Wicks' E46 M3 Build. Hertz 3-Way Set from Tony D!

[Ninja_v1.0]

i remember doing this back in 01... good work wickz

Thank you Sir!

I love how it turned out. Ridiculously convenient.

Yeppers.. the only issue I had was every once and a while one of the relays would go out that and mine was not as clean as yours lol. but other than that it worked wonderfully

[Bump4life]

pm me too!! lol or slammin forward the message

[Wicks]

pm me too!! lol or slammin forward the message

LOL

Now everybody wants a Bass Turbo button...........

I'll forward the PM.

[rustyrex]

I've always wondered if using relay could change speakers impedance. Are you able to share how you wired up the relays to do it?

[Ninja_v1.0]

http://www.the12volt.com/relays/page5.asp#spvr

[MaxVolume]

Damn those silver dustcaps look pimp Also that relay idea is an awesome one! I was kicking the idea around a few months ago with a MUCH lower power system than you're playing with....something about 3 subs and being able to flip between 6, 2, or .666 ohms depending on what I'm doing. My only concerns were with each relays power handling (since I was considering 40A auto relays). Wonder how much load would be shared across the relays and what sort of voltage the sub wires would see. Higher voltage means less amps which would help keep the relays from failing due to too much current, as opposed to 12-14v power lines with big 300A fuses. Just my 2 cents, can't wait to see how it all turns out!

[Wicks]

I've always wondered if using relay could change speakers impedance. Are you able to share how you wired up the relays to do it?

Sure they'll add some slight DC resistance, but nothing I'm concerned about. Probably something in the 10's of milliohms.

I have a spare relay. I'll run some resistance tests on it and post them.

Here's my schematic that I drew up for myself.

It depends on the number of coils you have and what you want to do with them.

My relays just switch me from a series-parallel configuration to all parallel.

Damn those silver dustcaps look pimp Also that relay idea is an awesome one! I was kicking the idea around a few months ago with a MUCH lower power system than you're playing with....something about 3 subs and being able to flip between 6, 2, or .666 ohms depending on what I'm doing. My only concerns were with each relays power handling (since I was considering 40A auto relays). Wonder how much load would be shared across the relays and what sort of voltage the sub wires would see. Higher voltage means less amps which would help keep the relays from failing due to too much current, as opposed to 12-14v power lines with big 300A fuses. Just my 2 cents, can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Thanks Dude.

Relays carry current, that's about it. So you need to figure out what current you're running and find a relay that can easily handle that current.

If you have more current needs then a single relay can handle then you could always just wire two relays in parallel (doing the same function) and the current will be split between the relays.

With a rough calculation of 5000W = I^2 * R and my load being 1ohm. Then my current is the Sqrt of 5000 = 70.7A.

So I need relays that can easily handle ~70A.

[tommylee11491]

These relays didn't have an internal diode so I had to solder some on.

ALWAYS get relays with internal diodes or attach them yourself. Its a reversed biased diode that absorbs the energy from the relay coil and stops some nasty voltage spikes on your electrical system.

Could cause popping noises and other damage to equipment, especially larger relays like these.

sooo just wondering how the diode absorbs the energy... the diode should only stop positive from feeding one way and negative from feeding the other... but if you parallel it with the coil of your relay, power can still bleed through the coil. (if you are switching ground, or vice versa) right?

[JamieHoward]

Very nice sir. Your ideas are ingenious. Please continue and share.

[Wicks]

These relays didn't have an internal diode so I had to solder some on.

ALWAYS get relays with internal diodes or attach them yourself. Its a reversed biased diode that absorbs the energy from the relay coil and stops some nasty voltage spikes on your electrical system.

Could cause popping noises and other damage to equipment, especially larger relays like these.

sooo just wondering how the diode absorbs the energy... the diode should only stop positive from feeding one way and negative from feeding the other... but if you parallel it with the coil of your relay, power can still bleed through the coil. (if you are switching ground, or vice versa) right?

Here's the theory behind the use of the diodes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyback_diode

Basically, under normal use the diode is reversed biased and the positive voltage acts on the coil and nothing happens with the diode.

When you break the circuit, the energy in the coil is released rapidly as a negative spike. Since the diode is reversed biased, it can conduct the negative energy and acts like a short which dissipates the energy.

Very nice sir. Your ideas are ingenious. Please continue and share.

Appreciate it Man. Thanks!