POWER DISTRIBUTION BLOCK

[JJCRU23R]

im in the process of installing a second amp into my rolla and i bought a POWER DISTRIBUTION BLOCK to split the power coming from the battery to go into both amps.

now for 1 amp,and the 8 gauge cable ive already installed works just fine. HOWEVER, the distribution block that i bought fits 1x4gauge cable for the input(from the battery), while output has 4x8gauge for the output(to the amps).

do i NEED a 4gauge cable to power both amps? or is the 8 gauge cable i already have installed good enough to power both amps??

cos if i need to get the 4 gauge cable, that means ill need to buy a larger inline fuse thingy and thus gotta do more rewiring work than i initially expected to do for this project.

my intuition is telling me to get the thicker cable, but if its not needed, itll save me time going back to the shops (and $$ out of my pocket).

thanks 4 your help in advance

jase

[MR22ZZ]

what are the RMS ratings of the amps?

I'd defiantly be going to at least 4 guage anyway, maybe even 2 guage.

[JJCRU23R]

kicker mono amp is 400 max watts x1

avalanche 4ch amp is 600 max wattz.... so thatll mean 150x4?

so all up 1000watts.. RMS is usually half of that isnt it?, so 500W all up?

EDIT:

found THIS DIAGRAM ON CARdomain. it does answer my question on the 4 gauge, but at the same time it makes me ask a couple more questions!?!

can anyone fully understand this diagram? and explain it back in here for me 2 understand??\

Edited February 11, 2007 by JJCRU23R

[D'Ice]

ofcourse the bigger the wire the better... but in your case... just run a 4gauge from the battery to the distro block then run 2 8gauge to each amp oh n don't forget to fuse... if you're upgrading your system in the future then u'r better off upgrading your wiring to suit the future upgrade instead of always re-doing your wiring

EDIT: wtf is that diagram... lol too confusing... what r those two things right after the distro block? fuses maybe?

Edited February 11, 2007 by d_ice

[JJCRU23R]

the thing just above the amp on the bottom of the page is a capacitor (i think)...

the 2nd cable coming out of the distributor leading to nowhere looks like a ground 4 the distribution block?? wtf?

not sure wat that thing is between the dist. block aNd the capacitor.

i was kinda worried that if i put a larger gauge wire and fuse that my amps and speakers would somehow overload with power and BOOM. dead amps and speakers.

am i paranoid or is there some logic to my concerns?

Edited February 11, 2007 by JJCRU23R

[D'Ice]

the thing just above the amp on the bottom of the page is a capacitor (i think)...

the 2nd cable coming out of the distributor leading to nowhere looks like a ground 4 the distribution block?? wtf?

not sure wat that thing is between the dist. block aNd the capacitor

oh yea now i see the capacitor... btw don't bother with capacitors... waste of money... u're better off getting a dual cycle battery for that money... i've heard of ppl leaving they'r headlights on for a week n the car still started first time

n yea i still don't get the other thing... but leave that out n leave the capacitor out n that's how it should be wired... oh n try to have the ground cables off the amps as short as possible... n try to have them as thick or thicker than the power cables... proper grounding is VERY important

[JJCRU23R]

n yea i still don't get the other thing... but leave that out n leave the capacitor out n that's how it should be wired... oh n try to have the ground cables off the amps as short as possible... n try to have them as thick or thicker than the power cables... proper grounding is VERY important

RIGHTT... some useful info bout the grounding cables right there! thanks 4 that!

1 problem though, the kicker mono amp i got can handle the thicker a$s cables, whereas the cheapo strathfield avalanche amp i bought ages ago (which i will be using for the component speakers) can only handle the 8 gauge?

i guess i just fit the largest cables possible then for the gounds

[Grey-Rolla]

its better if u run 4 guage, 8 is kinda small....

cheers

[Suprathai]

4ga is plenty, 2ga and then you might run into some wire running problems. While your at it, why not try upgrading the grounding system in your car?? I'm doing that at the moment, the stock ground wire is not really that good.

[JJCRU23R]

i wouldnt mind doing that gounding kit.. i saw the tutorial up in here somewhere but id only be willing to do it if i could take a good look at another car thats already been done.

[D'Ice]

8guage is good up to 400rms or so... i think getting 4guage then splitting it into 2x8guage is good enough for your application... but yea bigger is better in this case

[josh_gold_coast]

my girlfriend is running a two amp set up in her corolla with 4 gauge running to the boot where via a distrobution block it is split into two 8 gauge power wires. it also runs two seperate earths (one for each amp). it is running a alpine mono block putting out 600 watts rms to two 12inch subs, and a hifonics 4 channel putting out around 75-100wrms to two sets of high end components.

so far there has been no problems with headlight fading due to power drain. for pics pm me.

[Dead]

kicker mono amp is 400 max watts x1

avalanche 4ch amp is 600 max wattz.... so thatll mean 150x4?

so all up 1000watts.. RMS is usually half of that isnt it?, so 500W all up?

