AMP/Sub woofer Wiring kit?

hairystuff

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• #2

It would be 40 Amps total (20A + 20A = 40A), 8AWG should be adequate, if your soundcard has a 5.1 output you will need a phono to 3.5mm jack adapter/cable to connect the sub output to the amp, you will probably need 14-16AWG wire for the sub to the amp and need Car Battery terminals aswell.

 

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hassy786

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• #3

hairystuff :

It would be 40 Amps total (20A + 20A = 40A), 8AWG should be adequate, if your soundcard has a 5.1 output you will need a phono to 3.5mm jack adapter/cable to connect the sub output to the amp, you will probably need 14-16AWG wire for the sub to the amp and need Car Battery terminals aswell.

So I can purchase a 8AWG black and red wire that will work definitely? Another thing is.. When looking on Ebay it says the wattage on the wires as well, does this matter? or make a difference? As for the Sound card I am going to use the built in sound card which is on my motherboard (GA-78LMT-USB3).

Then I am going to use a 3.5MM to 2 3.5MM adapter where one side connects to the motherboard and the other sides connect to the sub woofer itself and my normal PC speakers.

I have never seen a 14-16AWG wire to connect a Sub woofer to a AMP before? Could you send me a picture of one of these?

As for the Car battery terminals I am going to use a AGM Battery which has very small terminals.. How would I connect a charger and AMP wires to that?

 

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hassy786

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• #4

hairystuff :

It would be 40 Amps total (20A + 20A = 40A), 8AWG should be adequate, if your soundcard has a 5.1 output you will need a phono to 3.5mm jack adapter/cable to connect the sub output to the amp, you will probably need 14-16AWG wire for the sub to the amp and need Car Battery terminals aswell.

Is this wire fine for connecting the Sub woofer to the AMP?
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5m-1-5mm-21A-16-AWG-12v-AUTO-CABLE-21-AMP-CAR-WIRING-LOOM-WIRE-AUTOMOTIVE-/261125670124?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=560169072590&hash=item3ccc4d84ec

Is this wire fine for connecting the Sub woofer and my normal pc speakers to the PC?

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5MM-GOLD-STEREO-PLUG-TO-2x-JACK-SPLITTER-ADAPTER-HEADPHONE-/251467010895?pt=UK_CE_MP3Access_RL&hash=item3a8c9a134f

Lastly, Is this 8AWG 1000Watt Wiring Kit fine for connecting the AMP to the battery?

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-AWG-1000-Watt-8-Gauge-Car-Amplifier-Amp-Sub-Power-Earth-Remote-Wiring-Kit-/181167760937?pt=UK_Cars_Parts_Vehicles_Terminals_Cabling_ET&hash=item2a2e70a629

 

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hairystuff

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• #5

This is what the 14AWG sub/speaker cable looks like

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10m-of-2-x-2-5mm-Multi-Strand-HiFi-Car-Audio-Loudspeaker-Speaker-Cable-Wire-/230803128434?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35bcf04072


All the items you have selected should be fine for the job.


You may need one more item (rca/phono male to 3.5mm jack male cable):

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5m-LONG-3-5mm-Mini-Stereo-Jack-to-2-RCA-Twin-Phono-Cable-Lead-GOLD-PC-TV-Aux-/161260568581?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item258be10005

 

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hairystuff

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• #6

Connecting the charger and the amp to the battery would be standard, plus to plus (+) and negative to negative (-), a standard car battery charger has crocodile clips which attach to the battery terminals.


for the amp I was going to suggest these car battery terminal clamps:

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-Heavy-Duty-Car-Van-Battery-Terminal-Clamps-For-Classic-Modern-Cable-Fitting-/121146069990?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item1c34de53e6

 

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hassy786

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• #7

hairystuff :

This is what the 14AWG sub/speaker cable looks like

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10m-of-2-x-2-5mm-Multi-Strand-HiFi-Car-Audio-Loudspeaker-Speaker-Cable-Wire-/230803128434?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item35bcf04072


All the items you have selected should be fine for the job.


You may need one more item (rca/phono male to 3.5mm jack male cable):

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5m-LONG-3-5mm-Mini-Stereo-Jack-to-2-RCA-Twin-Phono-Cable-Lead-GOLD-PC-TV-Aux-/161260568581?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item258be10005

I already have the RCA to 3.5MM cable.. As for the battery clamps this is the battery I have...

http/img.diytrade.com/cdimg/609827/4571235/0/1193736613/AGM_battery.jpg

It is a AGM Battery. As you can see the terminals are straight.. so how will I go by putting the AMP wires onto the terminals AND connecting the charger to it as well? I have tried to search up battery clamps which are straight but cant seem to find any

Thank You ever so much for your replies!!

 

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hairystuff

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• #8

The connectors for your battery are called spade terminal (female):

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-3mm-Female-Spade-Blue-Terminals-Fully-Insulated-Electrical-Crimp-Connectors-M6-/150947385550?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item23252a50ce

Is the battery you're going to use the same spec as in the picture (12V, 7AH/20HR) that battery will not last very long at all (between 10 to 20 minutes), plus it will not deliver enough constant current to drive the amp sufficiently, are you going to use more than one AGM battery of that spec?, as you will need about 6x of them in parallel to sufficiently drive the amp for a decent amount of time.

 

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hassy786

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• #9

hairystuff :

The connectors for your battery are called spade terminal (female):

http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-3mm-Female-Spade-Blue-Terminals-Fully-Insulated-Electrical-Crimp-Connectors-M6-/150947385550?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item23252a50ce

Is the battery you're going to use the same spec as in the picture (12V, 7AH/20HR) that battery will not last very long at all (between 10 to 20 minutes), plus it will not deliver enough constant current to drive the amp sufficiently, are you going to use more than one AGM battery of that spec?, as you will need about 6x of them in parallel to sufficiently drive the amp for a decent amount of time.

