Posted November 4, 200816 yr Hey guys. I got an Orion 2500D and a Critical Mass UL12. The CM UL12 is DVC (1.5ohm). The shop set it up at 3 ohms, so with the gain just under clipping, it sounds decently loud, but nowhere near as loud as I wanted it (somewhere like 1400-1500 my guess). I was so disappointed I wanted to go 2 CM UL12's with a Memphis 4k Mojo, so I purchased a HO alt from Excessive Amperage (200A). Decided to wire the Orion down to .75 while I waited, just to see how my electrical holds up. Well, the gain is down MUCH farther than it was wired at 3 ohm, and it hits harder, but now, my lights dim like crazy where it never did before. Is it the inefficiency of the amp at .75 that's causing it? Or is it really just drawing that much more power?I can't tell if my HO alt is too weak, or if it's because I only have 1 batt in the hood, and 1 in the back. I was hoping that this setup would be no problem, as I planned on running the Memphis 4k on the same alt. I'm starting to worry that if my electrical can't support the Orion pushing out 2500+, then how is it gonna support the Memphis 4k @ 1.5 ohms?Anyone have a clue?
November 4, 200816 yr Author Anyone know if it's because of the impedance? Or because I'm somehow sucking down that much power?
November 4, 200816 yr the alternator should do fine, but maybe your batteriss arent the best, or you need more.I've got a 200 amp alt and 2 kinetik 1800s in the back for a sundown 3000, my lights don't dim until i have it on full power but even then its a hardly noticible flicker.
November 4, 200816 yr Author Damn, didn't want to have to answer this question. Got the same wal-mart everstart batt up under the hood. Had a yellow optima for the rear, but the shop didn't use it and instead sold me one of their batteries (they look sorta generic).What kind of batteries do you suggest for my application? I eventually want to run the Mojo 4k off this alternator, what kind of batteries should I get?
November 4, 200816 yr What can you afford? Have you done the Big 3 yet? How many runs of 1/0awg do you have running back to your amp?
November 4, 200816 yr Author What can you afford? Have you done the Big 3 yet? How many runs of 1/0awg do you have running back to your amp?Can afford anything, but want the best value. No big 3 yet, need to do that too. Only 1 run of 1/0 to the back, I always wondered why this mattered. I notice people listing the runs they have going to the back. What does adding another run do?
November 4, 200816 yr Author What kind of battery should I look for, or should I use a battcap? What would be best for my situation to prevent dimming and keep voltage up?
November 4, 200816 yr What kind of battery should I look for, or should I use a battcap? What would be best for my situation to prevent dimming and keep voltage up?Well without the big 3 your upgraded alt isn't really doing anything. That is your first step.I personally have no issues with Everstarts and actually think they are a good buy. They are what I use in my boat for the trolling motor since in that application they seem to last as long as an Optima anyways. In this case more is better than a better battery anyways.The other thing I see are people using cheap headlights that are overly sensitive to voltage fluctuations. If you thought you were cool and bought some fake Xenons or cheap blue bulbs expect them to dim much, much more easily. (not inferring you did that just making a point, but I will ask if you have changed your headlights?).
November 4, 200816 yr also check and clean all your connections. If it's an older vehicle then the corrosion on the terminals could be playing a big part.
November 4, 200816 yr You can do what I did and budget my entire build for almost 10 months and counting...Bought the BTL in February.Bought the 1/0 in June.Bought D3100 in July.Bought the SAZ3K in September.Buying my H/O in November.Eventually I will get a red top up front.
November 4, 200816 yr Also you could go to like auto zone and check to see if your alt is giving out what it says it gives out. I'm pretty sure it's free to check.
November 4, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?
November 4, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,
November 4, 200816 yr id agree. not having the big 3 with a 200amp alt isnt going to help anything at all. that should be your first step
November 4, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,so in that case...in my car its a rediculously hard to run 1/0 gauge wire through the car. I'm planning on powering a Sundown 3000. Would i need more than 1 run of 0 gauge?
November 5, 200816 yr Author What kind of battery should I look for, or should I use a battcap? What would be best for my situation to prevent dimming and keep voltage up?Well without the big 3 your upgraded alt isn't really doing anything. That is your first step.I personally have no issues with Everstarts and actually think they are a good buy. They are what I use in my boat for the trolling motor since in that application they seem to last as long as an Optima anyways. In this case more is better than a better battery anyways.The other thing I see are people using cheap headlights that are overly sensitive to voltage fluctuations. If you thought you were cool and bought some fake Xenons or cheap blue bulbs expect them to dim much, much more easily. (not inferring you did that just making a point, but I will ask if you have changed your headlights?).Actually I recently did change my headlights, but I bought the expensive ones at wal-mart. The only reason I did is because they were advertised as lasting 2-3 times longer than regular headlights, and I didn't want to have to change them again. I shoulda paid attention to the power it sucked down, I didn't realize it was just based on the extra electricity you had available.
November 5, 200816 yr Author just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,How do you know if you need more than 1 run of 1/0 gauge? Does anyone know the max each wire can conduct, or does that purely depend on the wire? Is there a rough estimate? Like 4000 watts can transfer through 1/0 or something like that?
November 5, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,How do you know if you need more than 1 run of 1/0 gauge? Does anyone know the max each wire can conduct, or does that purely depend on the wire? Is there a rough estimate? Like 4000 watts can transfer through 1/0 or something like that?the wire at Lowes is rated 190 amps for 1/0, but thats the only cable ive seen that had a current rating on it
November 5, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,so in that case...in my car its a rediculously hard to run 1/0 gauge wire through the car. I'm planning on powering a Sundown 3000. Would i need more than 1 run of 0 gauge?it depends on how far you run the cable, i have batteries in my trunk and just run 1/0 guage less than 2 ft to the amp and it works great for me
November 5, 200816 yr just a little aside...i was reading this thread and came across a question that wasnt answered and I'm also curious to know the answer.why is it that people run more than 1 0/1 gauge from front to back? is it necessary?more wire, better current flow. and sometimes its hard to get 2+/0, so more runs of 1/0 will do the same,How do you know if you need more than 1 run of 1/0 gauge? Does anyone know the max each wire can conduct, or does that purely depend on the wire? Is there a rough estimate? Like 4000 watts can transfer through 1/0 or something like that?10' of 1/0 Gauge is "only" 350 amps I believe.
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