Electrical system help

[ingine53 10+ year member]

I will be running a dsc2000.1 putting out 2000 watts at 1 ohm to two subs. With this power is upgrading my stock electrical system necessary? I have already done the big 3 with 1/0 awg wire and plan on using 1/0 awg wire for my power wire.

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[x1le 10+ year member]

It's gonna depend on the car. With 2k rms, I would recommend atleast a deep cycle batt.

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

Like said, depends on the stock electrical, mainly alt and batt. If you have an issue, then start beefing up, either with bigger batt under hood, batt in the back, etc.

I try to avoid alt upgrades whenever possible. Currently i'm attempting to keep my new daily functioning well off of stock. has about 1400rms and staying around 13 volts. 700 batt and 80 amp alt. Running 4 gauge power to limit draw and put more of the strain on the amps instead of stock electrical.

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

Running 4 gauge power to limit draw and put more of the strain on the amps instead of stock electrical.

It's a whole other subject and I know what you're trying to say, but that isn't how it works...

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

Please feel free to PM me a breakdown then //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

As far as i know:

The amps draw what they need via the power wires, when a wire is only capable of transferring a certain amount of power, the amps work harder to compensate, The electrical on the other end of the wires is only affected by the current draw at that point, which is limited by the ability of the wire. Such as a "x" diameter hose can only process so much water @ 1 given time.

Electricity runs in a loop, therefore when doing something such as the Big 3, the current is limited by the smallest wire in the loop. Eg; 2 runs of 1/0 gauge and a run of 8 gauge. The 8 gauge would cause an electrical "traffic jam."

Thus, the Electrical loop including source, amps, ground is limited by the smallest wire present, which is my 4 gauge here. Only so much draw can be run through it @ 1 time, thus reducing strain on my battery @ a given time, and thus my alternator by not forcing it to play catch up and help keep it charging faster than my battery is draining.

Please feel free to correct me/educate me; always eager to learn. (trying to get into the electrical aspects and not just settle for design, enclosure, etc aspects.)

 

[quins90lac 10+ year member]

the alt is not a back up for the battery , the battery is a backup for the alt .

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

Power is drawn from battery. Alternator charges battery. Battery is storage for the energy the alternator produces. Easy peasy.

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

The amps draw what they need via the power wires' date=' when a wire is only capable of transferring a certain amount of power,[b'] the amps work harder to compensate[/b], The electrical on the other end of the wires is only affected by the current draw at that point, which is limited by the ability of the wire. Such as a "x" diameter hose can only process so much water @ 1 given time.

That's an interesting way to think about it, man. It just doesn't sound right to me, idk, I could be wrong myself. I don't want to hijack the op's thread, but what you said would be correct if the part I highlighted in bold IS true.

The way you stated would be like this. Lets say your amplifier requires 200amps of power to produce 1500 watts, but your 4 gauge can only pass 150 amps. So your amplifier has to work harder and draw more current in order to compensate. It's true the amp will probably run hotter, but it's not compensating, as far as I know.

The way it actually works, is that depending on your 4 gauge wire diameter and length, can only safely pass through a maximum amount of amperage. Lets say 150 again. If you exceed 150amps, your fuse will blow (if it's fused correctly) - or you run the risk of burning up your wire. For comparison sake, let's say your safely drawing 145 amps of power from your amplifier through your 4 gauge. That 4 gauge wire is right about at it's max potential, and would be creating more resistance than if you ran 0 gauge, in turn actually reducing your power output.

Again, I could be wrong. I'm definitely no expert lol. What you stated just didn't/doesn't sound right to me...

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

When an amp isn't receiving proper current, it "compensates" in this way (metaphor):

smaller gears having to move faster to produce "x" amount of power vs. Bigger gears moving normal speeds to get proper power.

