SAE-1000D Concern - blown fuses- possible melting

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

what would cause fuses to blow on the amp? i dont know if the plastic casing on the fuses just expanded from poppin or the casing of the fuse was slightly melted. there are 3 30a fuses, i am using a 100a maxi fuse on the battery wire (4g). i was using 12g for the speaker wire, witch i now upgraded to 9g after installing the new fuses. the amp seemed to be fine when i checked it out after cutting out. is there a certain fuse you recommend for the amp or size? also, should i use the same size wire to wire the sub inside of the box as same as the speaker wire i got running from the amp? its probably about 12g inside. thanks

Edited November 14, 2009 by ONE15ISALLINEED

[CrazyKenKid 64]

well the fuses on an amp will pop due to over current draw. so somehow your amp drew over 90amps of current! or the impedance of the amp dropped below 1ohm and caused it to draw more current.

now you should have 12awg wire going from the amp to the box then from the bxo to the sub. don't have bigger speakre wire from the amp to the box then smaller inside.

also keep in mind the fuses popped to PROTECT it right so if this happens again you should contact jacob and tell him what is going on.

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

would to much current draw occur if the battery fuse is not doing its job? i checked the fuse holder, its actually an old scosche i had from wal mart from a old install, hehe. one side looked kind of busted, first time i noticed after the cut off occured. im gonna get a new quality fuse holder tomorrow.

[patented17 21]

Well I would think if it's melted, your wire is heating up and is too small for your application.

[shizzzon 461]

I'm curious as to what happened.

It's possible a low voltage situation caused it to blow.

I wouldnt use MAXI fuses either.

I don't know if you know but in MECA, MAXI fuses are banned because they can accept a LOT of juice through these fuses before they finally pop so if over-current is the problem, that is more than likely why the MAXI fuse didnt pop.

These sundowns are built quite strong and can put out a LOT of power. I'm sure it was a low voltage situation that caused it.

You may need an extra battery in the rear.

If you put new fuses in the amp and it pops immediately, then you have a serious problem and do not troubleshoot it but contact Sundown instead.

[CrazyKenKid 64]

well if your amp fuses are 90amps and your front fuse 100amp the 90amp fuses will blow first. did you hurt anythign i don't think so. and would a bad fuse at the front battery be an issue no b/c a fuse is blown or not and if it is blow it will be an open circuit

[CrazyKenKid 64]

o wait you are using maxi fuses ya switch those out for starters lol! go with mini anl!!

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

i had a song on at about 3/4 of the ways up, with a fairly low bassline in it. and it just cut out. i was driving when it happened. none of my wiring is melted or anything. i pulled the fuses from the amp and they were all popped, one looked slightly melted, maybe it was just the way it looked i dont know. i have 4g power and ground ran, witch is the highest the amp takes up to. it is a 100a maxi fuse installed in the battery fuse holder,(old scosche maxi fuse holder), when i took a second look at the holder when removing the fuse, i recognized a side of the holder looked "shattered" like the plastic expanded in some way, and it was not like that before this incident happened. i just wanted to go over some possibilities to make some slight changes to prevent this from happening and to protect the amp. so what size fuse should i use? im assuming using a anl fuse would be more efficient

[CrazyKenKid 64]

here you go!

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productDetail.cfm?prodID=FH-44

and go with 100amp fuse!!

or go with an 80amp fuse that way if this happens again(over current draw) the fuse in the wire will pop before the onboard fuse will pop! but if it poped due to low voltage then you have to look at this from a different veiw and also get in touch with jacob before doing anything to make sure you dont' void warrenty or anything of that nature.

Edited November 14, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[Duaber 0]

Check all your connections even your speaker wires. I blew my fuses when the speakerwire shorted on the speaker frame

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

well this amp was purchased used so i dont know how the warranty thing would pan out if anything did happen. im actually going to get a anl fuse holder from my local shop monday. whats the difference in anl and "mini" anl. soon i am performing the big 3 upgrade with either 0 or 4g wiring. but since i run 4 to my amp i dont think 0 is necessary. in this case since i never have and probably never will run enough power to need 0 i might just run 4. i have also been suggested an extra battery. certain songs tend to make the lights flutter badly. i think what i am going to do is get the new fuse, perform the big 3 and take it from there. i known when i had my alpine digital amp it read voltage constantly and it seemed like it stayed around 14v but i never looked at it at high volumes.

