Crunk Times, My friend.....Crunk Times

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

So what's the difference between measuring the voltage and current?

In this case they are the same. Think of it as a river. Current is the flow of the water and voltage is the actual water. You are measuring the current in terms of voltage.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

Hypothetically, if I am getting 11ish with my engine on, what does this mean?

Your alternator will die soon. A normal charging system should stay at a constant 13.5-14.5 volts.

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

has this kid been living under a rock?

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

Depending on wear you measure.
14.5 at the amp is **** good if you ask me.

Of course you'll lose some. There is resistance in the wire and there is also resistance in the metal of the car when you ground said amp. I always good sucess in wiring amps. My last amp in my Bonneville I was reading 14.4 at the amp and 14.7 at the battery. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Anyways you shouldn't lose more then a volt between battery and amp.

At the battery with the amp on you want to be getting at least 13.5

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

And people think you don't know shit about car audio

I was thinking the same thing. I never doubted him, just didn't know.

Your alternator will die soon. A normal charging system should stay at a constant 13.5-14.5 volts.

Well, that sucks...

Would it maybe have something to do with upgrading my wire to 4ga and using a 80a fuse? The fuse is almost double what the amp's rated current consumption is.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

I was thinking the same thing. I never doubted him, just didn't know.
Well, that sucks...

Would it maybe have something to do with upgrading my wire to 4ga and using a 80a fuse? The fuse is almost double what the amp's rated current consumption is.

fuse has nothing to do with it. The fuse is just to protect the wire not the amp. Most amps usually have onboard fuses.

So you tested the voltage and it dips below 12?

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

Haven't tested yet. It was just hypothetical. I'm just about to shit a brick even thinking about having to replace my alternator again. Took me and 2 friends a solid 4 hours to change it.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

Do your lights dim? What amp is this?

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

My lights dim a little bit, but it's not very noticeable. Nothing like when my alt was dead the first time. It is a fairly low output alternator though and I haven't done a Big 3 upgrade yet.

Amp is a Kenwood KAC-7201

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

According to that manual, it doesn't mention in the protection section about low voltage.

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

If the ground was fucked up on my headunit, the headunit would be messing up too, right?

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

If the ground was fucked up on my headunit, the headunit would be messing up too, right?

I would imagine so. You'd get induced noise more likely. Are you 100% the amp goes into protect when it cuts out?

You could try regrounding the amp. Cars are not great for grounding amps. The current doesn't flow through the entire surface of the sheet metal, but I've heard it best described as a delta. It follows the path of least resistance. There is a way to test your ground for the least resistance using a dmm. I'll have to get the tutorial.

 

[Tiger Bass 5,000+ posts]

I'm not sure whether it's going into protect mode or just not getting power. They look like the same thing.

The only other thing is that it SEEMS like the longer I have the car running, the less likely the amp is to cut off. Ie. After driving around for 3+ hours, I could get up to full volume without the amp cutting off. It would still randomly cut off and on though, just not as much. And I only turned it up to full listening volume just to test if I could.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

I can't find it and I'm too tired.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

I'm not sure whether it's going into protect mode or just not getting power. They look like the same thing.
The only other thing is that it SEEMS like the longer I have the car running, the less likely the amp is to cut off. Ie. After driving around for 3+ hours, I could get up to full volume without the amp cutting off. It would still randomly cut off and on though, just not as much. And I only turned it up to full listening volume just to test if I could.

Going into protect and simply cutting out would be separate issues, but it sound like it is going into protect.