So I rewired by amps and sub this weekend and I accidently connected the ground wires to the power distribution block and the power lines to the ground distribution block. When I connected the negative side to the battery, it would immediately spark and the 60 amp fuse would blow. I figured out the wiring problem, but I don't have any 60 amp fuses so I can't test it. I'm wondering if there's any chance that I damaged the amps by crossing the wires. If so, can they be repaired or do I have to buy new ones?

Thanks,

 

not bad, thats what the fuse it for. the fuse blew, cutting off power.

But ther is a chance they fried, you small anyhtin unusual? ay weird colors?

Also, get rid of that stupid 60 amp fuse, go to good guys and get a 100 amp CIRCUIT BREAKER, its like an ON oFF fuse,
I love the dam thing, it somehting happens, it just clicks off like a light switch.

its like 40 dollars, but worth your system...

Amps can be replaired, or refurbished.
Sometimes better to get a new one, unless its like a JL 1000/1 =[

 

When I went to the local MobileOne yesterday, the guy convinced me to buy the circuit breaker. It was $50 though. Thanks for the suggestion .

I don't smell anything weird, so I'm hoping the amps are ok. Maybe I blew some fuses on the amps themselves?

I'm gonna get ring terminals and wire the circuit breaker later today. I just couldn't wait until then to find out if my amps might be damaged. Thanks for the information.

 

ok cool, i wires mine next to the clutch on the left side, in the car, i love the thing =]

its A LOT better than switching those annoying fuses all the time,
if u get the breaker, make sure u use electrical tape around the terminals.

those ring terminals, are they for 4 guage?
i ahd a probllem crimpoing them down, TOO THICK!!
so i put it on the ground and hammered it closed, looks the same with the plastic cover that comes with it =]

let me know about the amps

 

Wow ya shouldnt let me know...Stinger breaker...$27.

--Don

 

Lightning Audio Strike Circuit Breaker, $50 . As long as it works, I'm happy.

 

Hmm, good idea wiring it in the cabin. I was going to leave it in the engine bay, but it would look cool in the car. I can pretend it's my NOS switch.

Yeah, the 4-gauge wires are too thick to coil around the posts. You can get 4-gauge ring terminals, but I'm curious if they will fit on the posts on the circuit breaker. I might have to mash the rings to make them fit.

The sad thing is, my fuse worked fine for a year, then I rewired everything and messed up. I'm sure now that I've wired everything correctly, I could use a 60 amp fuse and it would work fine. Oh well, the circuit breaker will work too.

 

A curcuit breaker is a conveinence in itself.

Ring terminals are easily obtainable just about anywhere that sells car audio. Using a crimping tool they are relatively simple to crimp, even the thickest of them. I use a Klein crimper, but others have worked fine in the past.

--Don

 

yea, i love the breaker in the cabin, its much easier than going under the hood.

I got a monster breaker, i got it for 28 dollars, good guys' cost...
retail is about 30-50% more =[

im sure home depot may have some cheaper ones...

 

Ring terminals are expensive! Pack of 2 at MobileOne costs $15. I checked another audio place but they were out of stock.

I've had my system installed for over a year with the 60 amp fuse and no problems.

Only reason I had problems is because I wired the power and ground cables incorrectly.

I crimp with a hammer. Couple hits and that cable isn't budging from the ring clamp .

 

Stinger pack of 4...$8

--Don

 

Well my system is up and running on an 80 amp fuse. Any danger doing this if it's supposed to be using a 60 amp fuse? I can't see that there would be since the MobileOne tech suggested I use a 100 amp circuit breaker.

About the circuit breaker, should I get a lower amp model, or is 100 amp ok? Makes sense it is ok, but I'd like to know for sure.

 

If the amp already has fusing don't wory about how much current it can handle. Worry about how much current the power wire can handle before voltage drop, and ultimately melting and catching anything flamable nearby on fire. For the sake of fuseing or useing a breaker I have read in the past that internal resistance in the breaker is greater than in a fuse. I have also read and been told by an engineer friend that each time it blows it takes less current to blow it. Also, I personally measured a 1/2 volt drop across the breakerI used to have in my system. With a fuse instead the drop is unmeasurable.

 

So how do I tell how many amps the circuit breaker should be?
I have a 300W 4-channel amp and a 600W mono sub amp, both at 2 ohms.

 

Simple formula.....

Total amplifier rated RMS power X 2= total wattage

Total input wattage
------------------- = Current draw (in amps)
Battery voltage

Example:
300 watts X 2 = 600 watts

600W
---- = 50Amps total current draw
12V

This is just a quick simple formula, and I can elaborate more if needed.

