Can someone give this a once over?

[Flungcow]

Attached is a picture of my set up. It's not much but I just wanted a little richer sound and a little more bass than stock as my hearing is going South. I am questioning if I have enough fuses in place and if the fuses are the right amperage. I have seen 3 or 4 different ways to wire the relay for the remote wire but this seems to be a common way to do it. Sorry about the handwriting in the picture but I am diabetic and have tremors. Thanks for looking.

Click to read more...

 

[YourNameHere 10+ year member]

is car audio really that complicated that people have to draw it out in a plan...wow LOL

 

[Flungcow]

Let me guess, you like to comment on posts without really commenting on posts so you can tally up more comments on posts?

 

[Seth F.]

I've never used a fuse on a remote wire before, but now you got me wondering. I don't think its necessary but I suppose it never hurts. Just don't forget you have it in there if the amps don't turn on one day . I typically follow the fuse rating in the documentation for each amp. So in the event you want to utilize the full potential of the amp you wont have to worry about a new fuse but your math seems correct to me.

 

[Seth F.]

is car audio really that complicated that people have to draw it out in a plan...wow LOL

Yes, it is now

 

[Flungcow]

I've never used a fuse on a remote wire before, but now you got me wondering. I don't think its necessary but I suppose it never hurts. Just don't forget you have it in there if the amps don't turn on one day . I typically follow the fuse rating in the documentation for each amp. So in the event you want to utilize the full potential of the amp you wont have to worry about a new fuse but your math seems correct to me.

Thanks. I figured it wouldn't hurt to put that 2A fuse after the relay with the relay being powered directly off the battery because as I understand it, the amplifier and the sub only use about .5A each to turn on.

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

i havent used fuses for years. They cause more headaches and grief than they protect your gear imo. Unless you tend to get into major accidents where your car flips and rolls a lot, its not really necessary. #teamNoFuse

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

F-150... Just me, but I would also run a 4awg back to the battery for ground. Just to be safe.

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

Unless you tend to get into major accidents where your car flips and rolls a lot, its not really necessary.

Does anyone plan on being in a major accident?

 

[Jeffdachef 5,000+ posts]

Does anyone plan on being in a major accident?

when they choose to drink/blaze and drive yes.

 

[jt4x4]

First off, no need to apologize for your handwriting; it's incredibly easy to read.

Here are my thoughts/questions:
1) I personally don't see a point in fusing your remote wire and I have never seen a recommendation to do so. I think that will only add more cost and complexity.
2) Why use a powered sub rather than using the sub channel of your Alpine amp? If you haven't already purchased the powered sub, I would put that money towards a MTX Thunderform enclosure. I had one in a 2004 F150 supercrew and it fit beautifully. I found mine on ebay for a decent price. Not sure what year or configuration your pickup is, but it worked well for me.
3) Fuses are meant to protect the wire and your vehicle, not the amp. Look up the maximum current rating of your wires and fuse accordingly. Look at the size of the fuse element verses the size of your wire and this should make sense. If your amp is drawing more than it is designed to draw, then the amp is already malfunctioning or doing more than it is intended to do.
4) I'm not familiar with the pin numbers on the relay you included. If you can provide a pin-out or a part number for the relay I can give your a more definitive answer. I don't need to insult your intelligence by explaining how a relay works.
5) No idea why guys on their high-horses feel the need to insult you (or anyone) for asking car audio questions on a car audio site.

- Joe

 

[hispls 5,000+ posts]

You're way over-complicating this.

You do not need relays in car audio unless you're trying to power fans, actuators, neon lights, or similar. We had a thread about this recently where we determined that one of those relays draws MORE current than about a dozen amps/EQs/etc.

Do not use a ground distro block. Ground each amp to its own properly prepared ground point as close to the amp as possible.

You will never hurt something from using too-small fuse. If you're opening fuses go larger. I run a 150X6 amp in my Jeep and have had it on the same 60A fuse for 7 years now and through three different vehicles.

