High Output Alternator

[orlandoman 0]

I have an 06 KIA SPECTRA SX and it has an 80 amp alternator. I have a High Output alternator told by Dave DC Electric it is 160 amp but got it tested at the local alternator shop over here and they told me it does 150 amp but can pull up to 200 amp. I have noticed a lot of people have High Output alternators and two batteries. One up front and one in the rear for the audio system as they say. Why do they have two batteries and high output alternator if you doing a SQ build?

Also anyone knows the magic formula on how to calculate how much amperage I need my alternator to be. Someone told me add all the amps that amplifiers combine and that is how much amperage you need from the alternator. Also someone told me you need 70 amps for every 1000 watts. Which one is correct?

Thank you.

[lightingman117 8]

I have an 06 KIA SPECTRA SX and it has an 80 amp alternator. I have a High Output alternator told by Dave DC Electric it is 160 amp but got it tested at the local alternator shop over here and they told me it does 150 amp but can pull up to 200 amp. I have noticed a lot of people have High Output alternators and two batteries. One up front and one in the rear for the audio system as they say. Why do they have two batteries and high output alternator if you doing a SQ build?

Also anyone knows the magic formula on how to calculate how much amperage I need my alternator to be. Someone told me add all the amps that amplifiers combine and that is how much amperage you need from the alternator. Also someone told me you need 70 amps for every 1000 watts. Which one is correct?

Thank you.

Even in sound quality builds amplifiers can pull too much juice for the alternator and when you add on all factory equipment, eg. lights, windows, ac fan, etc. it can add up to where the alternator is spending 20 of it's 80 amps just in keeping the car running. Then the sound system needs say 100 amps thats a 120 amp load on a 80 amp alternator way too much.

To calculate your draw you'd need a voltage measurement of the car sitting at idle with nothing on, say that's 14.4v and say you have a 1000w amp 1000/14.4 = 69.4amps That's where your friend is getting his 70 amp calculation. Another way is to add up all the amperages on the fuses on the amps. My amps have 4 20A fuses and 2-50A fuses. I'd need 180amps to run at full tilt.

As for 2 batteries and a high alternator it's all vehicle/user specific. A general rule is that batteries let you run longer while alternators let you run louder. A battery right next to the amps help smooth out power fluctuations between the alternator 1st battery and 2nd battery.

Hope this helps.

Nathan

[orlandoman 0]

Nathan

Actually the friend is a guy that works at a custom shop and is not really a friend but someone I was referred to. To be honest I have three amps and they all running at 4 ohm and I would like to keep it that way although I got a strong feeling that my friend Frank wants me to get a Diamond Audio sub that are dual voice coils.

Back on point and that is I am not looking for a system that is over 1000 watts because I did have it once and when I went full tilt I could not hear the sirens and horns from emergency vehicles though.

Now I doing 180 x 2 to my Morel Dotech Ovation 6 two way sets up front.

80 X 2 to my rears although a former IASCA judge and Zapco dealer here told me rears are a waste.

Probably 300 x 1 to my sub.

I am still debating whether I wanna keep the rears or not but if push comes to shove then I would take them out and either keep them or sell them. I am keen on getting the DCON 10 or 12 single 4 ohm voice coil and yes sealed due to the fact that I have space issues.

Thank you.

[lightingman117 8]

Nathan

Actually the friend is a guy that works at a custom shop and is not really a friend but someone I was referred to. To be honest I have three amps and they all running at 4 ohm and I would like to keep it that way although I got a strong feeling that my friend Frank wants me to get a Diamond Audio sub that are dual voice coils.

Back on point and that is I am not looking for a system that is over 1000 watts because I did have it once and when I went full tilt I could not hear the sirens and horns from emergency vehicles though.

Now I doing 180 x 2 to my Morel Dotech Ovation 6 two way sets up front.

80 X 2 to my rears although a former IASCA judge and Zapco dealer here told me rears are a waste.

Probably 300 x 1 to my sub.

I am still debating whether I wanna keep the rears or not but if push comes to shove then I would take them out and either keep them or sell them. I am keen on getting the DCON 10 or 12 single 4 ohm voice coil and yes sealed due to the fact that I have space issues.

Thank you.

That's only 820W. The standard alternator will handle it fine. The ohms only change wattage to the speakers. The DCON's do thrive in small enclosures. And rears are really user applicable much of the sq gang are broken up into hating rears because of cancellation, or loving them because they add that back reflection that you get when listening to concerts. So for true sound quality no wattage isn't necessary just enough to reproduce the sound accurately and mix well with the rest of the frequencies. But most of the time sq can get quite loud and we'll need the extra battery/alternator.

No problem just trying to extend some of my knowledge gleaned from others.

Any more questions, concerns, I'll gladly try to help with.

-Nathan

[Sir-Lancelot 216]

Get a volt meter for $20 on ebay or use a DMM to check your voltage at full tilt.

No need to buy something just because. Since music is dynamic a small second battery back by the amps could help with musical peaks and such and give you a cleaner signal than you would have if you are playing on low voltage.

