I have a 89 gxe. I installed a 10' L7 and kicker zr240 amp. To me this is a pretty small setup. So thought i would not have any problems with power and stuff. But after about a month of use I noticed when i turned up the volume my cd play would shut off and then turn back on. So I would have to turn it down when it came back on. My cd player did this for about a week, then one night when i was putting my car in the garage. I opened my garage door and when i got back in my car i noticed that my heater and cd player were off. When i gave my car some gas they turned back on. I knew something was wrong so i tested my battery and was dead. I charged it back up and everything was good for about another week. One night i was driving around. I turned on my aftermarket fogs(the ones you have to hook up the battery). I had them on for about a 15 mins. Then I noticed my headlights were dimming to the bass. I came to a stoplight and my cd player shutoff and my car almost stalled. I shut off my fogs and went home. When i got home i tested my battery and alternator. Both were basically dead I bought a new alternator($95) and another die hard battery. I took out my L7 and zr240 and I have not used them since then. It has been about 2 1/2 months and my setup is sitting in my room. I want to put back in for the spring but i am worried i will kill my alternator again. So i was wondering do you guys think if i put it back in the alternator will go again? Do you guys have any idea why this little amp killed my first alternator? Do you think one of those caps would help? Do you guys think that running my fogs with my system caused all the trouble because they both have to be hooked up to the battery(that 12V thingy for the fogs and my amp). Thanx for any info. sorry for such a long thread.

 

A ZR240 shouldn't kill any alternator. You have another problem going on there, prolly the lights. But it could also have been the fact that the battery and alternator were old and worn-out anyway. So with the new stuff, you should be OK. I say go ahead and reinstall the equipment. Just test the battery and alternator regularly to make sure they are behaving.

 

Sounds likes its time for you to shell out about 80 bucks and get yourself a capacitor.

 

Don't Kicker ZR amps have tightly regulated power supplies? A cap would be useless for an amp with a regulated power supply.

 

If that were true, caps would only have been introduced to the market a couple years ago. It's a well known fact that almost no car amp has enough capacitance internal to keep the electrical system from straining with heavy bass. Get a cap. I also believe it is more because the alternator was old than anything else. But a possible cause of killing the alt, and haveing dimming lights, are bad grounds. If you have bad wiring there is more resistance. In order to overcome the resistance the alternator is forced to work harder.

 

No. Unregulated power supplies have been around for many years.

 

But, they represent a tiny percentage of the numbers of amplifiers in use. And just because an amp is unregulated, I don't think that means that they don't have one or two capacitors to increase the input voltage. Even most of the "unregulated" amps still have regulation. It just might not be as tightly regulated as some of the others available.

 

I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. Unregulated amps will benefit from a cap, but tightly regulated amps won't, because they make the same power regardless of input. BTW, there are quite a few unregulated amps around: all Alpine, Soundstream, Crossfire, Rockford Fosgate, just off the top of my head. The Kicker ZRs are definitely tightly regulated, though.

 

I thought regulated amps keep the same output by increasing current draw at lower voltages. If that is the case then won't adding a cap help in those transients when extra current draw is needed? The cap should act as a buffer for the battery/alternator by dumping the current needed. Whether the amp is regulated or unregulated should NOT affect the benefit of a cap in the system. Someone tell me where my logic is incorrect.

 

Yeah, a cap might help the charging system (I'm not an expert on electricity), but as far as the amp goes, a regulated amp makes the same power regardless of the input power.

 

Yea I agree with you on that Micah, a regulated amp does make the same output regardless of voltage input; but a cap helps minimize current draw to the alternator. In fact it may be more helpful to a regulated amp when voltage is low because the amp is sucking (perhaps drawing is a better word - )so much current to maintain rated output while an unregulated amp would just reduce output to match the voltage input level. Ah, the joys of discussing car audio with Maxima friends!

 

Power = Voltage x Current, right? So, that would be right. I spend too much time with the details that I forget the basics.

 

Yes, and don't make me unscrew the cover on my Alpine V12 Expert to take a picture of the internal capacitor.

 

Damn.. I missed all the good stuff!!

1. Don't forget Orion HCCA series on the unregulated power supply list! the 225HCCA was an awesome little amp for $350. hit high 140s in my Mitsu truck all day on one amp and a pair of XTR 12s. nevermind it sounded like a$$.

2. on a highly regulated amp system, the cap will help the dimming lights more than anything, but it'll also help the amp's power supply deal with the current demands. I've got a trunk full of PPI amps- which are known for ridiculous amounts of regulation in their supplies. (same power output from 9 to 16v, +- 1 watt).. blah blah.. but my system sounded like crap before I installed a 1F cap on it. that was only with about 1100W rms on it. (600 to subs, 500 to mids/highs). after the cap, I got another 4-5dB of CLEAN output before the amp started distorting again.. man I wish these things had clipping indicators on 'em.

3. the original problem.... I'd put money on the fact your alternator was already on it's last legs, then the draw from the ZR240 finally did it in. the 240 isn't THAT big of an amp, but it'll strain a dying electrical system. The battery followed the alternator- which is usually the case.

you should be fine putting the system back in now, but I would invest in at least a 1/2F capacitor, just for ***** and giggles.

 

Thanks for all the info you guys and Mr. moderator. I thought it was just an old alternator.

 

 

That should read: "I'm pretending my ***** are bigger than yours and I will take apart an amplifier and void my warranty to prove it"

 

That should read: "I'm pretending my ***** are bigger than yours and I will take apart an amplifier and void my warranty to prove it" [/B][/QUOTE]


Oh, OK. I guess my ***** are still bigger, 'cause I could take my Alpine V12 amp apart and show all of my capacitors to him. But I still don't know what that's supposed to prove.

 

Didn't you say somewhere that all of the V12 alpine's were unregulated and lacked capacitors!? It's not the warranty, that's expired anyway. It's the drag of uninstalling and dismantlinga perfectly, good, working amp. That's the edge in the statement. Sh17! If we were worried about warranty's we wouldn't all be pushing 50% beyond the RMS of most of our speakers. Besides, big ***** get in the way when you have to contort your body doing a stereo install. We all know that too.

 

I never said that V12s don't have capacitors. All electronic equipment has capicitors of some sort. Unregulated amps tend to have huge banks of capacitors inside for the power supply. Soundstream amps have 10 2200microfarad caps inside.

 

 

**** a cap, if your gonna shell out any more money then install another batter in the trunk, only for you accessories ( amp and fog)

 

 

This thread is from 2002.....

 

Holy crapple. Didn't notice.

and I helped.

 

Ha! Sure did