And it is true that my amps output is cut due to the limitation of my wire. And i am running the wire to its brink. However, a few more feet of wire and a fuse sure cost a lot less and take up a lot less space than a batt, a ho alt, etc. Also, neither of my amps run "hot," the mono stays cool, the 2 channel doesn't exceed warm. I estimate my AQ1200d is actually giving me ~900 @ 13.4volts and is using a good percentage of my wires capabilities. My JL 300/2 is probably giving ~70 a side (//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif). I come to the conclusion for the JL, due to it having a 40 amp rating, my older 2 channel having a 30 amp rating, and the older amp, with less than half the power to dispense, was pushing the front stage harder with less gain adjustment (leading me to believe that the hose cannot carry any more water safely)

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

When an amp isn't receiving proper current' date=' it "compensates" in this way (metaphor):
smaller gears having to move faster to produce "x" amount of power vs. Bigger gears moving normal speeds to get proper power.[/quote']

I hear what you're saying. I just would have to see proof. It doesn't seem logical to me...

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

How does it not seem logical? Also, thats what causes heat, the amp working harder, extra energy being used.

 

[x1le 10+ year member]

It just doesn't seem right to me. Current can only be pulled so fast. The amp isn't gonna pull current twice as quick in order to compensate. If I see proof I'll have to believe you, but till then, def. skeptical.

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

It won't try to pull current faster. But it will try to pull, lets say, 120 amps through a wire that can only allow 100 amps at a time. Thus the amp tries to pull something that can't be pulled. Kind of like ******* water through a small coffee straw. you have to **** harder to get the water, and its still not the same amount of water as a full size straw ******* @ a normal rate

 

[ahole-ic]

Bumpin' Goalie, literally none of the things you have said so far are accurate. It's great that you're trying to figure them out for yourself, but until you have it right please do not post these things. They are misinforming people.

First, The battery is not the source. The alternator is the source. You can literally start your engine and then remove the battery. How do you think jump starting works? Current flows from the highest source of potential ONLY. The alternator charges at ~14. The battery never charges higher than around 13v and only puts out minimal current above 12.6v. While the vehicle is on and the voltage is above 12.6v ALL CURRENT IS DRAWN FROM THE ALTERNATOR because it is the highest source of potential.

Your hose and straw ******* analogy are something people can relate to. Unfortunately that is not how it works.

Voltage and current stay proportionate. When the amp draws heavy current and the wire cannot carry it, the wire acts like a resistor in series. It drops some voltage. This in turn limits the amount of current the amplifier can draw. If enough current is drawn through the wire to get the wire really hot, the wire will melt the insulation and start a fire.

Voltage is also knows as Electro-Motive Force or EMF. This means that it is the only force pushing or ******* the current through the pipes. We know that using a smaller conductor does not raise the voltage. This disproves your analogies.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Bumpin' Goalie, literally none of the things you have said so far are accurate. It's great that you're trying to figure them out for yourself, but until you have it right please do not post these things. They are misinforming people.
First, The battery is not the source. The alternator is the source. You can literally start your engine and then remove the battery. How do you think jump starting works? Current flows from the highest source of potential ONLY. The alternator charges at ~14. The battery never charges higher than around 13v and only puts out minimal current above 12.6v. While the vehicle is on and the voltage is above 12.6v ALL CURRENT IS DRAWN FROM THE ALTERNATOR because it is the highest source of potential.

Your hose and straw ******* analogy are something people can relate to. Unfortunately that is not how it works.

Voltage and current stay proportionate. When the amp draws heavy current and the wire cannot carry it, the wire acts like a resistor in series. It drops some voltage. This in turn limits the amount of current the amplifier can draw. If enough current is drawn through the wire to get the wire really hot, the wire will melt the insulation and start a fire.

Voltage is also knows as Electro-Motive Force or EMF. This means that it is the only force pushing or ******* the current through the pipes. We know that using a smaller conductor does not raise the voltage. This disproves your analogies.

Thank god...As I read this thread I couldn't believe the amount of fail in here...You sir, actually know what your talking about

To the Goalie, your theories are incredibly flawed and as the other two guys have said, it doesn't work that way. First, your amp cannot "compensate" for not being given enough current. That's like saying an engine will compensate for not getting enough gas...You will get less output from your amp yes, but you can also cause physical damage. When the amp tries to draw the current it needs, and can't, the voltage drops. This low voltage can destroy your amplifier. Please, don't ever give advice again.