Capacitors and other ideas

flatulatta wrote: could you put bigger amp fuses in an amp 2 get a higher draw or will it fry the amp?

NEVER change the fuse size in an amp!  The fuses are chosen by the manufacturer to protect the electronics in the case of a failure, and to protect YOU and your car from catching on fire.  If an amplifier fuse blows, there is something wrong with the amplifier.  The fuse size does not determine the power output, the internal electronics determines the power output.

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Back to the basics. 1st, listen to the people, get a bigger alternator. Once you've done that, you need to get power to your amp with a wire. based on how much power your amp(s) draw(s), you need a certain size wire(s) to handle more than what the amp needs. To protect the wire(s) put a fuse as close to the battery (+) terminal as possible, 12 inches or less, to protect the wire. A fuse smaller than what the wire is/are rated is ok, a fuse larger defeats the purpose of having a fuse. If you distribute power to more than one amp or change wire gauge, put in more fuses for each segment rated at or below what they are rated. as for the fuses on the amp, you can go smaller, never bigger, just like the person did above. I've seen fried amps with solder melted, caps busted, boards charred and I seen installs where no fuses were used and the wire over heated, insulation melted, battery sweld, nearly every OEM fused blew and everything electronic in the vehicles fried too. spend the time and money to protect your equipment. The 12 volt site is a great place to find the information you're looking for.LifesaverMobil

At this point I think I understand the dynamics of the electrical system. Now I need to know where I can get a good inexpensive alternator. Also I would like to know what size alternator I would need. I found out I have a 137 amp alternator which is original on the dakota SLT with the tow package.

You ain't gonna find an inexpensive good one... When referring to inexpensive in the heavy duty world, what you are really saying is "cheap". I do not recommend rebuilding or re-winding... what happens if the new one dies at some point in the future? Buy a new one, built specifically for the purpose, check with Alterstart in Texas. Good guys, I have dealt with them in the past, and good gear as well. My 165A for my Civic cost me 318.00, shipped next day, with lifetime warranty. I went with an actual new alternator instead of having my OEM re-wired, because now, if something happens, I have the original alternator to replace the dead one, until I get the heavy duty one back. One more thing, and this question is for kickerstang... What ARE watts? Watts are POWER, which is voltage (14.4) times current (Amps) Yes, you ARE pulling power (watts) from your alternator, it is a power source. Watts are not specifically dedicated as an output rating on an amplifier. Watts is a measure of power, or work done, or energy converted. Have you ever wondered why nuclear power plants (alternators, or power sources) are rated in megawatts? It is to POWER all of the 120 watt (or 120 volts at 1 AMP current draw) lightbulbs (and other things) in our houses. You and I are pulling power in amps and watts from that power plant. It is the same thing in your car. Every load and power source is rated in watts. I apologize if I am coming off a little strong, here, but it did not sound like you completely understood the concept of power, and it's relationship to loads and energy conversion, and please take it as constructive, NOT destructive.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."