ST-B SERIES Owner’s Manual 1 Before operating the unit, please read this manual throughly and retain it for future reference.
MISSION STATEMENT Committed to Excellence ZAPCO is dedicated to the pursuit of audio fidelity. Our prime objectives are to design and manufacture audio products of unsurpassed quality, to provide unparalleled support and service for these products and to conduct business in a manner that will enhance the quality of life for all involved. Experience (Knowledge from doing) There is absolutely no substitute for experience; that is a simple fact of life.
Table of Contents Before you start your installation ........................................................................................................................ 4 All wire are not created equal ............................................................................................................................... 4 Planning your power connections .................................................................................................................... 5 Wire size ..............
Before you start your installation ZAPCO highly recommends that a fuse or circuit breaker be placed within 18" of the battery. Although you will add a fuse or fuse block near the amplifier it is still a possibility that a pinched power wire between the component fuse and the battery could result in a short, or even a fire.
In short: While CCA wire is excellent for high frequency AC current (like tweeter voice coils), it is absolutely bad for high current 12V DC like power and ground for a car audio amplifier. We have seen CCA wire become a major cause of amplifier failures as buyers are offered CCA as a low cost alternative to pure copper wire. So always look at the description of the contents of wire that you purchase. When someone offers to save you some money with CCA wire just say "No, thank you".
Some words about Power and Ground The second most common cause of under performing amplifiers is insufficient power current or a poor power connection. The most common cause of under performing amplifiers is insufficient ground current or a bad ground connection. 12-volt current: Battery power works only if it travels in a complete circuit from the battery positive terminal to the battery negative terminal. Main power input, of course, is attached to the battery positive terminal.
Mounting your ST-B amplifier Mounting your Zapco amplifier is easy. Just keep in mind a few guidelines: • The amplifier can be mounted in any direction, on wood, metal, or carpet • The metal chassis of the amp can be grounded or left isolated • The amplifier requires adequate ventilation. Creating power creates heat, and cooling requires air.
ST-2B Input/Controls Ends The Input ends of the ST-2B amplifier is where you find the signal input connectors, the pass through outputs, the crossover controls. For High Level (speaker level) you also find the port for the input plug.
ST-4B Input/Controls Ends The ST-4B has similar functions as the ST-2B but the 4 channel layout puts the controls in different positions.
ST-5B Input/Controls Ends The ST-5B has similar functions as the ST-4B but the 5 channel layout puts the controls in different positions. 2 1 4 3 5 6 1• Auto Turn-On Switch 2• Speaker level input plug for OEM hookup 3• Remote Control port 4• Ch. 1/2 Crossover function selector for full range or high pass, and High Pass frequency control 5• Ch. 1/2 Variable gain control 6• Ch. 5 Low Pass frequency control 7• RCA inputs 10 7 8 9 10 13 11 12 8• Ch.
ST-1B Input/Controls Ends The ST-1B has similar functions as the other ST-B amps but the 1 channel layout puts the controls in different positions. Plus the ST-1B has a remote control port.
Speaker Wiring of the ST-B Amplifiers The Very Basics No speaker wires can be shorted to, or touching either ground or each other. This will put the amp into protect and may damage the amplifier. When bridging the left and right channels of any ST-B amplifier, you use the left channel (Ch1) positive and the right channel (Ch2) negative, as indicated on the chassis by the speaker terminals. 2-Ch. Amplifer - Stereo Mode A simple 2 channels hookup for a right and left stereo pair.
2-Ch. Amplifier - 3-Ch. Mode It is possible to run the 2Ch amps in “3-Channel” mode by running a pair of speakers for the mids and highs on left and right channels, and at the same time run a woofer bridged between the L+ and R- terminals as shown. However, since each channel will see 1/2 the impedance of the woofer you must use a woofer of no less than 4Ω. The amplifier sees impedance by frequency, so you can have two 2Ω loads but you must use a passive crossover on each speaker in the three channel mode.
4-Ch. Amplifier - Stereo Mode A simple 4 channels hookup for a right and left stereo pair. TW TW 2 OHM MIN/CH X-OVER X-OVER WF WF WF WF X-OVER X-OVER 2 OHM MIN/CH TW TW 4-Ch. Amplifier - High Power 2-Ch. Mode Similar to bridging a stereo amp to a mono woofer, you can use the 4-Ch amp in a dual mono mode to create (in this case) a stereo amp with 190 watts RMS/ch. As with any bridged setup the speakers must be a minimum of 4Ω impedance.
5-Ch.
5-Ch. Amplifier - High Power 3-Ch. Mode You can use the 5-Ch amp to create a stereo amp with 180 watts RMS/ch, plus a mono amp for subwoofer. As with any bridged setup the speakers must be a minimum of 4Ω impedance. If you are using the active crossovers you should be sure that they are set to the same frequency.
1-Ch. Amplifier The ST-1B has two + and two - terminals so you can hook up one woofer or two. One woofer can be 2Ω minimum. Two woofers must be 4Ω minimum each.
Technical Specifications Model Type Power (W) Channel/RMS THD S/N Frequency Response ST-2B 2-Ch, Class AB 2 x 65 (4Ω) 2 x 90 (2Ω) 180 (Br, 4Ω) < 0.2% 97dB 20Hz - 20KHz ST-4B 4-Ch, Class AB 4 x 65 (4Ω) 4 x 90 (2Ω) 2 x 180 (Br, 4Ω) < 0.2% 97dB 20Hz - 20KHz ST-5B 5-Ch, Class AB 4x70 + 1x250 (4Ω) 4x100 + 1x400 (2Ω) 2x180 (Br, 4Ω) + 1x400(2Ω) < 0.2% 97dB 20Hz - 20KHz ST-1B 1-Ch, Class AB 200 (4Ω) 300 (2Ω) < 0.
Modesto, California USA Since 1974 1 zapco.