[orlandoman 0]

Well here is the thing when I spoke to Gary Biggs [via email] he mentioned that his system is 5000 watts plus his got the three way up front, rear fill thing going on plus those two fifteens behind the front seats. He also has the JBL MS-8 and it takes up 15 amps of current.

Mark Eldridge has his JL system around the same wattage.

I remember McIntosh [Mcintosh car audio] and Speaker Works in CA did a SQ system back in the 90s that was under 1000 watts and it won best of show. If I remember it was between 95 - 2000.

Anyways back on point and that is the only reason why I did the extra battery was that my headlights was dimming and still do when I installed the Odyssey PCJ 1200 up front and the Kinetik KHC 600 in the rear next to the amps and my headlights dim now and then.

DC Power Engineering is coming out with a better alternator for my ride in February and it is like the second week. Kyle from there told me it would cost me $75 and I am happy with that.

Well let me run and thank you for your help.

Ebrahim

Nathan

Actually the friend is a guy that works at a custom shop and is not really a friend but someone I was referred to. To be honest I have three amps and they all running at 4 ohm and I would like to keep it that way although I got a strong feeling that my friend Frank wants me to get a Diamond Audio sub that are dual voice coils.

Back on point and that is I am not looking for a system that is over 1000 watts because I did have it once and when I went full tilt I could not hear the sirens and horns from emergency vehicles though.

Now I doing 180 x 2 to my Morel Dotech Ovation 6 two way sets up front.

80 X 2 to my rears although a former IASCA judge and Zapco dealer here told me rears are a waste.

Probably 300 x 1 to my sub.

I am still debating whether I wanna keep the rears or not but if push comes to shove then I would take them out and either keep them or sell them. I am keen on getting the DCON 10 or 12 single 4 ohm voice coil and yes sealed due to the fact that I have space issues.

Thank you.

That's only 820W. The standard alternator will handle it fine. The ohms only change wattage to the speakers. The DCON's do thrive in small enclosures. And rears are really user applicable much of the sq gang are broken up into hating rears because of cancellation, or loving them because they add that back reflection that you get when listening to concerts. So for true sound quality no wattage isn't necessary just enough to reproduce the sound accurately and mix well with the rest of the frequencies. But most of the time sq can get quite loud and we'll need the extra battery/alternator.

No problem just trying to extend some of my knowledge gleaned from others.

Any more questions, concerns, I'll gladly try to help with.

-Nathan

[blunt 3]

Sorry to hijack but I'm going to be running 2 fi ssd12 subs and a sundown 1500dv.2 would I need a new alternator for my 2010 charger which has a stock 140 amp alt i believe?

[jcarter1885 995]

Sorry to hijack but I'm going to be running 2 fi ssd12 subs and a sundown 1500dv.2 would I need a new alternator for my 2010 charger which has a stock 140 amp alt i believe?

Probably not but it depends on a lot of factors so install it and monitor your voltage, if you have voltage drops either look into a secondary battery or ho alternator. Every electrical is different so know one can tell until you hook it up and see if it can handle the load from your system.

[blunt 3]

Sorry to hijack but I'm going to be running 2 fi ssd12 subs and a sundown 1500dv.2 would I need a new alternator for my 2010 charger which has a stock 140 amp alt i believe?

Probably not but it depends on a lot of factors so install it and monitor your voltage, if you have voltage drops either look into a secondary battery or ho alternator. Every electrical is different so know one can tell until you hook it up and see if it can handle the load from your system.

cool, thanks. will do.

[Impious 1,476]

To calculate your draw you'd need a voltage measurement of the car sitting at idle with nothing on, say that's 14.4v and say you have a 1000w amp 1000/14.4 = 69.4amps That's where your friend is getting his 70 amp calculation.

That doesn't account for amplifier efficiency. At a low impedance or with a class A/B design, efficiency may drop to as low as 55-60% at full power output.

1000/.6 = 1667

1667/14.4 = 116A

That's a significant difference in amperage draw.

[orlandoman 0]

Actually according to the manuals on my Arc Audio amp the two amps that are for my mids and highs are class G/H.

So is the sub amp to which is wierd to.

Thanks for equations.

To calculate your draw you'd need a voltage measurement of the car sitting at idle with nothing on, say that's 14.4v and say you have a 1000w amp 1000/14.4 = 69.4amps That's where your friend is getting his 70 amp calculation.

That doesn't account for amplifier efficiency. At a low impedance or with a class A/B design, efficiency may drop to as low as 55-60% at full power output.

1000/.6 = 1667

1667/14.4 = 116A

That's a significant difference in amperage draw.

[Impious 1,476]

Class GH is basically a class A/B output stage with a different type of power supply that switches rail voltages based on demand. It's more efficient during operation because it only switches to the higher voltage rails when demand requires it, otherwise it stays on the lower voltage rails......but I'm honestly not sure off hand if efficiency at full power output is improved.

[audiolife 14]

Unless you are playing test tones I doubt you would peak out an electrical system with music that gave 50-60 amps for the car/truck/suv and 70 amps per 1000 watts with a good healthy battery set up.