16volt experts come on in!

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

I think i might take a whirl at a 16volt substage for my new project in august, and i just wanted to get some pointers from the experienced 16v users out there.

Here is the (hopefully) plan, two amps that make 3500RMS @ 1 ohm, 14.4volt, strapped at 16 volts, on an externally regulated 250amp alternator. Then, the rest of the car+ speakerstage amplifiers will run on my 12 volt 250amp mechman alternator (yes, dual alternators)

I would have a battery bank of 16 volt batteries ran to the 16v amplifier, as well as a battery under the hood managing all the 12v equipment.

any opinions about this?

I just want to know anything about the benefits/costs of running a 16 volt substage, really. I know very little about something like this. Is it hard on the equipment? How do voltage drops work when running a 16 volt setup? Will, say, 10krms on a 16v system be able to be ran on a single 250amp alternator?

Please feel free to speak your mind. I need some educating.

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[sholiz 10+ year member]

i'd run 500a of 16v power with a Powermaster stepdown

wait, i did.

i ran a Mojo @ .25ohm no sweat ... 13 Powermaster S1000 batt's on a RD HW 15"

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

i'd run 500a of 16v power with a Powermaster stepdown
wait, i did.

i ran a Mojo @ .25ohm no sweat ... 13 Powermaster S1000 batt's on a RD HW 15"

Powermaster stepdown? please explain.

Also, will a 16volt setup need some sort of special charging, or will an externally regulated alternator suffice?

like i said, im new to this, so im taking the next few months before the project to really understand my options.

 

[djman37 5,000+ posts]

run a 16v alt. system and use a step-down transformer to go to the normal electronics?? might be easier than two separate systems.

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=PWM-993

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

run a 16v alt. system and use a step-down transformer to go to the normal electronics?? might be easier than two separate systems.

What is this stepdown system? Im guessing just something that goes inline with a 16volt system and has an output current at 12 volts?

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=PWM-993

I see, thanks. I'll have to look into those more

 

[djman37 5,000+ posts]

that still needs to feed a 12v battery as it's got a pretty low load rate.

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

that still needs to feed a 12v battery as it's got a pretty low load rate.

Thats what i was thinking..... powermaster's website sells the largest unit at 15amp stability.... thats not very much

 

[iamamp3pimp 5,000+ posts]

i talked w frankie rio about it.

he said that the 2 alt system would be the easiest way to go and maintain.

we need just a decent 12v batt up front, that will run the car, and charge off the alt. The mids/highs amps, and your 16v alt setup will charge the bank in the rear.

From what i understand they use the same ground..........thats what confuses me.

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

i talked w frankie rio about it.
he said that the 2 alt system would be the easiest way to go and maintain.

we need just a decent 12v batt up front, that will run the car, and charge off the alt. The mids/highs amps, and your 16v alt setup will charge the bank in the rear.

From what i understand they use the same ground..........thats what confuses me.

i didnt even think about grounding //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

I have my stock 130amp alternator in storage, i guess i could pull that out

Then, how does this sound

On the 12 volt 130 amp alternator:

-Decent battery

-Mids/highs amps

-any car electrical

On a 16 volt 250 amp alternator

-Strictly substage amps/batteries

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

Oh, and to make things easy, everything will be battery-to-battery connection for power/ground, no frame/chassis grounding

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Thats the best way to do it, IMO.

No dealing with stepdown modules or hybrid batteries or anything else.

MUCH less risk of jacking something up.

 

[Supergumby5000 5,000+ posts]

Thats the best way to do it, IMO.
No dealing with stepdown modules or hybrid batteries or anything else.

MUCH less risk of jacking something up.

Good, lol

And for my other questions before this thread dies

How do voltage drops work on a 16 volt system? I am guessing the resting voltage on the batteries is going to be higher and whatnot?

And charging, a single 250amp alternator on 16 volts, will that suffice for a good 10-12krms?

 

[Decible_Demon]

When you run 16 volts from a single alternator, you cant run that high to your normal vehicle electronics like ur ecm and ect... so you use a stepdown unit to go from 16-18 usually to lower volts that are safe for your vehicle.

When you increase voltage you lose amperage... and vice versa. So people with high voltage are not to worried about amperage, as they have the voltage to push there setups. Where as normal 12 volt vehicles want AH to help cope with the low and loss of voltage. Thats why 16 volt batteries are usually not cca rated.