I am runnong a HiFonics BXi1606D amp @ 1ohm backed w/ a 1farad cap to two 12" L5 dual 4ohm solobarics in a home built ported enclosure(2.5 cubic feet each). I put in a bigger battery, but still am having serious dimming of headlights. Is a bigger alternator a good fix or would an xtra battery dedicated to the system do it better? And how would one install an xtra battery in the cars electrical/charging system? Thanx
Replies (5)
Grdevs24zero on 08/27/2006 14:36:29
An extra battery would do no good if you didn't have a way to keep it charged. I would think a higher amperage alternator would be a good fix. Lets see what the others say, 2 opinions are better than one.
Victor on 08/27/2006 15:05:42
Ditto.....
swez on 08/27/2006 20:18:29
If my calculations are right, this amp will draw well over 120 amperes of current at full power. That's a huge load for a stock electrical system!!!
Would also venture a guess this vehicle has a stock ALT rating near 75 amperes at full output. The car alone needs about 45-50 A's to operate properly. There is nothing left to power this vehicle properly.
In a nutshell, a major ALT upgrade is needed here. Something on the order of 175 - 200A's plus larger power wires under the hood.
Swez
PS Me thinks you bit off more than can be chewed here. This is a very expensive set of upgrades... maybe $400 for a H.O. ALT and another $50.00 for wires plus labor.
NAjeff on 08/27/2006 21:48:45
You hit the nail on the frikken head SWEZ :) Try $650 for a 170 amp HO alternator for my specific car and I won't even go into how horribly difficult the alt location is to get at, but oh well, time to save up some more dough, huh? Sounds nice tho w/ an Alpine CDA9857 running 2 5.25 crossfires in front, and 2 6.5 S-series Alpines in the rear. Sub out to the BXi1606D and the 1 farad cap to 2 12" L5 Solobarics each in their own 2.5 ft sq ported enclosure. tons of dynamat and still managed not to blow my window seals yet. Can you tell me the benifits of maintaining proper current for the system, and the car as a whole. The dangers of underpowering?
swez on 08/28/2006 11:16:15
If your electrical supply cannot keep up, all devices are starving for power they need to operate properly. If the drain gets too high, the BAT will try to make up the difference as long as it can, until it runs out of gas.
Once the system drops below ~10.5 volts, the car will shut off and you'll need to jump start it again, leave the amp off and let the ALT recharge the BAT again. That may take 30 minutes of driving w/o the amp on, and trickle charging the BAT over night at 2-5 amperes/hour to peak up your BAT.
Chronic and severe under voltage is very hard on a car. Yes, there are regulators and computers that help protect expensive devices. however, this amp is way over the top for a stock system to support properly.
You have a few choices now:
1. Dial back on power the amp consumes with your gain control
2. Change from a 1 ohm load to 4 ohm sub wiring to amp
3. Plan on a big electrical upgrade bill later
4. When running the amp at night with lights and all the other electricals used, go easy on amping power to subs
Lights, A/C, blower motor, ABS and some other accessories need adequate power to operate correctly. This amp is pulling too much current away from basic car needs when the noted devices are in use. This is especially true at low engine RPM.
Also, that 1 Farad Cap is useless in this case. Even a 5 Farad Cap will not do the job. It is actually acting more like an additional load on the system to recharge it constantly. Take it out.
Swez
Replies (5)
Grdevs24zero on 08/27/2006 14:36:29
An extra battery would do no good if you didn't have a way to keep it charged. I would think a higher amperage alternator would be a good fix. Lets see what the others say, 2 opinions are better than one.
Victor on 08/27/2006 15:05:42
Ditto.....
swez on 08/27/2006 20:18:29
If my calculations are right, this amp will draw well over 120 amperes of current at full power. That's a huge load for a stock electrical system!!!
Would also venture a guess this vehicle has a stock ALT rating near 75 amperes at full output. The car alone needs about 45-50 A's to operate properly. There is nothing left to power this vehicle properly.
In a nutshell, a major ALT upgrade is needed here. Something on the order of 175 - 200A's plus larger power wires under the hood.
Swez
PS Me thinks you bit off more than can be chewed here. This is a very expensive set of upgrades... maybe $400 for a H.O. ALT and another $50.00 for wires plus labor.
NAjeff on 08/27/2006 21:48:45
You hit the nail on the frikken head SWEZ :) Try $650 for a 170 amp HO alternator for my specific car and I won't even go into how horribly difficult the alt location is to get at, but oh well, time to save up some more dough, huh? Sounds nice tho w/ an Alpine CDA9857 running 2 5.25 crossfires in front, and 2 6.5 S-series Alpines in the rear. Sub out to the BXi1606D and the 1 farad cap to 2 12" L5 Solobarics each in their own 2.5 ft sq ported enclosure. tons of dynamat and still managed not to blow my window seals yet. Can you tell me the benifits of maintaining proper current for the system, and the car as a whole. The dangers of underpowering?
swez on 08/28/2006 11:16:15
If your electrical supply cannot keep up, all devices are starving for power they need to operate properly. If the drain gets too high, the BAT will try to make up the difference as long as it can, until it runs out of gas.
Once the system drops below ~10.5 volts, the car will shut off and you'll need to jump start it again, leave the amp off and let the ALT recharge the BAT again. That may take 30 minutes of driving w/o the amp on, and trickle charging the BAT over night at 2-5 amperes/hour to peak up your BAT.
Chronic and severe under voltage is very hard on a car. Yes, there are regulators and computers that help protect expensive devices. however, this amp is way over the top for a stock system to support properly.
You have a few choices now:
1. Dial back on power the amp consumes with your gain control
2. Change from a 1 ohm load to 4 ohm sub wiring to amp
3. Plan on a big electrical upgrade bill later
4. When running the amp at night with lights and all the other electricals used, go easy on amping power to subs
Lights, A/C, blower motor, ABS and some other accessories need adequate power to operate correctly. This amp is pulling too much current away from basic car needs when the noted devices are in use. This is especially true at low engine RPM.
Also, that 1 Farad Cap is useless in this case. Even a 5 Farad Cap will not do the job. It is actually acting more like an additional load on the system to recharge it constantly. Take it out.
Swez
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