chambox

What is the voltage that the scion battery puts out 12v or 14.4
im confused because my amp has different power outputs of different voltages (duh) and i want to be sure im buying enough power. Also do head units give out power? Basically how do i get 14.4 V running to my amp

sithscripter

You get about 14V from the alternator (engine running) and about 12.7V from a fully charged battery (engine off).

Good sites:

http://www.bcae1.com/
http://www.the12volt.com/

DenZinz

14.4v ratings on amps is rediculous, just because it not a "real" world scenerio. Here are some are a few manufactures with real world rating.. Crossfire rates their amps at 12.5 volts. I believe JL rates theirs at 13.8.

I get about 13.9-14.1v with a gounding kit in place. I was getting 13.7 without.

BrianxB

you get 12.6 when the car is off because a battery is physically incapable of holding more power than that.... batteries are 6 cells, each having a max power of 2.1 volts. 2.1 x 6 = 12.6

dgHotLava

battery = 12.6 with car off
atlernator = 14.4 (assumes car is running)

some companies rate their amps at 12v, 13.5v and 14.4v

DenZinz

And thats a rare occurrence. Mine hits 14.1 at the most and thats with nothing on but the engine.

I dont konw too many manufactures that rate their amps at 12.5v other than Crossfires.

Kong

Mine measured 14.xV when engine is running.

sithscripter

IIRC the charging system voltage depends on the voltage regulator, which in turn has to match the battery type ... non-sealed batteries can be charged at 14.4V but sealed lead-acid batteries have to be charged at or below 14.1V. Something about exploding. (If you want to see some real fireworks try to jump a 12V battery off a 24V system. One of the more impressive displays of pyrotechnics I remember from the Army. Somehow no one was injured.)

But IMO 12.5V is very conservative. It's honest to the point of self-flagellation. Kudos to Crossfire.

JLTD

JL Audio uses this standard: 12.5V input @ .08% THD
The industry standard is : 14.4V input 1% THD

Non regulated power supplies will produce more enerygy as input voltage increases. The difference between 12.5V & 14.4V is roughly 30%. Because we drive cars with 12.5V systems, the 12.5V number is the most realistic (and honest).
The alternators output is 13.8V - 14.4V because it needs to recharge the battery. There needs to be a difference in potential for electrons to flow. If the battery is 12.5V and the alternator is 12.5V, no electrons would flow and no recharging takes place.
When dealing with high-powered stereo systems, too little voltage is more common that too much. You don't have 13.8V under load at the amps no matter what the meter in your capacitor says!
All the energy to move a speaker ultimately comes from the alternator. Amplifiers cannot produce more average power than the alternator has to give. A typical 80 amp alternator has 500 Watts to give (assuming the car needs 40). All the amplifers do is take the energy from the alternator and change it to something useful to move a speaker. No matter what the manufacturer says, the amp's average output is bound by this number. If you have no plans to upgrade your charging system don't bother investing in a 1000+ Watt system.
There will be a bunch of replys from people who have mega systems in their cars and have no problems. I am sure it works great, but they are not producing the energy they think they are!

BrianxB

this is a question for you...

how many amps would your average 1000w+ system draw and what gauge wire would you use if you were installing it?


Testing your knowledge will prove to me 1 of 2 things...

oneslowxa

what would you consider average... max average or rms average... this also varies on length of the run, and what type of amps you are running...

I'd rather overkill the wire then to redo it later... do things right the first time, or at least set yourself up so you can upgrade later...

1000w can draw anywhere from 80- 120+ amps depending on efficiency of the amplifier, and there overall design. more power more draw...

George

Conservative is good, since even a healthy 14V at the battery will drop in the wires as the current goes up.

chambox

Is there a way to increase voltage in your car with a capacitator or something?

Reign_Man

no, hook two batteris in parallel i think?

oneslowxa

parallel allows more current to flow through..
hook them up in series... then you will have some problems...

BrianxB

you failed my test. I would explain but Im not going to get into an argument. Still waiting on JLTD to answer.

Kevin2413

I would get a separate deep cell battery just for the audio system. I would place it in the back where you have your stereo stuff. Deep cell batteries have a larger RC(reserve capacity) then a standard car battery. If you are still worried about beef your alternator!

and if your battery is down to 12.4 volts you are in very bad shape. I'll give you one more year before you'll have to replace it. When you battery doesn't recover, it’s because of sulfation. If you want to learn more about batteries and how 12.4 volts is not good just do a google search.

I wish more people on this forum would not give advice about stuff they don't know anything about. People are going home and trying this stuff and most of the time it's correct but something’s people just talk out of there a$$.

This post is just for the people who don't know what they are talking about. All of your other, keep up the good work and try to counter act all the bad posts.

Reign_Man

so THATS what that loud POP noise was...j\k

oneslowxa

^^^ please don't try this at home, It will seriously damage electrically components... you can have too much voltage... think of downing 10 espressos in a 10 minute span... Your body nor your car would know what to do with it

Reign_Man

hmmm...10 espressos in 10 mins...brb!