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Help for playing Off Key


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Hi, 

I can't seem to find a straight forward answer anywhere. So I'd like some help from you guys to better understand batteries.

I'd like to have a set up that allows me to play with my truck Off, for at least 2-3 hours, Safely(for my equipment)...if possible. I'm planning on running 2 amps  for 3,500 RMS total. 

1.) Being that I'd push my system pretty close to its full potential while relying exclusively on battery reserve, what type of battery is recommend? How many?

2.) I'd like to run my Stereo off the same reserve, and be able to just start my ride and go. How do I account for my head unit power consumption?  

3.) HO alt? 

Any advice is welcome. Thanks

 

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Not going to be easy or cheap just an fyi .... I was running 1800 watts with 2 medium size agms and I only could do it for about an half an hour before the batts got to low .... you are going to need a big battery bank and a bank of caps probably will help... 

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1. Yeah that's going to take a LOT of battery. Like, 800-1000 amp hours worth of battery.

2. Yes, also yes. Depends what you can fit. You're going to need to find space for 8-10 group 31 batts, which would be in the 6-700lb range. You could potentially entertain lithium too. You'll want to have some sort of low voltage cutoff circuit. As far as head unit, you'd want to wire its power to your rear bank, leave front one totally isolated.

3. HO alt would do you nothing here. Car is off, and if you start the car and use the alternator to charge the thing, you'll toast your alt in short order. Even with a 300 amp alternator, you're talking about the thing running full load for 2 hours trying to charge the bank. That thermal load will nuke the poor thing. You'd want probably a manual relay / battery isolator for this purpose. Leave rear bank disconnected during play time / drive home, hook up batteries to charger, then when everything is topped up, you can turn the isolator back on for driving around. You'll also want to factor in how you'll charge these batteries. A single, off the shelf, 15-25 amp charger won't cut it for this.


Might I inquire as to what you're doing that will have the car playing w/ the engine off for this long at that power level? Having this many batteries plus charger is going to add a fair bit of weight, cost, and eat up space in your vehicle no matter which way you cut it. Is having the car running, or a portable generator not an option?

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Niicee. Thanks for the quick replies. 

I was afraid the answer would be along these lines. That means getting further into this hobby of mine 😁 I drive a single cab, and I have many plans for it. Body drop, Bags etc. Bed space is all for fun in my case ( i.e. step notch, tubs, blow through) 

I find that most of the time I Really listen to my set ups for extended periods of time, is when my ride is off. Whether I'm at the drive in, a party,  lunch breaks, or drinking with the guys. And the whole being worried that my starter battery is drained in 20 minutes is annoying. I figured it was time to build a bank. I'd done some math off of MTX's site -> (10(AH))/RMS = Play time in hrs, and that gave me 6-10 batteries depending on what i wanted. I've simply never had a set up that a HO alt didn't fix, or one for this particular purpose. This particular truck is my DD/project, I wouldn't mind investing time and money in it. 

I also considered a power inverter (120 AC- DC) but know nothing of those. I guess I could run a second electrical system and plug it in wherever available. Any inverters that would handle 3k rms for that long? 

Also, no cats and an x pipe make playing while the engine is running impossible.

 

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I need to be honest with you boss, you're going to be adding a fair bit of complexity, weight, and money just for the privilege of not starting your car for some lunch time jams. I'm not sure that's worth it. Several hundred pounds and a few thousand dollars, plus the associated upkeep with this usage scenario.

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