lights dim 2nd battery

Cap! Battery! Blah! Blah! Caps are not a solution, only a bandaid. If you have power problems then adding a battery won't solve them. Check all of the vehicle's grounds, upgrade the battery to frame/chassis ground. Then if problem still persists upgrade the alt, or atleast have it checked.Certified Security Specialist

Always check info with a digital multimeter.

I promise to be good.

Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

Upgrading the BIG 3 will help a lot. Also, HO alternator.'85 Toy

everyone is telling this guy to get an ho alternator.. but if he gets say a 200 amp alternator thats not going to totally fix his problem.. a single battery is not enough for the power he is running... he is going to need two batts for that purpose and the HO alt. will keep them charged... plus u should always upgrade the BIG 3.. if im wrong someone with some expertise please let me know then... cause i have the same problem as this guy thanxS.O.B custsoms.. South Omaha, Nebraska

what is a HO alt ??? and no one answered my questions..... what would be a good alt .... pirce ..... new to the world of speakers ..... shed a lil light lol ..... 99 silverodo .... sony xplod 1200 watts.... pioneer 10's 350 watts but plan to go bigger like 450 or 800 watts ......

HO alternator= high output. You can look at ohio generators site. Also, Irraggi alternators are great. He has some on ebay and I think I have his e-mail address if you need it. If you haven't upgraded the big 3, do that first. That is the wires associated with the battery and alternator, including the ground wires. Stay away from alterstart.com. I've had bad experiences with them. You shouldn't need but 1 battery. I'm running a Hifonics Brutus 2200D on my 2 Fosgate 15's with 1 battery with no problem. No cap, one battery, just got HO alternator and the big 3 upgrade. '85 Toy

see that the thing tho ..... i dont kno what a ho alt is ..... i dont kno whats good for my truck ...... im kinda a dumb *** ..... but yall prolly already kno that

Here is your issue. The stereo is demanding more power than the vehicles stock electrical system can provide. Remember that electricity is an algebra equation, so what you do to one side, you must do to the other. First thing is to READ THE FRICKEN GROUNDING STICKY dude. It will explain a ton to you. Next is no matter how big the battery is in your vehicle, it does not run the stereo. The alternator in the vehicle runs the whole show. No alternator = no show. Too small alternator = small show. If you want the big show, then you need a big (HO - stands for High Output)alternator. If your amplifiers draw 200 amps of current at full pull and your tiny little alternator only puts out 70 amps at maximum on a good day with the wind pushing it, there is no way that the battery or batteries will be able to keep up with the demand. In your case, the demand > the availability. Get a bigger alternator. Alternators are built to fit most vehicles, by putting in one that has a higher amperage rating, you can expect to meet the demands of the audio system much better. Hopefully this clears things up for you.Top Secret, I can tell you but then my wife will kill me.

forbidden wrote: First thing is to READ THE FRICKEN GROUNDING STICKY dude. It will explain a ton to you.

So in this guy's defense, yes there's a great wealth of info in the ground sticky but he doesn't realize he's asking a grounding question, sort of.  Your explanation goes a long way to sorting that out for him.

I think it would be worthwhile to post a sticky on "most comman questions & searches."  Not just a FAQ, but what terms to search to answer comman questions.  We could just sticky the answers, but they're continually evolving.  So for instance, "whining noise in speakers, search for alternator noise & ground loops."

I think the reason we see so many of the same questions isn't b/c people don't know how to search, but b/c they don't know what to search for.