be to close to the antenna. Its about a foot away from the antenna on the passenger side and right in the fender on the driver side by the 4 gauge power wire for my amp. Neither of these make sense to me as it happens on any input source.
There is a slight chance that the noise is coming in through the power feed to the head unit. Not a whole lot you can do, maybe install a noise suppression capacitor on the power feed to the radio and possibly the main amp.

Another possibility - are the radio, amp, and ballast units well grounded? I run into problems like that every day in my work -electrical noise pickup due to bad or deteriorated grounds.

Do not wrap your ballasts with anything - a wrap could trap heat and damage them.
Properly grounded tin foil might reduce RFI from the balasts, electrical tape will do nothing.
 
#4 ·
#6 ·
Correct, they are for the head unit power supply, and ground loop isolators for the RCA jacks on the amps.
 
#7 ·
I can guarantee that the grounds are perfect. The power wire shouldnt have anything to do with it as that would only introduce noise through the sub, not at the HU level with all input sources.
 
#8 ·
The head unit still recieves power, so it can get interference from other sources.
 
#10 ·
Ballasts can feed interference back up the power line to virtually all power in the car. Anything connected to that power can receive it. Electronics are the most susceptible.
 
#13 ·
Your right it didnt work. Either way both are relocated and hidden now so it looks better. What else can I do? I checked the grounds and they are spot on.
 
#15 ·
I guess I should reword my original statement. Its not really radio interference.

FM and AM tune in perfectly fine, CD plays fine, iPod plays fine, and even the AUX input play fine with no hiss or buzzing or any hiccups. The interference Im referring to is only when I turn on the HID's a very short buzz comes from the HU for maybe 1/2 a second and then its gone and the whole system is fine the entire time.
 
#16 · (Edited)
As we've been telling you, you need the filters on the power. We know exactly what you are talking about. We never said it was radio inference. Ballasts are known to feed noise back through the power circuit and affect everything on the line, which means everything that consumes power on the car. Put the line filters on and the issue will go away. These line filters filter the power circuit and have nothing to do with radio frequency transmitted through the air.

This is why the old saying, "You gets what you pay for" fits. Good quality HIDs would have already had the line filters.
 
#22 ·
I think its the frequency the coil gives off. Not an actual vibration. From what Im reading almost every single aftermarket HID kit has this issue.
 
#23 ·
Let's regroup here for a minute.

Where is the suund actually coming from, speakers, somewhere else? If the sound is coming from the speakers, the filters we discussed above may help.
How long does the sound last?
How loud is it?
Can you listen to the ballast modules while someone turns on the lights?
Can you live with the noise?

Regardless of the frequency, all sounds are vibrations of objects or the air.
(that's how speakers work - the electrical signal from the radio causes the speaker cones to vibrate, they in turn vibrate the air, which in turn vibrates your eardrums, which vibrates you cochlea - the actual sound sensors in you that send electrical signals through the nerves to the brain, the brain interprets these signals as sound)
 
#25 ·
So the sound is coming right from the center stack and not the speakers?
Are you sure it's not the alarm chime trying to sound?

If it is the chime, there would be virtually nothing you can do about that. The chime could be due to the wierd starting current waveforms of the HID unis as compared to the starting current wafeform of a standard incandescent light bulb.
 
#26 ·
Last time I'm posting on this thread. This is feedback through the electrical system. I dealt with this same issue when I was a sound engineer and a fluorescent light was on the same circuit as an amp. Put the damn filters on the 12V line to each ballast.
 
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