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How-To Articles
[3 - Overhead Console Install] [4 - Overhead Console Wiring] [5 - MAF mod] [6 - LED switch mod] [8 - Homebrew Remote Bass Control] [12 - Headlight/4x4 Switch LED Mod] [13 - General LED tutorial] [14 - EATC install how-to (pages 14-19)] [20 - IAT Resistor Mod (older engines only)] [22 - Automatic Power Windows] [23 - Cruise Control Pod LED's]
Homebrew Bazooka Remote Bass Control
I've added a Bazooka EL8A-HP sub to my setup. I bought it used from a friend and he gave me an excellent price in part because the internal level control had broken. The actual knob and shaft had come out of the control and "gone missing"! Many of the Bazooka EL amplified subs have a jack for a remote bass control and this one had it. A few experiments later I found that a 5K audio taper pot (which I got from Radio Shack) made a pretty good remote bass control. To the right is the final result, which I'll describe in more detail.
I don't smoke so I mounted the control in the opening where the cigarette lighter was, as you can see here. The old lighter socket is a two piece affair and the inner barrel unscrews from the outer (rear) barrel and it comes right off. The hole has a flange at the bottom and with the right sized washers you can easily mount the control. You need a thin, 1" diameter washer, and maybe a second if your pot has a smaller diameter base than mine. Of course the hole in the washer has to be large enough or made large enough to pass the threaded bushing which mounts the potentiometer. I "dyed" the washer black with a permanent marker.
Here's the wiring of the Bazooka sub. In the foreground is the chrome "shielded" 1/8" (3.5mm) plug that connects to the remote level control. The main connector has had the 4 wires going to the low-level inputs (RCA's) removed, both wire and pins, to make the cable bundle smaller. The rectangular box-shaped object on the cable is a ferrite "choke" to keep my transmitters radiation out of the subs electronics.
Here's an overall view of the sub mounted in the rear of the cab. Yes, I know the right strap is twisted. It's fixed now, thank you. The round objects to the left are disc golf discs (specialized "Frisbees", if you like) that I always have in the truck. I play weekly and someone might want to play suddenly, which is the best kind of game. No, I'm not real good, but I don't suck either. I've been playing for 20 years.
As far as the actual hookup of the remote control, it couldn't be easier. Just take a piece of shielded cable of your choice (I used a very thin cable) and connect one end to the 1/8" mini plug. Shield to ground and the center wire to the "tip" connection of the plug. On the other end, connect the shield to the CCW ("counter clockwise" -- c'mon now) terminal of the potentiometer, and the center wire to the "wiper" (center terminal) on the post. That's it.
Here's Radio Shack part numbers for some stuff you'll need. You can get it elsewhere, but this is convenient.
274-1720 = 5K ohm, audio taper potentiometer -- this unit has a long shaft and you'll need to cut it down.
274-288 (chrome) or 274-286 (black) = 1/8" (3.5mm) phone plugs. I used the "shielded" chrome ones, but the plastic barrels work fine too if you prefer the black. I just happened have the chrome on in my parts bins.
Get the cable of your choice and you'll need over 10 feet of it to run the entire distance. Any shielded audio cable will do.
The knob here was salvaged from a 1964 vintage Tektronix oscilloscope I junked at work -- no kidding. Find a knob whose color and style suits you. I chose this one because the gray looks fine with the interior and it doesn't stand out -- I wanted a kind of "stealth" or "stock" look to the control if possible. I think I've achieved that and I'm real happy with the result.
