POWERED ACOUSTIMASS 5 series III wiring & start trigger problem

[radek_be]

Hi guys,

I recently got the POWERED ACOUSTIMASS 5 series III speaker system and I am struggling to get it working.  I do not have the original 5DIN cable, so I tried some experiments with the connection which gave only partial success. I have searched through the threads here and there, but the amount of info is very limited. 

I tried to look up the manual of this system, however BOSE does not allocate the product, also not by its serial number. There is lots of info about acoustimass 5, but not its powered variant. 

I have a 5 pin DIN input socket, after connecting GND to pin 2, L+ to  3 and R+ to 5 (standard DIN numbering), I got the amplified signal through the RCA output, but not from the sub itself. Also, when I turned the switch off and on again, the amp didn't start anymore, only happened after 10th trial. 

Having read similar threads, I also tried shorting pins 4 and 2, or supplying +12V trigger to pin 1, but it seems to be fruitless. The amp goes on by a matter of luck whilst operating the switch (which itself works fine - checked). 

Anyone kind does know how it should be done, is there a trigger voltage or maybe some resistance needed between some of the pins and which ones should they be? 

I managed to find the manual for powered AM 5 series II which foresees a cable that allows operation on any source (has the RCA plugs at the other end), so I assume a similar solution exist here, however due to lack of any manuals or diagrams I roam without success. 

Here is what the label on the device reads:

BOSE POWERED ACOUSTIMASS 5 SERIES III SPEAKER SYSTEM

SER. NO. 00949039006 0016A (the bose website does not recognise this number)

D.O.M. 990106

Any help, info & tips much appreciated!

[Joel_D]

Hello radek_be,

Thanks for posting and welcome to the Bose Community.

I did some further investigating for you and found the only possible system that you have is a partial Lifestyle 5 III.

This system also came with a CD-based console which is what fed the audio to the Acoustimass module that you have. This Acoustimass will only be able to work with that particular console and will not function as a stand-alone system. This is why you're unable to find the proprietary information regarding the pin layouts.

If you have any other questions, let us know.

Kind Regards,

Joel - Community Support

[radek_be]

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the tips! With the name of the set this was sold in, I was able to look up the electric diagram of the amplifier. It become clear that there is indeed 12V trigger needed on pin 1, but apparently something was not working in that circuit in my module. Anyway, thanks to the diagram, was able to locate and bypass the triac that switched the unit on and off and I finally got it working. So, it can work as a standalone system and **bleep** it does the job 😀

[Joel_D]

Hello radek_be,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm glad to hear you're able to figure out everything to get it working in your scenario.

Have a great day!

Kind Regards,

Joel - Community Support