Using a tiny fuse on remote wire from the head unit isn't a terrible idea IF manufacturer suggests a size but it is a very tiny current which is not a fire risk and most good quality modern head units have a circuit breaker on those so even if you short it out or overload it, it'll come back up after you power cycle the head unit and remedy to short.

Lastly I'd say don't bother with the rear 5x7s. Put the money from those into a higher end component set in front. I just did a small system in my F250 this summer and put some coaxials in the back just because and I wish I'd have just put something better up front. Rear location is very poor in those Ford trucks you will 100% not miss them if you just leave those holes empty and get something nice up front. We did my brother's last F250 with the JBL Stadium 6x8s in the front and they were excellent. Should have bought them for mine but they were just a little more than I wanted to spend on a beater plow/yard truck.

 

[Flungcow]

F-150... Just me, but I would also run a 4awg back to the battery for ground. Just to be safe.

Thought about that

First off, no need to apologize for your handwriting; it's incredibly easy to read.

Here are my thoughts/questions:
1) I personally don't see a point in fusing your remote wire and I have never seen a recommendation to do so. I think that will only add more cost and complexity.
2) Why use a powered sub rather than using the sub channel of your Alpine amp? If you haven't already purchased the powered sub, I would put that money towards a MTX Thunderform enclosure. I had one in a 2004 F150 supercrew and it fit beautifully. I found mine on ebay for a decent price. Not sure what year or configuration your pickup is, but it worked well for me.
3) Fuses are meant to protect the wire and your vehicle, not the amp. Look up the maximum current rating of your wires and fuse accordingly. Look at the size of the fuse element verses the size of your wire and this should make sense. If your amp is drawing more than it is designed to draw, then the amp is already malfunctioning or doing more than it is intended to do.
4) I'm not familiar with the pin numbers on the relay you included. If you can provide a pin-out or a part number for the relay I can give your a more definitive answer. I don't need to insult your intelligence by explaining how a relay works.
5) No idea why guys on their high-horses feel the need to insult you (or anyone) for asking car audio questions on a car audio site.

- Joe

I have too much other stuff I carry in my truck to have a sub enclosure and needed something low profile under the seat so the kicker fit nicely. The guy who TRIED to insult me had his own description after his name that suits him to a "T". The relay is a 12V 5 pin spdt Bosch style. Those things make sense Thanks!

 

[Flungcow]

You're way over-complicating this.

You do not need relays in car audio unless you're trying to power fans, actuators, neon lights, or similar. We had a thread about this recently where we determined that one of those relays draws MORE current than about a dozen amps/EQs/etc.

Do not use a ground distro block. Ground each amp to its own properly prepared ground point as close to the amp as possible.

You will never hurt something from using too-small fuse. If you're opening fuses go larger. I run a 150X6 amp in my Jeep and have had it on the same 60A fuse for 7 years now and through three different vehicles.

Using a tiny fuse on remote wire from the head unit isn't a terrible idea IF manufacturer suggests a size but it is a very tiny current which is not a fire risk and most good quality modern head units have a circuit breaker on those so even if you short it out or overload it, it'll come back up after you power cycle the head unit and remedy to short.

Lastly I'd say don't bother with the rear 5x7s. Put the money from those into a higher end component set in front. I just did a small system in my F250 this summer and put some coaxials in the back just because and I wish I'd have just put something better up front. Rear location is very poor in those Ford trucks you will 100% not miss them if you just leave those holes empty and get something nice up front. We did my brother's last F250 with the JBL Stadium 6x8s in the front and they were excellent. Should have bought them for mine but they were just a little more than I wanted to spend on a beater plow/yard truck.

Thank you for all the info! I am putting the relay in because I may add more things later and have seen a lot of people saying that 2 or 3 things being turned on from the remote wire can short it out. I already installed the Alpines with the old jvc head unit only pushing 22W per channel and they sound fantastic so I think I'm good there. Thanks again for the info!

 

[Popwarhomie 5,000+ posts]

6 amps ran off the remote wire with no relay.