[rushnrun 14]

low voltage and low imp will cause the fuse to blow.. what subs are you running and at what ohm? I assume stock electrical? how's the ground?

[CrazyKenKid 64]

rule of thumb would state for the big 3 upgrade, use the biggest wire you can get your hands on most commonly ppl prefer to use 1/0 wire b/c it is relatively a decent price and 1/0 will work very nicely. i say go with 1/0 b/c it has the abilty to move the current need and then more! also the big may fix your lights from dimming so keep that in mind also!

also a secondary battery would be ideal for any and all setups no matter the rms! the secondary battery will keep the volts up so you dont' kill your amp!!

as for mini anl vs anl (normal the longer ones) i don't really know but an anl fuse is an anl fuse right? jsut mini anl is ideal for smaller gauge wiring where a big 300 amp fuse isn't needed! mini anl to keep it neat and tidy!

[CrazyKenKid 64]

o also please check the ohms on the terminal from the box with a dmm to make sure a wire didn't come lose from one of your subs terminals! you can use a el-ccheapo dmm on the ohm setting to do this!

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

i am running 1 diamond audio d6 15" dual 2 ohm wired to 1 ohm. the ground is actually kind of sketchy, i put it to a bolt i found on the side of the trunk frame, since i didnt have a drill. metal is fairly thin compared to the more heavy part of the car frame. i should probably re route that also. ill go ahead and do the big 3 in 0g in the next few days. a quik question - are there certain wire manufactuars to stay away from? theres a more professional shop on the same road as another car audio shop locally. one is authorized for jl, alpine, diamond, pioneer, so on. the other one sells like memphis, american bass, fusion audio. the authorized one goes for 9$ a foot witch is most likely jl wiring. witch is got damn expensive if you ask me, knowing that 0g is more anyways. last time i knew they also have stinger. the other audio shop has 0g for 3.50 but he didnt state what kind. i will also consider another battery. do i have to run an additional wire from the negative terminal car battery to the negative terminal on the extra battery or can i ground the negative terminal off the second battery to the car frame also?

[CrazyKenKid 64]

well don't buy your wiring from a shop silly! i buy all my wire from KNU, i use this 1/0 wire

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=Kolossus Fleks Kable

and you can even use this one to save even more money

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=KLMX Kable

and you can even use that one site called weldingsupplies.com or someting along those lines!

if you wire another battery in your car i would suggest you do both neg and positve runs from the front to the back and ALSO ground the rear battery to the fram somewhere. so yes you will have a pos and neg run plus another negative run to the frame of your car. and since you are using another battery you can ground yrou amp off of that battery! but make sure your ground off of the rear battery is good!! make sure to disk off the paint put a nice screw in there!! lol!!

and here is a quite video of how to do the big 3!!

http://www.youtube.com/MaxxsonicsUSAInc#p/u/7/p82xRzCr-lc

enjoy and take some pics and make a build log!!

and no wire is wire just watchout for the price and the strand count! and what the wire is they are using! like either copper or alumium!

Edited November 15, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[emh9009 199]

well don't buy your wiring from a shop silly! i buy all my wire from KNU, i use this 1/0 wire

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=Kolossus Fleks Kable

and you can even use this one to save even more money

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=KLMX Kable

and you can even use that one site called weldingsupplies.com or someting along those lines!

if you wire another battery in your car i would suggest you do both neg and positve runs from the front to the back and ALSO ground the rear battery to the fram somewhere. so yes you will have a pos and neg run plus another negative run to the frame of your car. and since you are using another battery you can ground yrou amp off of that battery! but make sure your ground off of the rear battery is good!! make sure to disk off the paint put a nice screw in there!! lol!!

and here is a quite video of how to do the big 3!!

http://www.youtube.com/MaxxsonicsUSAInc#p/u/7/p82xRzCr-lc

enjoy and take some pics and make a build log!!

and no wire is wire just watchout for the price and the strand count! and what the wire is they are using! like either copper or alumium!

off topic.. Ken, why are you always yelling? lol reading through this made me crazy!!!1!!1

oh, and i vouch for KNU's wire. i love it; super flexable.

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

so if i run a second battery, i can run the ground off my amp to the negative on the rear battery? also in the big 3 upgrade, do i really "need" to run an additional fuse like he had or do i not run enough power to install it? how much 0g would i need on average to do the big 3? 10 maybe 15 feet? my buddy is a mechanic and knows cars and electrical situations. he has also installed car audio. so it should go well. i also noticed the more cost friendly koncepts 0g wiring was 90 percent aluminum and 10 percent copper. is this acceptable?