EDIT:

found THIS DIAGRAM ON CARdomain. it does answer my question on the 4 gauge, but at the same time it makes me ask a couple more questions!?!

can anyone fully understand this diagram? and explain it back in here for me 2 understand??\

Just stumbled upon this. That looks more like a diagram of a woman lol.

d_ice cred to you. you know what you're talking about I hate electricity :(

[JJCRU23R]

badboyz you must be a real losty if females seem that complicated 2 ya ! hahaha!

[D'Ice]

Just stumbled upon this. That looks more like a diagram of a woman lol.

d_ice cred to you. you know what you're talking about I hate electricity :(

well i betta know wat i'm talkin bout... i DID do Industrial Technology Electronics in high school n failed Electrical Sumthing at TAFE... lol

[Dead]

badboyz you must be a real losty if females seem that complicated 2 ya ! hahaha!

ask the canberra boys, i'm actually quite the opposite :P

RO114 (aka Richo) - "Robbie what is the go with girl jumping? You hung like a horse or something???"

[BigBum]

8 gauge cable has a maximum current carrying capacity of around 50amps over a 5 metre run. In other words, it isn't enough to feed both your amps without experiencing headlight/power dimming, less transient peak power from the amplifiers as well as a potential for the cable to heat up as excessive current is being drawn (in the worst case scenario). It's still possible to do so, but no so good in the long run.

A distribution block (4 guage in/twin 8 guage out) to run to the two amplifiers is how it should be done.

[JJCRU23R]

yep i bought the 4gauge cable and ran it through the firewall already.

was already in full swing of wiring up the amps when my parents wanted to go get surf n turf...

so yea i ran outta sunlight and now my 2 front seats are sitting in the garage 2night... NOT A gOOD FEELING.

kinda stuff always happens 2 me... anyhoo.. i need some connector bits and peices to connect that 4 guage to the battery coz at the moment i havent got anything to keep the wires in place.

i saw the battery clamp thingys that accomodate the 4guage + a couble 8 guages to boot.

but yea gotta put at least the drivers door back on b4 i can get to the shops...

so yea shopping list is as follows:

*remote wire (maybe).. speaker wires will be ok substitute for this, right?? im planning to connect remote wires from both amps together at somewhere in line. if the speaker cables work, i wont need to buy another cable.

*fork shaped wire connectors for the 2nd amp.. this 2nd amp cant seem to handle 8 gauge wires without the fork connectors...

*connectors for the 4guage cable into the (+) battery.

Edited February 17, 2007 by JJCRU23R

[D'Ice]

add a fuse between each amp and the distro block... extra security

the remote wire idea is spot on... that's wat i got... joined em togetha then ran one wire to the deck... speaker wire should be fine

i'm surprised Amp2 can't handle 8guage... my cadence amp 4x200 can hold up to 4guage... but then again it is an avalanche lol

and don't forget.... when grounding use the tickest (as thick or thicker than power) shortest cable u can find and MAKE SURE you connect it to a good grounding point like some bare metal scrape any paint off

Edited February 17, 2007 by d_ice

[JJCRU23R]

avalanche kinda crappy with connections but it has survived bout 3+ years in my old landcruiser, mounted on 2x 10" subs, and if you knew me when i was driving that beast youd know i ruff i drove in that mfcuker. then it powered my kicker in my corolla for a few months, b4 i luckily found the kicker amp in parra cash converters for 35% of full retail price just down the street @ jbhifi :P

wiring is a b!tch of a hassle, but is solid proof that it can withstand a beating :)

u want me 2 get 2 more fuses??? same as the 1 coming from the battery?

shoulda just bought the distribution block that also houses the fuses!

the plastic inline fuses are like 12.95 each... the distribution block was 15.95.

the distribution block with the fuses was like 25-27!?!

ugh..... as ugly betty says - "you do the math!"

once again screwed outta a few more dollars

Edited February 17, 2007 by JJCRU23R

[D'Ice]

shoulda just bought the distribution block that also houses the fuses!

the plastic inline fuses are like 12.95 each... the distribution block was 15.95.

the distribution block with the fuses was like 25-27!?!

as i said... measure twice cut once... now its gonna cost u more lol... allthough u don't fully need the other two fuses but it's better safe than sorry lol

[Mopp]

Yeah i probably wouldnt bother with the extra fuses, if you plan on playing it loud i would however make sure the fuse you have is correct? Work out what fuses are in the amps add the values up, all of them and thats the size fuse you need.

otherwise you'll be replacing fuses all the time.....

[JJCRU23R]

that sucks i spent all of this morning installing the second amp and bought 2 inline fuses for 9.95 each...

now yall say i didnt really need them!? hmph!!

well i havent hooked up my RF punches into the 2nd amp yet since i havent completed the pods, but maybe tonight im gonna test em out 2 see how it sounds FINALLY..

but yea, with all the wiring done, the amps are both showing green lights and the sub is working as normal so im guessing the install of the distribution block and the new wiring has been a success.