I just read Aarons tute on wiring sizes. And i found out roughly what current my planned system will be drawing (46.5 amps) The tute says to use the "graph below", which no longer works (:lol:) to find the cable size. So, questions time!



1. So what size cabling and fuze should i be using?
2. Would a 60amp fuze be enough?



I was planning on using 4gauge to the back of the car, dist block into 2*8gauge. Use 8 gauge from amps to ground.

3. Is this all the right way of doing it?



Tute also reckons that best way to do common ground is through a d block.

4. Couldnt i just screw them to the floor with the same screw?
5. Whats the reason behind using a common ground? other than not drilling holes all through the car! lol

6. Is there anything else that i am missing?



In case anyone is interested, the amps i will be running will be 2*50w rms for front (class a/b) and 400w rms on a monoblock.

Cheers guys

EDIT: Sorry bout all the spacings, but it was way too hard to read before!!

Remembering these are a rough guide only....there are more factors required to take into account to give a more accurate estimate...




Depending how you want things wired up....i take it from question 3 you have said 'amps' meaning 2 im guessing... a rough guide to cabling capacity - 4 guage can flow 130-140A, 6 guage round 70-85A....your fuse should be equal to or higher but since massive sizes like 0 or 2/0 guage cable both flow over 300/400A makes getting a fuze that size a tad harder.

For the money id just go an 80A inline fuse...or 80/100A ANL fuse depending on the fuse block you go with to what is compatible.

Having the larger fuse wont matter.

100ANL is from $15-30 and 80A AWG fuses can be had for a fair bit less...



Yes 60A will be enough - however id get an 80A since there the same cash...that way if you upgrade in future you have room to move (even tho there a very cheap component to upgrade)



Depending on the amps and what output they can provide (also gonna depend on te gear you habg off them) but 8 guage will be fine (rated to flow round 55A) if you can afford it i suggest going the 4 guage to save replacing in the future but again will just come down to budget as both will do the job for now (going larger cabling will effect what options you have distribution wise with sizes however 4 guage is very common so wont be an issue)



By the sounds of things with the above info taken into account I dont see there being any hassles .... are you able to elaborate more on the components and their output ratings etc...how you plan to set everything up eg: bridged wiring etc - also whats your battery like ?



Sure is but doesnt always fit into everyones budget when planning these things out ... however its like good signal cabling add a decent headunit when considering new systems or upgrades...the grounding is a vital and very important aspect to ensuring a high quality system, minimising noise and improving the life of your gear etc...

Having a common ground point will eliminate or depending on the setup reduce the chance of 'ground loops'. By having too many ground points interference between them occurs and you will get noise induced into the system.

With earthing or grounding try do use good size terminals, file the ground area back so there is clean contact between the terminal and te ground location and ensure the ground cable is the same guage size or larger - than the power line.



This is the cheaper and more common way to go and yes is fine....normally a clean earth point can be used for a couple cables...use ring terminals and ensure the screw has a large flat head so it will hold the terminals down nice n firm with plenty of contact



See responser to answer 3 - its all about reducing the likely hood of ground loops that can cause problems with your hardware along with the main issue of inducing 'noise' into your system..and who wants that



Looks like youve made a good start so far and smart thinkin to for opinions/advice before going ahead...always a safe bet.



Sounds good dude let us all know how she goes

Cheers
Kev

Sorry, proly should have done that earlier! lol

Front amp will be a clarion 2 channel which outputs 50w rms per channel. Speakers are also 50w rms, so will be running at full capcity.

Monoblock will be a kenwood 500w rms. Will be running one sub off this one. Sub is, however, only 400w rms.

Battery doesnt seem too bad. tis a few years old though... may push it over the edge!! ha ha (that said, it has been running said clarion 2 channel for last 2 1/2 years)


Ahh cool. i might do a bit more reading into that.


Excellent. That was what i had in mind for doing it.


I might end up looking for an ANL type fuse, have had problems with the AWG one i have now not contacting the fuze properly. I'll go an 80amp one as well.


