2 14.598v amps in a stock civic?

[Devedander]

I bought some amps for my car and haven't had time to put them in yet (it turned out to be lots harder than I thought it would be). Well I Am going over the specs now and they are a Punch 500x and Punch 700S. On both test sheets it shows the test being run at over 14 volts DC.

Now I have a 93 Civic EX and I was under the impression that the alternator put out about 12-13 volts. If I wire up both of these isn't it going to rediculously overdraw on my car? I just don't wanna install them and find out my car won't turn on anymore. Thanks!

[sparq]

The power that you are looking for lies not with the "volts" going to the amps, but rather what your alternators "amp" output is. If you have a stock alternator, and just install the two amps... you will most likely just fry your alternator.

Look at getting a GOOD alternator upgrade, which can very depending on what you want to do. Some people can find local shops to simply do what is called a "re-wind" ~ which is to take bigger wire and just rewrap the alternator to bump up output! Some other things are aftermarket built alternators like Ohio Generators, Stinger, and my favorite... Mean Green ( http://www.mean-green.com/ ) They are alot more "affordable" and still have good amperage to put out.

Dont pickup your alternator and think your done. Its most likely that your new alternator MIGHT be able to provide all the needed juice PLUS run your car... BUT, its still recommended that you purchase 1 farad worth of capacitor for every 1,000 watts your system is. People say to go by the RMS wattage, me personally always recommend to use PEAK wattage output this way you always have the power you need.

You also want to make sure you buy a capacitor thats actually going to help your car ~ make sure you do not buy the ones with the LED on the top of them. These capacitors have strangely high what is called an ESR value, you dont want that... ESR stand for Equivalent Series Resistance ~ the more resistance, the harder the power flow ~ sorta like your amps trying to suck grapes through a soda straw! Ok, maybe that was a TAD over exagerated but the point is, a high ESR will make your amps work harder.... which causes heat... which can cause to premature product damage.

[Devedander]

Yeah, that totally sucks. Would other amps allow me to avoid this whole process or is it gonna be pretty much adding enough power for a nice stereo is gonna need some upgrade work?

I bought these cuz the sales guy told me that the xplods use more power and these would work fine on a stock amp. What a load.

Well I have 1 farad capacitor (Fosgate) I guess I could get another since I will be over 1k amps. I thought caps didn't do anything though?

Thanks for the warning, I will find a new alternator before I go drop these amps in (that just licks so much though). Also can I safely install my sub amp (700s) on the stock alternator just to get some kind of nice sound setup going or is that risky too? Thanks again!

[sparq]

Caps dont do anything? Then why would they sell em?

And to my best recolection (could be wrong) most of the RF amps are power hungry. Lookup your alternators stock AMPERAGE OUTPUT and then look on the RF amp for a fuse, if your stock alternator puts out 100 amps, and your RF amplifier needs 50 amps then your all set... but if your stock alternator puts out say 70 amps, and your RF amplifier needs 50 amps of current... you will end up frying your alternator as it will be trying to pull more current then it can produce. (remember the alternator still needs power to run the other accessories in your car and I believe they say thats 30-35 amps) so whatever your stock alternator puts out MINUS the 30-35 amps will give you a number of how many amps of power you have to "play" with!

[starkfu]

I believe that Rockford uses unregulated power supplies, so the more power your alternator can put out, the more power that fosgate is going to suck up.

Sparq is coo.

[GSteg]

Originally posted by starkfu

Sparq is coo.

Sparq-----> :finger: <------me

[Devedander]

I have just seen a lot of posts that pretty much say that caps aren't worth anything but a little show (in the FAQ on this forum there is a link to a place that says taht caps are just to get chicks). Anyhow, I have no problem installing a cap or two, they aren't too expensive. Worst comes to worst they look nice.

I checked both amps, the 500x has a 50 amp fuse and the 700s does not come with a fuse (the package lists fuses for the 300s 400s and 500s series, this one I guess has one built in or something? I hope?) I would guess from the other fuse kits that the 700s has a fuse with 70 amps. Does this mean a combined drain of 120 amps for the two amps (that sounded funny)?

Also I couldn't find the rating on my cars alternator anywhere in the owners manual. Where should I be looking for it and is there even a chance that a stock alternator will put out that much juice?

And given the choice would you go for a re wire or a new alt? Mean green says they can use stock bolt holes and wiring harnesses, does this mean it's a quick and easy swap?

Sorry for so many questions but this whole thing got way more complex all of a sudden.

[GSteg]

caps are like extra tiny batteries. they supply the amp power when bass are at its peak. the battery cannot discharge fast enough to supply the amp power and therefore you will recieve dimming lights. a cap will just supply power only when the amp needs it. caps won't do anything if it's not getting charged. thats where the battery and the alternator comes in. the alternator will charge the cap faster with more power also. don't rely on caps when it comes to stop the blinking headlights. its just a bandage to help, but will not stop the blinking alone.

[Devedander]

I think I get it, so when the sub is actually hitting the cap kicks in the juice to run it, then between beats or whatever the cap recharges?

So I might as well get 2 since I will have 2 amps.

[GSteg]

Originally posted by Devedander
I think I get it, so when the sub is actually hitting the cap kicks in the juice to run it, then between beats or whatever the cap recharges?

u got it

[Devedander]

Well that almost makes me happy, now I am smarter, unfortunately it means I am now smart enough to see my shortcommings.

Another shortcomming I was just thinking of was this, since my HU only has one set of RCA cables (4 total, front and back) and each amp wants some RCAs plugged in how does one do that? Just some RCA splitter cable? Or is there a better way?

This whole two amp thing is really getting difficult

[GSteg]

Originally posted by Devedander


Another shortcomming I was just thinking of was this, since my HU only has one set of RCA cables (4 total, front and back) and each amp wants some RCAs plugged in how does one do that? Just some RCA splitter cable? Or is there a better way?

you can either plug them into the amp's output plugs or get a splitter like you said. i only have enough preouts for one amp so i bought a splitter. they work fine and i see no power lost or anything like that. it should work for you too.

[Devedander]

Thanks, I actually just popped the ends off my amps and peeked in at the connections and they actually put a passthrough on the 4 channel so I hope that will fix this whole lack of plugs problem.

Hell, might as well keep the questions rolling Since I will be getting more power to run this while the car is going what happens when the car is off and I listen to the radio or CD?

Also do you mind if I ask, GSteg, how much did you have to do to your car to get your stereo running? I mean like new amps and caps and all that stuff?

[GSteg]

Originally posted by Devedander


Also do you mind if I ask, GSteg, how much did you have to do to your car to get your stereo running? I mean like new amps and caps and all that stuff?

well...i only have one sub. i bought it at bestbuy for $30. its a 10" lightning audio. for the amp, i bought a lightning audio B150.2 for $79. the headunit i have is a pioneer DEH-1300 that i bought at good guys for $129. wirings were about $20 bucks and that includes the RCA splitter. i got some Pioneer speakers that my friend let me borrowed. i don't have a cap because my amp doesn't draw that much power. as you can see..its not much of a system but its good enough for me. i'm on a tight budget. i'm only a freshmen in highschool. i get money to buy my system by hooking up audio system for my friends. i install, he pays. oh yea..my stuff are installed in my mom's van.

[Devedander]

Hmmm, that sounds so much easier. I am beginning to think that because my speakers are mostly RMS ~50 watts and my HU puts out 50x4 watts I might not need that 4 channel amp after all. Seems a shame not to have it though since, well, since I dunno, just seems a shame. Thanks for the info though.

Still wondering what all happens when you listen to the system with the car off though.