Is this gonna blow my car up?

[Soccerballzs]

My alternator volt meter shows 14 volts for charging. A 12 volt battery will not hold 14 volts of charge. The vehicle alternator puts our 14 volts to keep up with all the accessories on cars nos adays. This was a question. On this early this week and Mechman answered question about boost module. (Blake Farrar post). Then why does not my d3100 show 14 volts? You need a XS Power 14 volt battery to hold 14 volts.

[pioneerforlife]

your amp is only as good as your electrical. I would go for a HO alt if you have the money. if not it may not be worth running that amp, or at least at a low resistance. running 2000 watt amp on good electrical would be better than running a 3500 watt amp on bad electrical. what impedance are you planning on running the AQ at.

[Soccerballzs]

My alternator volt meter shows 14 volts for charging. A 12 volt battery will not hold 14 volts of charge. The vehicle alternator puts our 14 volts to keep up with all the accessories on cars now a days. This was a question on this early this week and Mechman answered question about boost module. (Blake Farrar post). Then why does not my d3100 show 14 volts? You need a XS Power 14 volt battery to hold 14 volts.

[Impalalpine]

I listen to everything Ed says. He knows his shit. Arguably the smartest guy on these forums imo.

Not the smartest, but thank you.

Being located 100 yards from Mechman and 5 yards from XS Power helps. Especially since I freelance as a product tester/ developer and may have helped write certain tech specs for the manuals.

But anyway to the OP.

You have a 3500W amp and a 1000W amp, is that correct?

Add on the draw of the engine and vehicle accessories and you will consume around 7500W of power from your electrical.

You could do 2) XS D3100s to sustain up to 10,000 and based on the total aH of 220aH, you would need at least a 220A alternator.

I listen to everything Ed says. He knows his shit. Arguably the smartest guy on these forums imo.

Not the smartest, but thank you.

Being located 100 yards from Mechman and 5 yards from XS Power helps. Especially since I freelance as a product tester/ developer and may have helped write certain tech specs for the manuals.

But anyway to the OP.

You have a 3500W amp and a 1000W amp, is that correct?

Add on the draw of the engine and vehicle accessories and you will consume around 7500W of power from your electrical.

You could do 2) XS D3100s to sustain up to 10,000 and based on the total aH of 220aH, you would need at least a 220A alternator.

one 3500.1 and one 500.4 the four channel is hungry for its wattage (100 amp draw) RF Punch500-4 AB class

two batts and an alt sound better and eaiser to make room for than three

[Impalalpine]

your amp is only as good as your electrical. I would go for a HO alt if you have the money. if not it may not be worth running that amp, or at least at a low resistance. running 2000 watt amp on good electrical would be better than running a 3500 watt amp on bad electrical. what impedance are you planning on running the AQ at.

actually I was planning on running it at 4 ohms for the moment. Subs I have at the moment would slap there grandfather in the face on 4200rms

[finkster]

Time to rethink this project.

Rather than answer the questions you asked (PS your questions weren't even remotely relevant to safely installing your gear), I will try to guide you in the right direction. If this is too much to read then hopefully it helps someone else down the road.

**DISCLAIMER** Anything aftermarket on your car is merely a luxury and not a necessity. Your stock alt is good for 100 amps. PERIOD. Your car is very efficient in stock form with this alt. You are about to add possibly the most inefficient bundle of things possible in your car. There is not a single thing more electronically important once the car is started than your alt (as far as power supply goes). Installing anything other than an upgraded alt risks not only frying your audio equipment but all the other necessary components in your car (forget luxury, that doesn't get you home at night in the cold).

OK then.

First, understand that when the vehicle is running and that alternator is spinning, all electricity starts and returns there. How do we know? Electricity chooses the path of least resistance, which happens to be the path with the highest amount of voltage in the circuit. Since this is true, a battery becomes a LOAD to the alternator once the car is started.

Second, a battery's main purpose is to start the car and supply power when the car is off. Once the car is started, the alt produces 14 volts and this charges your battery, taking a bit of time to completely charge. There are chemical changes that need to take place inside the battery in order to charge. Since the stock alt is powerful enough to handle all the stock components in the car (a stock battery is a component), the electrical system will not experience much stress. Adding batteries will add more capacitance (the ability to store power), but being as though they only supply 12.7 volts, this once again makes them a load on your already handicapped alternator.

Third, you are proposing to possibly supply over 450 amps of current to some components while only being able to actually supply 1/4 of that amount for any meaningful period of time. It takes power to make power.

