what size power/ground wire?

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

I'm running an orion 1200D and a Legacy Audio LA630 4 channel amp(around 1200 and 600watts, respectively).

For the sake of organization and easiness, I was gonna run a high gauge wire into a distrabution block into two smaller wire sizes. The Orion is gonna push two 12" Type R's, (500w RMS each), and the LA630 two 6.5"s and two 4x6"s, one on each channel.

For this setup, I was thinking running 0/1 guage power wire from the battery, through an 80amp fuse, into a distribution block with a 4 guage output wire for the 1200D and an 8 guage output wire for the LA630. Was going to use the same setup for the ground wire as well, so I can have one ground rather than two.

Also, I was going to use 12 guage wire to each sub, and 16 to each midrand spker.

These wire sizes sound correct?

Thanks!

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[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

I'm running an orion 1200D and a Legacy Audio LA630 4 channel amp(around 1200 and 600watts, respectively).
For the sake of organization and easiness, I was gonna run a high gauge wire into a distrabution block into two smaller wire sizes. The Orion is gonna push two 12" Type R's, (500w RMS each), and the LA630 two 6.5"s and two 4x6"s, one on each channel.

For this setup, I was thinking running 0/1 guage power wire from the battery, through an 80amp fuse, into a distribution block with a 4 guage output wire for the 1200D and an 8 guage output wire for the LA630. Was going to use the same setup for the ground wire as well, so I can have one ground rather than two.

Also, I was going to use 12 guage wire to each sub, and 16 to each midrand spker.

These wire sizes sound correct?

Thanks!

You're way under fusing the main wire. 200-350A would be where you want to put the first fuse. The distro.. for the 4awg line.. use anything from 80-150A for the 8awg 50-80A.

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

any recommendations on some distro blocks?

 

[johnecon2001 5,000+ posts]

anything that accepts 1/0awg and outputs 4awg. A distro is pretty much a distro. Phoenix Gold has some that I appreciate.

 

[maldecido33 10+ year member]

I found some PG ones i like.

you happen to be selling any?

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

You're way under fusing the main wire. 200-350A would be where you want to put the first fuse. The distro.. for the 4awg line.. use anything from 80-150A for the 8awg 50-80A.

Well, I won't say you're not under-fusing, but the legacy is only what - a 200w amp - on a GOOD day, at minimum stable impedance? You don't need anything even approaching 300A, but ~150A or so would be a lot better than 80.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

Well, I won't say you're not under-fusing, but the legacy is only what - a 200w amp - on a GOOD day, at minimum stable impedance? You don't need anything even approaching 300A, but ~150A or so would be a lot better than 80.

You fuse for the max current carrying capability of the wire, not to protect the amps, Thats why the amps have fuses. The fuse on the wire is to protect the wire. So for 1/0 200-300 is the norm.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

I don't think fusing for the wire is smart at all, you only need to fuse for the maximum amount of current that will be drawn through it, so if you want to be able to unhook your amps power supply line and weld with it, you will need a bigger fuse. Those amps probably wont draw more than 100amperes. Heck, you could try the 80, and if it pops, you need a bigger fuse. The idea of a fuse in a circuit is to protect the car from abnormal operation, the fuse should be just above the current draw for your amps and doesn't need to be any higher. Most amps give you a spec for max current draw, add this amount together and you know your fuse rating, or, add the values of all the fuses stuck in your amps (if they have fuses, not all amps have fuses built in) and this is the size of fuse you will need. With those amps, it's unlikely you even need 1/0 wire unless you are running a hugely long distance or like the engine bling look of uber-wire.

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

I don't think fusing for the wire is smart at all, you only need to fuse for the maximum amount of current that will be drawn through it, so if you want to be able to unhook your amps power supply line and weld with it, you will need a bigger fuse. Those amps probably wont draw more than 100amperes. Heck, you could try the 80, and if it pops, you need a bigger fuse. The idea of a fuse in a circuit is to protect the car from abnormal operation, the fuse should be just above the current draw for your amps and doesn't need to be any higher. Most amps give you a spec for max current draw, add this amount together and you know your fuse rating, or, add the values of all the fuses stuck in your amps (if they have fuses, not all amps have fuses built in) and this is the size of fuse you will need. With those amps, it's unlikely you even need 1/0 wire unless you are running a hugely long distance or like the engine bling look of uber-wire.

Couldn't agree more. Well said.

 

[Arawak420 10+ year member]

so what is the effeciency draw of the 1200d 120amp fuses? does it actually draw the full 120amps. does it draw say 60% or 75% of the 120amp fuse? if it draws 60% of the 120amp fuse rating that is in it. then it will draw about 72amps. if the amp is 75% effeicent will it draw 90amps constant?

im a N00b so bare with me.

now i know why back in the day my system would go distorted after an hour or so of joyridin. i use to run whatever wire i had around and i always ran a wire for each amp from the batt. ha the dayz of old skool when we didn't have pc's to find out the info we needed like you youngsters have today. lucky kids

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

The amount of current draw of the amp varies with it's use. The fuse rating is when the fuse will blow and prevent current flow. Take my Xtant 403 for example. It can draw a maximum of 60 amperes of current during normal/peak operation. Therefore, my fuses are 60 amp fuses, this way, if my amp shorts, or the wire shorts, the fuse will blow rather than allowing 500 amps to flow through my amp to ground and nuke it. Amplifier efficiency really doesn't matter as a guage for current draw because it fluctuates so much. Loud bass hits cause spikes in current draw, this is why capacitors work, to prevent headlights from dimming with bass hits.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Amplifier efficiency really doesn't matter as a guage for current draw because it fluctuates so much.

Efficiency for a certain amp topology isn't constant as it changes with volume, but it doesn't "fluctaute" very much...the reason the current draw fluctuates like it does is because of the source material demands, not the amp itself //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Play a constant tone through the amp, and the efficiency isn't going to change much at the same volume level.