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| Power
Requirement Tips |
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| Determining
The Current Capabilities Of Your
Vhicle |
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Before installing a High Current
amplifier in your system you should
take into consideration the vehicle's
ability to provide adequate current
to the amplifier. The most vehicles,
the alternator is only capable of
supplying a little over the requirements
for the standard electrical system
(i.e. headlights, air conditioning
etc). Depending on how you play
your system will determine the amount
of current you will need. For example,
you listen to your system and low
listening levels, and then you will
probably use less than one-third
the rated current draw. If you play
your system loud, then you will
use most of the rated current of
the amplifier. |
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Most alternators have about a 40
percent reserve capability. Order
to determine how many in ampere
of current you will have for your
system; you will need to find out
what your alternator is rated at.
If you are not sure of the total
amperage of your alternator, a good
place to look is on the alternator
itself. Most alternators have a
metal tag stating the total average
available. If you cannot find the
tag, check with the manufacture
to find out the rated amperage.
Once rated current of the alternator
is determined, you need to multiply
this number by .40 in order to determine
the reserve current available for
use with your power amplifier. |
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For Example: Alternator
= 80 Amps 80 x .40 = 32 Amps |
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Please keep in mind this is an estimate
only not exact science. It is best
to get your electrical system tested
by a professional to determine electrical
systems true capabilities. |
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| Calculating
Amplifier Current Demands |
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By using the fuse value of the amplifier
you can get an idea of the amount
of current draw the will be used
under full output power. Although
the full output rating is good to
determine the total amperage draw
in the system, it does not represent
the true continuous or averaged
amperage draw in the system. Listed
below is a simple way in order to
determine the approximate continuous
current draw of your amplifier.
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Determine
fuse value of the amplifier. |
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Divide
the RMS power rating by the
Peak power rating. |
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For
Example: 50Watts
RMS Divided by 100 Watts Peak
Power = .50 (50%) |
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Once
you figure the percentage
of RMS vs. Peak power, you
multiply the fuse value of
the amplifier by the RMS percentage. |
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For
Example: If the amplifiers
fuse value were 30A, then
30A multiplied by 50% would
be 15A of continuous current
draw. |
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| Upgrading
your Electrical System |
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Depending on systems current requirements
vs. your electrical systems capabilities,
you may need to upgrade your electrical
system. For example, if you find
that you headlights dim when you
have your system cranked up when
you are driving at night, this is
a sign you should upgrade your electrical
system. |
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There is several different ways
order to accomplish this; one way
is to upgrade the alternator so
that it has higher amperage output.
Another way is to purchase a Capacitor.
We recommend consulting your Car
Audio Retailer to determine what
is best for your system. |
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