At this rate you mind as well be stacking ten AA batteries in series and claiming you have 15 volts (you will, but not for long) Your amps will only work with enough power. They don't do anything magical. Your amps are losing 25 and 35 percent of it's power in heat. Think that's bad? Well, your subs lose 99 percent of it's power to heat, officially making them nothing but noisy toasters.

By the way, your big 3 (6) is currently doing nothing more than saving you a couple watts lost in heat from resistance present in the circuit. Your alt can still only pass 100 amps through the wire running to and from it. 4 gauge could handle that.

Bottom line, you will need a hefty high output alt and a nice batt or two before even thinking about making some noise with that setup. Your 3500 is currently useful for nothing more than breaking up buds on it.

Sorry if this sounded harsh but if it saves you from blowing up your shit then it is more than justified. Don't show up to a whore house with a big johnson and small Jimmy and wonder if you'll knock her up.

Cheers.

[scooter99]

Don't show up to a whore house with a big johnson and small Jimmy and wonder if you'll knock her up.

Cheers.

This is damn sig worthy!!

Well put btw. Thanks for the info.

[Impalalpine]

.

[truthsayer]

My comment at 15.1 was wrong. I should have said 15.0 was safe. I just researched 5 different batts and they all pretty much say the same thing. Here is an example from optima. http://www.optimabatteries.com/us/en/support/battery-care/charging/ sorry didnt mean to post the link, just the info. My bad.

CHARGING OPTIMA® YELLOWTOP® Charging Information

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

YELLOWTOP® Type: D51 & D51R - D35 – DS46B24R - D75/25 - D34 – D34/78 - D27F
These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine start and cyclic applications and for use in vehicles with large accessory loads.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Cyclic Applications:

• 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below 1 amp, finish with 2 amp constant current for 1 hour.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

Strictly adhere to all limits.

Safety Information:

• Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
• Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
• Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

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OPTIMA® Commercial YELLOWTOP® Charging Information

YELLOWTOP® Type: D31A & D31T
These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine start and deep-cycle applications for use in vehicles with large accessory loads.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Cyclic Applications:

• 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below 1 amp, finish with 3 amp constant current for 1 hour.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  

Strictly adhere to all limits.

Safety Information:

• Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
• Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
• Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

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OPTIMA® BLUETOP® Charging Information

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

BLUETOP® Type: 34M
These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 13.3 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

Strictly adhere to all limits.

BLUETOP® Type: D34M / D31M/ D27M
These batteries are dual-purpose. They are designed for engine starting and deep cycling applications, as well as for use in boats with large accessory loads.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 13.65 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Cyclic Applications:

• 14.7 volts, no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). When current falls below 1 amp, finish with 2 amp constant current for 1 hour for D34M and 3 amp constant current for 1 hour for D27M and D31M.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).
  

Strictly adhere to all limits.

Safety Information:

• Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
• Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
• Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

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OPTIMA® REDTOP® Charging Information

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

REDTOP® Type: 34 & 34R - 34/78 - 78 - 25 & 35 - 75/25
These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 13.3 to 15.0 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 13.8 to 15.0 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum voltage 15.6 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 13.2 to 13.8 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

Strictly adhere to all limits.

Safety Information:

• Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
• Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
• Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

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OPTIMA® REDTOP® Charging Information

The following charging methods are recommended to ensure a long battery life. Always use a voltage-regulated charger, with voltage limits set as described below.

REDTOP® Type: 6V
These batteries are designed for engine starting applications. They are NOT recommended or warranted for use in deep-cycle applications.

Recommended charging information:

Alternator:

• 6.65 to 7.5 volts, no amperage limit.

Battery Charger:

• 6.9 to 7.5 volts, 10 amps maximum, approximately for 6-12 hours.

Rapid Recharge:

• Maximum 7.8 volts (regulated), no current limit as long as battery temperature remains below 125°F (51.7°C). Charge until current drops below 1 amp.

Float Charge:

• 6.6 to 6.9 volts, 1 amp maximum current, time indefinite (at lower voltage).

Strictly adhere to all limits.

Safety Information:

• Always wear safety glasses when working with batteries.
• Always use a voltage-regulated battery charger with limits set to the above ratings. Overcharging can cause the safety valves to open and battery gasses to escape, resulting in premature failure. These gasses are flammable! You cannot replace water in sealed batteries that have been overcharged. Any battery that becomes very hot or makes a hissing sound while recharging should be disconnected immediately.
• Failure to fully charge a battery can result in poor performance and a reduction in capacity.

Back to Top ▲