Wiring questions

[ponchonutty]

What are you all Newbies at the battery games???? I can't believe it. What kind of so called "audiophiles" are you if you don't know battery basics 101?

Read the link below, there's alot of them. I know not all are car related but as you go down farther you'll find them.

For those that are too lazy to click the link, H2 is always being released from a standard battery. Well, putting those batteries inside the cabin area or worse yet the trunk without proper ventilation is a recipe for a bomb. There has been many people hurt doing this the wrong way. In fact, even doing it properly leaves you open for problems.

Now, for those of you that say "hey, I see car audio pros have all kinds of Optima batteries inside their ride with no vents." Yep, you are right. They are "dry" batteries simular to "AA" batteries. They do not let off hydrogen gas like standard wet batteries. That's why you can mount them sideways, upside down, or anyway inbetween.

http://www.rayvaughan.com/battery_safety.htm

[bumpinstang77]

First off yellow tops are not dry batteries. They use gel. And that website is a buncha BS you don't have to build a big box vented enclosure wtf ever for batteries..... I know pople who put regular batteries in their trunk and don't use your little special box.

[threedd97]

Sounds like another lame gimmick brick and mortar dealers push onto newbies so they can make another buck.

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by threedd97

Sounds like another lame gimmick brick and mortar dealers push onto newbies so they can make another buck.

Nope, just talk to anyone that knows about batteries that has nothing to do with stereos.

Right, you do not have to build or buy special box(even though they are very cheap). But you should have some sort of vent for the H2 gases. Have you ever looked at how a battery is installed in a vehicles like an Olds Aurora? GM has them vented directly under the car through a tube that exits under the car.

Again, if you plan to just through another battery in your ride, I'd go with a "dry" or gel battery.

[Diceman83]

Ok, back to wiring questions... is 12 gauge wire enough for connecting the amp to the sub? My wiring kit includes a ton of the stuff, but I didn't know if it's heavy enough to carry the signal to the sub. Should I go and buy some 8 gauge or something?

Update... I was just looking at my sub, and the wires going off the connections are about 14 gauge wire. It's a dual voice coil though, and the way I'm going to wire it is going to be in series (I know it sucks, but it's what I gotta do with my POS stuff), so the wire is going to have to carry twice as much at peak loads as the wires going into the voice coils, right? What size wire do people use for sub wires? Peak wattage is rated at 1200 watts, but the voltage is variable, right? What amperage actually goes to the sub?

[ponchonutty]

Originally Posted by Diceman83

Ok, back to wiring questions... is 12 gauge wire enough for connecting the amp to the sub? My wiring kit includes a ton of the stuff, but I didn't know if it's heavy enough to carry the signal to the sub. Should I go and buy some 8 gauge or something?

Update... I was just looking at my sub, and the wires going off the connections are about 14 gauge wire. It's a dual voice coil though, and the way I'm going to wire it is going to be in series (I know it sucks, but it's what I gotta do with my POS stuff), so the wire is going to have to carry twice as much at peak loads as the wires going into the voice coils, right? What size wire do people use for sub wires? Peak wattage is rated at 1200 watts, but the voltage is variable, right? What amperage actually goes to the sub?

Usually 12ga. wire should be plenty. It really depends on things you stated plus the distance between the speakers and amps. The further the distance, the more the resistance. Now, I will tell you that using cheap, thick wire is worse than using thin, high quality wire. I like to use high quality, O2 free wire and I seal the ends that I splice. The reason is that the copper can degrade very quickly in vehicles because of the poor conditions like moisture.

[Diceman83]

Excellent... I'm planning to use about 3 feet of it, because I'm going to mount my amp directly on the back of my enclosure. The wire says "high definition 12 gauge OFC speaker wire", which I hop means high quality. I was thinking about dipping the ends in solder to seal them, and filing away the places it makes contact with the sub and amp. My Dad has a crucible that I've meltled solder in before.... lots of fun to drip it into cold water. Very interesting latticework.

[PaulD]

what ponco is talking about is batteries "gas." They let off hydrogen gas when they are being heavily charged and discharged. Hydrogen is extrmely flammable ...... think back to the zeppelin airship explosion. If the battery is in the car, hatch or trunk - it needs to be vented to the outside to prevent a hydrogen buildup.