I will definatly end up going for 4 gauge from battery to d block, and proly 8-gauge to the amps.

I will have a look around and work out some differences in pricing when i go shopping to see if 4-gauge is the go for the last stint (d block to amp). its going to be short, so proly will end up doing that.


Yeah, will do mate. Will be starting install at the end of June (after exams!! ) so i'll keep everyone up to date with how it all goes.

And cheers for all the help to, its appreciated.

If i have any more questions (or you do!! ha ha), i'll come and post them up in here.

Thanks,
Nic

1. So what size cabling and fuze should i be using?
2. Would a 60amp fuze be enough?
4g and 60amp will be perfect

I was planning on using 4gauge to the back of the car, dist block into 2*8gauge. Use 8 gauge from amps to ground.
3. Is this all the right way of doing it?
Yes

Tute also reckons that best way to do common ground is through a d block.
That’s correct

4. Couldnt i just screw them to the floor with the same screw?
Yes, but seems unnecessary and messy to have 2 smaller cables going allt he way back to the same point

5. Whats the reason behind using a common ground? other than not drilling holes all through the car! lol
avoiding different resistences in the grounding and rejecting alternator whine

6. Is there anything else that i am missing?


Recommended Cable Size by Power and Distance
Total RMS Distance
(watts) 4 feet 8 feet 12 feet 16 feet 20 feet
100 8 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge
200 8 gauge 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
400 8 gauge 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
600 8 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge
800 4 gauge 4 gauge 4 gauge 0 gauge 0 gauge
1000 4 gauge 4 gauge 0 gauge 0 gauge 0gauge
1400 0 gauge 0 gauge 0 gauge 0 gauge 0 gauge

so aaron, in your opinion a 60amp fuse would be better suited than an 80 amp for the application?

as far as grounding through a D block is concerned, i may have to wait unitll i can get some prices to determine whether or not to do it that way. i will definatly look into it though

thanks heaps too aaron.

cheers,
Nic

Yes 60amp is the way to go.
You are unlikely to blow that anyway. It will allow more than 60amps to pass through before blowing for short preiods.

As far as grounding goes it's upto you.
it's really about neateness the overall sound will not be affected by either of those methods.

okay cool. i'll proly end up with a 60amp fuse then. Thanks for that.

neatness wont be too much of a concern in that respect, as it will all be behind a false wall in the boot. (Edit: that said, i dont want s**t everywhere!! )

cheers, and thanks again for the help guys,
Nic

Last edited by nicco on Thu May 10, 2007 5:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

id be tempted to get lets saya 30 amp fuse as it will still take a while at 45A to blow.

and would u be using ita at 100% for more than few seconds?

also spend that bit extra and get asize up wire u need. its easyieer to do it once. unless u are 100% sure u will never upgrade

hey guys, i am back with one final question with regards to the trigger cable from the head unit.


I will be running the two amps off of it, but i also want to switch a relay with it as i will be mounting a couple of fans around the amps.

Will the trigger cable have enough grunt to take switching 3 things on? (two amps and the relay)

cheers again,
Nic

sorry to hijack thread, but from the table, im running a JBL monoblock which is rated at 580wrms and im getting a jaycar 4x50wrms amp, will my 4awg power wire be alright or should i be looking at getting a 2awg (it runs from batttery to boot: 5m)

i will occasionally run it close to max (particularly the monoblock)

From what I have read, the trigger wire is good for up to 2 amp's. If more than 2 then use a relay. So I would probably run 2 relays, 1 for the amps and 1 for the fans.

yeah, i think i read that too.

may have to speak to a sparky back home when i head up.

all i would say is bigger is better

yea id use cheap relay jsut check how much current is require dto hold the coil in. eg u might only need 1 realy for fans and us eteh trigger wire for teh amps and relay

Very helpful converters, tables and tutorials here... http://www.bcae1.com/wire.htm
Helped me a lot...

EDIT only just realised the questions were asked a while ago... oh well. the site is still helpful!