(no i didnt think you were yelling)

Edited November 15, 2009 by ONE15ISALLINEED

[CrazyKenKid 64]

well don't buy your wiring from a shop silly! i buy all my wire from KNU, i use this 1/0 wire

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=Kolossus Fleks Kable

and you can even use this one to save even more money

http://www.knukonceptz.com/productMaster.cfm?category=KLMX Kable

and you can even use that one site called weldingsupplies.com or someting along those lines!

if you wire another battery in your car i would suggest you do both neg and positve runs from the front to the back and ALSO ground the rear battery to the fram somewhere. so yes you will have a pos and neg run plus another negative run to the frame of your car. and since you are using another battery you can ground yrou amp off of that battery! but make sure your ground off of the rear battery is good!! make sure to disk off the paint put a nice screw in there!! lol!!

and here is a quite video of how to do the big 3!!

http://www.youtube.com/MaxxsonicsUSAInc#p/u/7/p82xRzCr-lc

enjoy and take some pics and make a build log!!

and no wire is wire just watchout for the price and the strand count! and what the wire is they are using! like either copper or alumium!

off topic.. Ken, why are you always yelling? lol reading through this made me crazy!!!1!!1

oh, and i vouch for KNU's wire. i love it; super flexable.

yelling or making suggestions?,,,, lol!! if i was yelling it would look something like this WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU (also called flaming text!)

lol naw i don't mean to come off yelling so if i did sorry everyone!!

but Crazy is good!!!

[CrazyKenKid 64]

so if i run a second battery, i can run the ground off my amp to the negative on the rear battery? also in the big 3 upgrade, do i really "need" to run an additional fuse like he had or do i not run enough power to install it? how much 0g would i need on average to do the big 3? 10 maybe 15 feet? my buddy is a mechanic and knows cars and electrical situations. he has also installed car audio. so it should go well. i also noticed the more cost friendly koncepts 0g wiring was 90 percent aluminum and 10 percent copper. is this acceptable?

yes you can use the batteries ground as the negative for your amp! plus it is easier and you don't have to worry about the 3ft rule! (must have at least 3ft of ground wire to elimate noise/feedback)

do you really NEED to use a fuse where? at the alt or 2 fuses inbetween the 2 batteries? please clearifiy which fuse you are refering to! (normaly fuses are a must for SAFETY)

the cheap knu is acceptable b/c it has 54xx strands of wire to make up for the 90alumium. so for example if it was pur copper it would need SAY 4500 but since knu is using 90% alu to make up for the difference they added more strands and cut back some of the jacket which will make it more flexable! but the more expensive 1/0 wire is what i use b/c i BELIEVE (when i get it) it was 100% copper and nearly as big as 2/0 wire was! (but double the price)

and i think for my big 3 upgrade i used around 20ft b/c i also have 2 other batteries int he back which also had to be grounded!

Edited November 15, 2009 by CrazyKenKid

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

i was referring to the wire ran from the positive charge off the alternator to the positive on the battery. and also, if i were to install the second battery, would any other points need to be fused besides the alternator to the battery? ill probably order enough 4g to replace my current power wire to the amp. thats is if when or if i install a second battery. with that said, for now the first thing i am going to stick with is just the big 3 in 0g to see how it helps my electrical system. re route my current amp ground with a grinded down surface, also a more durable point. check my ohm load on the box. new anl fuse holder. the thing about my current amp ground mounting point is i try to mount it to where i can place my amp so i can reach it to adjust if needed. because the box is so huge my placement options are limited, its a 4cube box in a 03 ford taurus. if a second battery install ocurred i think theres enough space beneath the trunk carpet where the spare tire is to sit under there. i have a couple older svr audio series batteries, model svr33-12. a guy gave me them when i purchased a couple w7s last year. i dont know if there good or if they can serve the purpose i need them for. in this case im sure i would just use one of them. its pretty heavy but about half the size of a normal battery. i dont know if you can look up the specs and see if it will work or help, thats if they work.

[CrazyKenKid 64]

i was referring to the wire ran from the positive charge off the alternator to the positive on the battery.

and also, if i were to install the second battery, would any other points need to be fused besides the alternator to the battery?

ill probably order enough 4g to replace my current power wire to the amp. thats is if when or if i install a second battery. with that said, for now the first thing i am going to stick with is just

1.the big 3 in 0g to see how it helps my electrical system.

