i have a california profile AP600 amp that i have 2 street edge 12's hooked up to . these sub's are made by memphis audio and are rated at 200 watt's each . the problem i'm seeing is when i turn up the volume a little past half way . the voltage meter for the truck drop's and makes the alt over work it's self to supply ample power to run the truck and amp . i have 4 ga power and ground cable on this amp . would i need to upgrade to 0 ga on both cables or upgrade the alt ?
install is : 200 watt deck , AP600 amp , 2 ( 12's) rated at 200 watt's each , 4 ga cables
profile amps aren't the highest quality. you should probably stick with an alpine or jl amplifier. the amplifier shouldn't really be drawing a lot from your car's power. you might have to re-wire your amplifier or change out your alternator because it might be a piece of crap.
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That's my opinion. Take it, leave it, or correct me.
i just re-wired the amp 2 week's ago and my alt is putting out the proper voltage . it just's seem's odd when i crank up the volume the amp meter drop's from 14 volt's to 11 after about 10 min's .
silverado94 wrote:
i just re-wired the amp 2 week's ago and my alt is putting out the proper voltage . it just's seem's odd when i crank up the volume the amp meter drop's from 14 volt's to 11 after about 10 min's .
OBVIOUSLY, your alternator is NOT putting out the proper power, or you wouldn't be writing this thread at all...
600 watts out equals (around) 900 watts in. 900 watts divided by 14.4 volts equals 62.5 amps. That's for your ONE AMPLIFIER ONLY. Add to this 62.5A load all of the accessories in your car, (A/C, all the lights, seats, windows, the engine and computer, rear-window defroster, etc.) and you can see that if you have a stock 65 or 75 amp alternator, you will be underpowered!
This is a PERFECT example of how an undersized alternator WILL cause problems. If you pull more out of an alternator than it can supply, the system will try to get the demanded power elsewhere - the battery - and the battery voltage will drop lower and lower, eventually possibly causing damage to your electrical system, and possibly your car's electronics - very expensive problems, indeed.
Whatever size your power wires are won't matter. You need to address your power SOURCE - the ALTERNATOR. End of story, nothing else will save your bacon at this time! I will not be the only person to tell you this, either. And NO, a cap WILL NOT HELP, either. The alternator is what you need to replace.
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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
It could be a bad battery also.. If the batery has sulfated then it wont have sufficent reserve capacity for sudden surges in power consumption, thus causing the alternator to work harder. EDIT: what type of Vehicle is it?
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