Remeber this is rated power. If you are using 2Ohm stereo or 4Ohm mono double the power rating..

600W X 2 = 1200

1200W
----- =100Amp total current draw
12V

--Don

 

Consider the gauge of the power wire and the length. Also consider the length after the distribution block. Look at a wire fuseing chart. I think there is one in the Faq's. Otherwise tell us the wire gauge and length.

 

Yes, do tell.

BTW J, arent ya glad I typed all that amp formula? Saving you from doing it...Cause I know you would have

--Don

 

4 gauge, 12 feet from the battery to the rear deck, into a power distribution block where it is split into two 4 foot 8-gauge wires that power a 300X4 @ 2ohms amp and a 600WX1 @ 2ohms amp. The distribution blocks are maybe 2 inches long (small Stinger 1 to 4). Thanks for the help all!

 

Ok, I checked the FAQs, and found this on http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/caraudio.htm:

"In my opinion, circuit breakers should never be used to protect electronic devices such as radios, amplifiers or crossovers. Most common circuit breakers (thermal snap action) take far too long to open the circuit path."

Any cause for concern?

 

I would use 80 amps max for 4 gauge that long broken down to a pair of 8 gauge wires. I didn't do the math but simply looked at the wireing diagram. And thanks Don, but I don't know that I have the energy after this much beer to go through the explanations. Just correcting a typo every third character is a strain.

And the above quoted post about circuit breakers is just one of the problems with circuit breakers. Use a fuse. Trust me, I have measured the difference between the two in my moderately high powered system.

 

Is the cable run from the battery to the rear deck long enough to be worried about? I think that's about 6 feet at most. It then connects to a capacitor, then a 2 foot 4 gauge wire goes to the distribution block. The 8 gauge wires are only about 2 feet long. Currently I have an 80 amp in-line fuse.

Well, currently the vote is 3 vs 2 in favor of using a circuit breaker. I have a pretty small system by most standards, so would the circuit breaker be ok in my situation? Again, I used one 60 amp fuse for a year without any problems.

 

You lush !!

--Don

 

The circuit breaker is more of a convenience than anything else. I did notice that you also have a cap in there as well. The conveince part of a breaker is you can shut down power to your trunk while working on it, if you have a cap then this wont work anyway, since the cap is charged you will always have power in the rear regardless. Unless its an Alumapro cap of course.

The other convenience is that if you do blow something then you dont have to find a fuse and replace it.

The drawback is current loss. Not enough to really notice in a simple setup though.

--Don

 

Everytime a breaker blows the resistance through the breaker increases. The increased resistance causes more heat. The greater heat causes the breaker to blow at a lower level each time. I had a 200 amp PG breaker under my hood. By the time it blew the third or 4th time I had a 1/2 volt drop just in the breaker. I replaced it with a fuse about 6 weeks ago. Now I have no measureable voltage drop from the alt to the battery or the battery to the cap, or the cap to the amps. As someone else has pointed out already the posts on the circuit breakers are exposed. On my breaker the insulation around the post melted off along with several layers of electrical tape! Basically the breaker was not up to the task at hand. Despite it's 200 amp rateing.

Unless you ride a motorcycle the cable length from the battery under the hood to the rear deck is definiteyl more than 6 feet. Probably closer to 12 feet.

 

WoW I never saw that happen before...


Unless you ride a motorcycle the cable length from the battery under the hood to the rear deck is definiteyl more than 6 feet. Probably closer to 12 feet.


Hehehehe I just noticed that 6 foot thing...


--Don

BTW arent you hung over J? what the hell are you doing up?

 

The 80 amp fuse is working ok for now, so I'm going to skip the circuit breaker. Maybe i'll add one along with the fuse for double protection. That way if the fuse blows and I don't have a replacement, I can switch to the circuit breaker only.

I'll agree it's more than 6 feet, but no where near as long as 12 feet. Let's say 9-10 feet.

 

Well, if you ran it through the firewall, dash, drivers seat, and straight to the rear deck it might only be 9 feet. But if you are like most of us and don't have a hole in your chest, it's at least 12 feet.

 

 

Actually a hangover is somewhat a genetic trait and also related to hydration. I am in the genetic group that rarely experiences a hang-over.

 

I'll measure it to be sure, but twelve feet sounds a bit long. My amp cable goes straight from the firewall to the rear deck. I ask passengers to be careful getting in the car so they don't snag it. It gets to be a hassle sitting on it too. Thanks for the sarcasm.