Hey zane thanks for the pic....more help?

[adamawayfrommpa 10+ year member]

I have just a regular car battery that is 12 volts...How do i get the volts to 14.4 VDC so i can get the extra watts in my amp?....and what does "VDC" mean?14.4 VDC

Thanks for all your help

Adam Chandler

Click to read more...

 

[stones 10+ year member]

All car batterys are 12volts, the voltage of your electrical system only goes up to 14.4volts when the alternator is spinning, IE the alternator brings the volts up to keep your battery charged.

A figure of 14.4vdc means 14.4 VOLTS OF DIRECT CURRENT

 

[adamawayfrommpa 10+ year member]

Does the alternator spin all the time when your motor is running? If it does then I can start looking at amps in terms of 14.4 VDC rms watts instead of 12.0 VDC rms watts...The 12 volt measurements are alot lower and were kind of bum'n me out..

Adam Chandler

 

[zane 10+ year member]

Yes, the alternator does spin all the time. It is ran off of your cars belt system. To further elaborate- open your hood. (Car OFF! ) Now locate the belt system on your car- if it is rear wheel drive- it will be right in front; if it is front wheel drive it will be to one side. To find the alternator- simple look for a pulley that has a fan looking device directly behind it.

You can also test your cars output voltage with a Multi-Meter. Easiest way is to connect the the meter directly to the battery- posative to posative, negative to negative; and set the meter to Volts DC - the meter should then display voltage at rest (not running) and voltage at idle.(running) At rest- you should have a reading of anywhere between 12.3 and 13.1 volts DC. At idle you should have a reading of 13.8-14.7 Volts DC. Anything deviating considerably from this should be cause for concern, as it would indicate a problem with either the battery, alternator, or voltage regulator.

take it easy,

-zane