Is this wiring ok for amps?

[Timmy!]

Thanks Mike!

[philwsailz]

Lol the frame of a cr don't mattery the battery is still the ground lol. My write up works the same car or boat. Your ground size is going to be the same as the power wire being neither wire can transer more energy than the other! Elctrons flow the same no matter if its positive or negative lol.

Yo, sorry man, it seems I infered I was slamming your charts, and I wasn't. Didn't even see them until afterwards.

My point is that the car body is basically an infinitly large conductor, and this lets "length" of the ground wire be largely irrelevant with respect to resistance and voltage loss. As a result the total length of primary wiring is basically all in the positive wire for a car. That is not the case in a boat, where we have to consider the total length of not only the positive wire but the negative wire as well.


You are right to a point; the battery is still ground, but every inch of conductor between the battery and load, (amplifier in this case) is slightly resistive; as a result you can measure a voltage diffenece between the battery and the negative terminal of the amp. In that aspect, with regards to optimum performance, wiring for a car and wiring for a boat have some differences. This is one of the prime reasons that we advocate moving the head unit wiring out of the helm harness and wirig it directly to the amplifier's power wiring.

Anyone who has experienced alternator whine is testament to the fact that ground is not always ground.

Phil
Kicker

[chpthril]

Yo, sorry man, it seems I infered I was slamming your charts, and I wasn't. Didn't even see them until afterwards.

My point is that the car body is basically an infinitly large conductor, and this lets "length" of the ground wire be largely irrelevant with respect to resistance and voltage loss. As a result the total length of primary wiring is basically all in the positive wire for a car. That is not the case in a boat, where we have to consider the total length of not only the positive wire but the negative wire as well.


You are right to a point; the battery is still ground, but every inch of conductor between the battery and load, (amplifier in this case) is slightly resistive; as a result you can measure a voltage diffenece between the battery and the negative terminal of the amp. In that aspect, with regards to optimum performance, wiring for a car and wiring for a boat have some differences. This is one of the prime reasons that we advocate moving the head unit wiring out of the helm harness and wirig it directly to the amplifier's power wiring.

Anyone who has experienced alternator whine is testament to the fact that ground is not always ground.

Phil
Kicker

Its funny you touch on this right now. There ia a guy on WW that just posted up yesterday that he is redoing his current setup. He stated that the current 2 amp setup is wired with a pair of 4ga B+'s but only a single 4ga GND from the battery to both amps

Its amazing how much emphasis is placed on the B+ and the ground circuit is almost ignored. Like I say.....it takes two to tango and when it comes to 12V audio, the ground is actually more important to the overall picture.

[Dave K]

I'm pretty good at installing but but my knowledge is just average. I REALLY appreciate all the help guys!!!!!!!

[laserfish]

We all do!!

[Dave K]

X3

X4

X5

X6.......... thats from my family !

[Nobody]

Bigger is better....always.

1/0 (3 feet) to fuse block distribution, branch off two two 4ga, each 4ga (3 feet) then goes to one 700 watt amp, respectively.
Neutral (Negative) is 4ga all the way back to the battery for EACH amp. No short cuts. Each amp is feed it's very own neutral back to thge Battery.

Then, we do this all over again for the next 6 amps.

[philwsailz]

Bigger is better....always.

Neutral (Negative) is 4ga all the way back to the battery for EACH amp. No short cuts. Each amp is feed it's very own neutral back to thge Battery.

Why? This makes zero sense.

Please don't tell me you buy into the Koolaid this guy is drinking?

[Wickedcummins]

I agree makes no sense why would you waste all that money on running all that wire ?

[chpthril]

Bigger is better....always.

1/0 (3 feet) to fuse block distribution, branch off two two 4ga, each 4ga (3 feet) then goes to one 700 watt amp, respectively.
Neutral (Negative) is 4ga all the way back to the battery for EACH amp. No short cuts. Each amp is feed it's very own neutral back to thge Battery.

Then, we do this all over again for the next 6 amps.

This also leaves you open to a poor connection at the battery by stacking too many lugs on the stud. At this point, you need to add a post clamp that will accommodate the extra lugs or install an remote BUSS.

[Wickedcummins]

Too many wires running from one the batter to amps individually will hinder power. Power will fluxuate on each power amp due to the flow of electrons all on differnet paths. peak power to the amps will be less! One correctly sized power and gound to a distrubation block is ideal

[Wickedcummins]

Let me help out in a easy way for some of you to understand. the battery is your fuel pump. take the feed line 3/8 and remove it and install 3 1 inch lines you think your still getting the same pressure to the engine? Same principle with voltage too many big wires to power amps from battery will be less engergy! So bigger is NOT always better!

[philwsailz]

Wicked-

While I appreciate the analogy, the logic is flawed. Voltage is directly analogous to pressure. Current is analogous to flow. The voltage in very large cables connected between an amp and a battery will be the same or virtually the same as the battery at either end. You don't lose voltage due to having too much copper in the "pipe"... In extreme cases you lose voltage in very small cables, due to the increasing resistance of smaller and smaller cables, and you are also current limited with small cables.... Neither with big cables.

You analogy suggests that a pump will fall on its face with very large hoses really talks to the ability of the pump to only fill the hoses with no "load" on the receiving end, i.e an open tube. In this case no, you are not going to get much pressure, but the volume of fuel pumped by the pump doesn't change. Connect a load, (i.e. carburetor or other fuel metering system) and once the hose(s) are filled, the pump will still deliver the same pressure and everyting wil work fine, there will just be more fuel in the hose.

Phil
Kicker

[chpthril]

Let me help out in a easy way for some of you to understand. the battery is your fuel pump. take the feed line 3/8 and remove it and install 3 1 inch lines you think your still getting the same pressure to the engine? Same principle with voltage too many big wires to power amps from battery will be less engergy! So bigger is NOT always better!

Ohm's Law tells us that less resistance = higher current flow. We also know that the larger the cable is, in theory, the lower the resistance will be as compared to a cable of like construction, just smaller.

So, in theory, you cant over-cable in an install. In execution, you can use way more wire GA then what is needed and you are just running up the cost.

[Wickedcummins]

That is not completely true that larger cable has less resistance. And we are not talking about dead headings the fuel lines or cables. We are talking about flowing usuabel engery and or flowing fuel!

Yes less resistance = higher current flow but larger cable does not mean lower resistance