Ignore the posts above.. Will try and delete that post if it lets me!!!
This is the battery I am going to use.. I think my dad used it for his Taxi so it is a BIG battery and weighs a Ton :L haha ...

https/www.dropbox.com/s/ohiypaz44i4vsdk/IMG_20140327_175144.jpg

https/www.dropbox.com/s/sm5lwh49oybxezj/IMG_20140327_175226.jpg

How long do you think this battery will last? Another question is.. Will I have to constantly keep it charged while using the AMP and Sub woofer or will it be able to last 20minutes? I will order the battery clamps today and the 3.5MM adapter as well .. My dad says he should have the Red and Black wires in the garage somewere so will try and look for them before purchasing new ones.

 

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hairystuff

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• Solution

• #10

The second battery you showed me should last between 30 to 40 minutes on the amp, and the car/taxi battery should last about 3 to 4 hours (with medium use), you should be able to charge and use the battery at the same time, as for running the amp with a computer power supply you would need around 700watts to keep it safely running.

 

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robo7425

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• #11

You should be careful with this set up, Recharging a lead-acid car battery in your homes living space can be hazardous. If you overcharge a battery that is in good condition, it can release hydrogen gas which is highly flammable. If the battery is in poor condition (think older used taxi battery), overcharging it can release hydrogen sulfide which is toxic. Maintenace chargers (like 1 amp) don't cause this problem generally, but this would require 4 or 5 days to recharge your battery. Larger chargers (10 amp and up) will, if left on to long. I really think for safety, you might want to rethink this plan.

 

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hassy786

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• #12

robo7425 :

You should be careful with this set up, Recharging a lead-acid car battery in your homes living space can be hazardous. If you overcharge a battery that is in good condition, it can release hydrogen gas which is highly flammable. If the battery is in poor condition (think older used taxi battery), overcharging it can release hydrogen sulfide which is toxic. Maintenace chargers (like 1 amp) don't cause this problem generally, but this would require 4 or 5 days to recharge your battery. Larger chargers (10 amp and up) will, if left on to long. I really think for safety, you might want to rethink this plan.

My dad knows how to charge the Car battery as it is his battery.. Whenever I need to charge it, im most likely going to charge the battery in the garage any way.. How long do you think this battery is going to last me on a full charge?
https/www.dropbox.com/s/ohiypaz44i4vsdk/IMG_20140327_175144.jpg
https/www.dropbox.com/s/sm5lwh49oybxezj/IMG_20140327_175226.jpg

I am only going to use the battery for 20minutes each time I use it no more than that.. Will charge it regularly to make sure the battery doesnt over charge or drain itself.

 

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robo7425

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• #13

In new condition, that battery says it delivers 96 amp hours. If your 40 amp estimate is correct, 96/40 =2.4 hours. two things though, You shouldn't drain a car battery all the way, they are not made for that and it will shorten the batteries life. Also the batteries capacity is probably less because of age. Don't forget also that as the battery approaches zero charge, its voltage will drop. Running the amp at reduced voltages could damage it.

 

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hassy786

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• #14

robo7425 :

In new condition, that battery says it delivers 96 amp hours. If your 40 amp estimate is correct, 96/40 =2.4 hours. two things though, You shouldn't drain a car battery all the way, they are not made for that and it will shorten the batteries life. Also the batteries capacity is probably less because of age. Don't forget also that as the battery approaches zero charge, its voltage will drop. Running the amp at reduced voltages could damage it.

What if I charge the battery every now and then? E.g. Use the battery when the battery is fully charged for around 20 minutes then give it a 10minute charge and then use it again for 20minutes and keep doing that for around 1 day.. After this give it a full charge again to use again for another day? .. Like I said I already have a Computer Sub woofer which is connected to the computer so this is just a show of kind of thing.. When friends come round I can show them it etc .. Not looking to use this subwoofer for no more than 20minutes max each time.. If I keep it like this im guessing everything should be fine?

 

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robo7425

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• #15

There is no way of answering that. The Amp's draw won't be a steady draw. It will vary with volume and content (loud low end bass sounds creating the highest draw). The amount of charging required will vary based on the chargers output and the amount the battery is drained. If you drain 40 amps from the 96 available, it will take 4+ hours to recharge with a 10 amp charger.

 

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hassy786

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• #16

robo7425 :

There is no way of answering that. The Amp's draw won't be a steady draw. It will vary with volume and content (loud low end bass sounds creating the highest draw). The amount of charging required will vary based on the chargers output and the amount the battery is drained. If you drain 40 amps from the 96 available, it will take 4+ hours to recharge with a 10 amp charger.

Well I asked my dad how long it takes to charge this battery till its fully charged and he said at least 24hours .. So im guessing if I use the AMP and Sub woofer for around 1 hour in total then give it a 24 hour charge or maybe 12 hours and see how long it lasts on that.. then from there I should be able to figure out when I should charge it and when not to charge it right?

Another question I have is.. Where on earth can I find the wire which connects from the Sub woofer to the AMP!? Tried looking on internet but cant seem to find anything.

I have seen videos where people are connecting their computer PSU's or a Xbox 360 Power brick to power the AMP up so a Taxi battery should be plenty of juice.

 

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robo7425

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• #17

I used this company when I wired my boats amp. (www.crutchfield.com) You can at least see want you need there. They also have install guides and other info. You can probably find local sources cheaper once you see what you need.

 

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