2.re route my current amp ground with a grinded down surface, also a more durable point.

3.check my ohm load on the box.

4.new anl fuse holder(s).

the thing about my current amp ground mounting point is i try to mount it to where i can place my amp so i can reach it to adjust if needed. because the box is so huge my placement options are limited, its a 4cube box in a 03 ford taurus.

if a second battery install ocurred i think theres enough space beneath the trunk carpet where the spare tire is to sit under there. i have a couple older svr audio series batteries, model svr33-12. a guy gave me them when i purchased a couple w7s last year. i dont know if there good or if they can serve the purpose i need them for. in this case im sure i would just use one of them. its pretty heavy but about half the size of a normal battery. i dont know if you can look up the specs and see if it will work or help, thats if they work.

Yes that is must (pos of alt to battery). let looks at it this way if for some odd reason the alt or battery outputs 300amps PLUS though the wire it WILL catch on fire and if you have flamable parts under your hook they will catch fire and your car will burn down and that wouldn't be good, and when the insurcance company finds out you didn't fuse some gay wire, which started the fire then you no longer are covered. so play it safe and buy a 10$ (i think it is 10) fuse hold and fuse that babe to play it safe! like my buddy says don't cheap on safty measures!!

if you were to install a second battery you WILL need to fuse 12inch before the FRONT battery and 12inch before the REAR battery. so a total of 2 fuses is required for safetly. so all together for the big 3 15-20ft of 1/0 wire and 3fuse holders with 250amp fuses in them.

Awesome start with what you will do!! this will help out a bunch!

as for the battery you have listed i found this

http://www.apexbattery.com/svr-svr33-12-scooter-battery-scooter-batteries-westco-scooter-batteries.html

and

http://www.aiconsol.com/svr33-12-mu-1sldm.html

is this them?

if so it say 33AH and 500cca. so i would suggest using both IF posible. b/c the more ah the better it will be. also they are 500cca so each battery can support a 500rms setup (in GENERALIZATION) also with both of them you could get 66ah whihc will be plenty for that amp which wants about 45ah (onboard fusing divided by 2 =45ah, this is alos another generalization i like to make)

other then that i think you got a good build ahead of you! and feel free to ask any and all question! it is betterr to ask and ask then to mess up and be SOL (so out of luck ) and welcome to the SSA forums!!

also here is a litle pic i made up a while ago when i was going through the same thing you are going though! it is good to visualize!

[CrazyKenKid 64]

o also in the pic the 2 things in bottem almost center are 2 batteries! lol! also take some pics so we can see what you have for space!! and how clean everything looks!!! build logs are awesome!

[ONE15ISALLINEED 1]

so if i were to install the batteries, the 2 fuses between the battery and the rear battery should also be 250a? assuming i would keep the fuse between the second battery and my amp the same size as recommendation for the amp. i am going to order 5ft of red for the alt to battery. and 10ft for the rest of the big 3. one 250a fuse and holder and a new holder and fuse for my amp. i think i will just stick with the 100a. i dont see 90a fuses. looks like i will use the larger style anl fuse for the battery to alt since the mini only holds up to 4g.

Edited November 15, 2009 by ONE15ISALLINEED

[CrazyKenKid 64]

so if i were to install the batteries, the 2 fuses between the battery and the rear battery should also be 250a? assuming i would keep the fuse between the second battery and my amp the same size as recommendation for the amp. i am going to order 5ft of red for the alt to battery. and 10ft for the rest of the big 3. one 250a fuse and holder and a new holder and fuse for my amp. i think i will just stick with the 100a. i dont see 90a fuses. looks like i will use the larger style anl fuse for the battery to alt since the mini only holds up to 4g.

well in your case you should order 5ft of red, 10ft of black to do the big 3 and one 1/0 fuse holder with a 250amp fuse.

if you were to wire in a second or third battery you would have to purchase say 40ft of wire (20red 20black) depending on the length of your vehicle and the placement of the battery(s) and you would also have to purchase 2 fuse holders with 250amp fuses in them. and then a new mini anl for your amp or normal size anl if you are using something bigger then 4gauge wire.

so total for the big 3 and secondary batteries is:

55ft of wire 4anl fuse holders with 3-250amp fuses and 1-xxxfuse (for your amp) some screws and some screw driver and away you go!!!