Just got an Infinity Basslink installed and it sounds good, but it needs a little more oomph. I'm planning on getting another one and just setting it up beside the existing one, but I was wondering if the stock alternator could power it. They each use a 20amp fuse, and if I recall correctly draw about 14a each. Since they are only 200W each I thought they'd be fine but I don't really want to have to replace my alternator.

Think I'd be safe hooking up another one?

*EDIT* Infinity specs say the max draw is 12A each...

 

Go for it. If anything make sure you run dedicated power lines and possibly a cap depending on how your lights react.

 

Well I thought one 8 Gauge would be fine for both of them...

Isn't 8 gauge supposed to handle 800W? These are only 200w each.

Also, what are the benefits of caps?

 

a single 8 gague wire is good for about 500 watts... in one amp... drawing currant for 2 amps through the one wire can cause a serious voltage drop as the wire gets warm... (voltage will decrease as heat and resistance increas) run a good quality 4 gague wire for multi amp setups... then run this to a good quality distribution block and 8 gague to each amp...

the benifits from a cap are... they have the ability to store power for the amps when they need it most... power usage in an amp always goes up and down... meaning that when the bass is hitting the loudest it will draw more currant and power than when it is playing at lower levels... a cap acts as a buffer between your battery and your audio system to give it the extra power when needed with out over taxing your charging system...

now it has been shown in serious systems that caps can actually hurt power flow and the patern of the standing wave of the power that the amp gets... in a small system like this or one that is not going to compete on a pro level then there is no problem with using a cap... and it in most cases will help out your audio system as well as your charging system...

as i said above... use a good quality 4 gague power and ground wire to a distribution blocks then 8 gague to the amps... if a cap is used wire from the battery to the cap then to the distribution block on the power side... use good quality terminals as well and solder them as well as crimp them all together... this is overkill on a small system but reducing as much resistance and heat in the power wires will help any audio and charging system...

 

wikd saved me the typing lol

 

ive got problems with my lights dimming to the music and i only have a pair of 100w bazooka tubes :S

anyone know where to find a more powerful alternator that fits right in?

 

Well I quit anyway so I don't get that discount anymore, but my employee passwords for UPSers, and the generic ones for harmon still work.

check out http://www.myharman.com

User: ups1
Pass: brown1

When I bought my stuff it never even asked me for an ID number or anything... I bet you guys could all buy stuff with out them saying anything.

 

if any of us ordered stuff wouldn't we need to supply a name and shipping address, as well as credit card info? It seems like it'll be pretty obvious that we're not you.

 

I run a 250x2 amp with dual 10's + EDFC + aftermarket gauges and I don't have that problem... maybe your alternator is on it's way out, or your charging system has some igh resistance somewhere

 

I run 2 12's and a 500 watt amp. At its higuest point, during serius bass pumping cd's that pump bass continiusly, it lowers my battery voltage while at idle. If I accelerate, it sound a bit louder. other than that, the whole system has worked perfectly for over a year now.

 

I know, but thats the nation wide UPS employee password, not mine.

 

I am running a 300watt amp to two 10's + 150watt compute + 150watt invertor - the invertor is only running a small 5-7 watt device, so I guess its not really pulling 150 watt.

All this is running off an 8 gauge monster cable straight to my battery with no cap and I have no power issues... I guess I should be running 4 gauge tho - but since it ain't broke I don't plan to fix it anytime soon.


Edit: also - if you want to "upgrade" your alternator, I've heard that nissan quest alternators fit in 240s with minor modification (I think u need a different belt + you need to redrill one of the mounting points) and they put out alot more wattage.

 

what's all this talk about 4 awg for this small *** setup? personally i think 4 awg is a lil overkill for a system like this with no powercap. now if a powercap is what youre gonna add, then the bigger the better IMO. the faster you can charge the cap, the faster the bass hits. just my 2 cents. just keep researching and itll go great... also check out www.carstereoforums.com ... lots of info there.