How to get a good ground

RJB001 · 03-26-2021, 02:43 PM

Hi All,

I recently installed the Workshop 12 Brainiac kit, and I'm getting a lot of noise which I believe is due to poor grounding (noise increases with RPM and when doors open/close). Could anyone point me to where the best spots are to get a ground near the center console?

Thanks!

dts3 · 03-26-2021, 03:27 PM

This is the grounding location that I used (where the arrow is pointing). I'm not sure why my finger is pointing to the screw on the other side ??? The thin wire and electrical tape was just temporary. There is now a thicker wire with a proper waterproof crimp connector. I have a thicker wire that I'm running to a fuse junction box that I have behind the stereo. The fuse junction box then runs +/- wires to my Defi gauge control unit, my autodim mirror that I swapped in, and soon to be laser jammer. I don't have any ground loop interference. I don't know if the Brainiac kit deletes this bracket. If so, you should be able to see where the bracket itself touched metal, and then use that point.

I was taking a look while someone else was installing the Brainiac kit and they were having a ground loop problem as well. I don't remember what they did though

RJB001 · 03-26-2021, 06:22 PM

Ah, I actually had to remove those brackets to get the Brainiac installed, thanks for the reply though!

redondoaveb · 03-26-2021, 06:46 PM

If I remember right, the one I have circled is a good ground

SouthArk370Z · 03-26-2021, 08:45 PM

Just about any screw/bolt that screws into a "heavy" piece of metal will be a ground. Use an ohmmeter to verify.

NorthStyle · 03-26-2021, 10:00 PM

It the tablet that is the source of the noise, specifically the 3.5mm headphone output. Use a DAC to pull digital audio from the USB port and the noise will disappear. You will have to run a OTG hub with the proper cable for it to use audio while still charging your tablet.

1/4atatime · 03-26-2021, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorthStyle

It the tablet that is the source of the noise, specifically the 3.5mm headphone output. Use a DAC to pull digital audio from the USB port and the noise will disappear. You will have to run a OTG hub with the proper cable for it to use audio while still charging your tablet.

This is the answer I was only able to get about 30% of the noise to go away on my brainiac kit even running to different power than the stock radio and adding a noise supressor on top of the rca noise isolator. Added a dap (dac and music player combo) it went down to only 10% static. Bought another dap with a very high SNR and a car mode and boom problem fixed. I get some very slight hissing but it's hardly noticable unless I'm paying attention especially not over my exhaust. There is some really terrible grounding in tablet audio chips. Buy a Fiio BTR5 and you should be good (even has car mode to power on and off when it detects power changes) https://www.fiio.com/btr5

The 370z and the grounding in that kit when hooked into a tablet just does not play nice. I talked with that guy who built it and he said some of our cars just have problems with it and Nissan did something inside the radio to remove the grounding issue. So even on some aftermarket radios you get problems.

bigaudiofanat · 03-29-2021, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dts3

This is the grounding location that I used (where the arrow is pointing). I'm not sure why my finger is pointing to the screw on the other side ??? The thin wire and electrical tape was just temporary. There is now a thicker wire with a proper waterproof crimp connector. I have a thicker wire that I'm running to a fuse junction box that I have behind the stereo. The fuse junction box then runs +/- wires to my Defi gauge control unit, my autodim mirror that I swapped in, and soon to be laser jammer. I don't have any ground loop interference. I don't know if the Brainiac kit deletes this bracket. If so, you should be able to see where the bracket itself touched metal, and then use that point.

I was taking a look while someone else was installing the Brainiac kit and they were having a ground loop problem as well. I don't remember what they did though

Both work well for a grounding point

dts3 · 03-29-2021, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigaudiofanat

Both work well for a grounding point

Sure. I just thought that it was really stupid that my finger was pointing and one screw but the ground wire is clearly attached to the other

03-26-2021, 02:43 PM	#1 (permalink)
RJB001 Base Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: VA Posts: 15 Drives: 2017 370z Nismo Rep Power: 5	How to get a good ground Hi All, I recently installed the Workshop 12 Brainiac kit, and I'm getting a lot of noise which I believe is due to poor grounding (noise increases with RPM and when doors open/close). Could anyone point me to where the best spots are to get a ground near the center console? Thanks!

03-26-2021, 03:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
dts3 Track Member Join Date: May 2018 Location: Farmington Hills, MI Posts: 599 Drives: 08 Expedition Rep Power: 6765	This is the grounding location that I used (where the arrow is pointing). I'm not sure why my finger is pointing to the screw on the other side ??? The thin wire and electrical tape was just temporary. There is now a thicker wire with a proper waterproof crimp connector. I have a thicker wire that I'm running to a fuse junction box that I have behind the stereo. The fuse junction box then runs +/- wires to my Defi gauge control unit, my autodim mirror that I swapped in, and soon to be laser jammer. I don't have any ground loop interference. I don't know if the Brainiac kit deletes this bracket. If so, you should be able to see where the bracket itself touched metal, and then use that point. I was taking a look while someone else was installing the Brainiac kit and they were having a ground loop problem as well. I don't remember what they did though __________________ Visit my blog! www.LeftoverPi.com

03-26-2021, 08:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
SouthArk370Z Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: South Arkansas Posts: 8,435 Drives: 2014 Challenger Rep Power: 324198	Just about any screw/bolt that screws into a "heavy" piece of metal will be a ground. Use an ohmmeter to verify. __________________ Steering Lock Links - Search The370Z Bookmarklet - FSM @ NICOclub Mankind has progressed past the need for war but we haven't evolved that far. - NachoMahma

03-26-2021, 10:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
NorthStyle A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Deutschland + SC/FL USA Posts: 1,265 Drives: 2011 370Z Nismo Rep Power: 24277	It the tablet that is the source of the noise, specifically the 3.5mm headphone output. Use a DAC to pull digital audio from the USB port and the noise will disappear. You will have to run a OTG hub with the proper cable for it to use audio while still charging your tablet. 1/4atatime likes this.

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03-26-2021, 06:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
RJB001 Base Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Location: VA Posts: 15 Drives: 2017 370z Nismo Rep Power: 5	Ah, I actually had to remove those brackets to get the Brainiac installed, thanks for the reply though!