just got my dc power alt!
04-26-11, 04:27 PM
#32
Engine ground on your car is the only wire from the battery. I can actually see it in your picture where you added another wire 
It connects to the frame about a foot up that cable through a bracket. With 0 gauge, and your new alternator, plus a good battery, I can't see why your voltage is dimming. Capacitors are NOT garbage, although there are garbage products on the market. I've seen caps cut in half which were almost completely filled with stuffing and lead weights!!! A better alternative to the cap would likely be another kinetik cell, like an hc600 where the cap is wired in.
It connects to the frame about a foot up that cable through a bracket. With 0 gauge, and your new alternator, plus a good battery, I can't see why your voltage is dimming. Capacitors are NOT garbage, although there are garbage products on the market. I've seen caps cut in half which were almost completely filled with stuffing and lead weights!!! A better alternative to the cap would likely be another kinetik cell, like an hc600 where the cap is wired in.i tried to follow the ground on the battery to see where it lead to but i couldnt follow it from end to end. i did add to that ground just to be sure.
..well thats a relief, at least. now to figure out the rest. =(
my voltage reads 12.8 with everything off. but when i turn my key to accessories, it automatically drops down to 12 volts, maybe a little higher but usually 12 volts. could that mean battery isnt good? the damn battery is only 3 months old though, so would suck to have to replace it already
04-27-11, 12:17 AM
#38
my voltage sits at 12.0 with ignition key with the radio on
my voltage sits at about 14.8 on average with car running (no radio)
my voltage sits at about 14.6 with car running and radio on but no subs
my voltage fluctuates between 14 and 13 and sometimes low 12 with car running and bass on
diming of all my lights occur with bass on at moderate levels.
04-27-11, 12:20 AM
#39
so you think another small battery in the back would help out? i was just worried because for all the electrical upgrades ive done i thought 1500 watts shouldnt be that much.
did you by any chance have similar problem before adding a battery in the back?
04-28-11, 08:22 AM
#40
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i have two amps with current draw. in car audio they say to total the fuses on the amps and then divide those by 2 and thats usually the current draw, so i have about 100 amps in current draw.
and my battery usually is at about 12.6 volts. except when i turn the igntiion to accesory on the car my votlage goes down to 12. is that normal?
and my battery usually is at about 12.6 volts. except when i turn the igntiion to accesory on the car my votlage goes down to 12. is that normal?
If your total system power RMS is roughly 1440W then assuming your amps are pretty efficient (say 70% which a good average) then your total current draw could be up to 143 amps. This is at a voltage of 14.4V but as your voltage drops then your current requirements will increase. At 12V then your total requirement could be 171 amps or more. The rest of your vehilce electrics could require up to 100 amps under certain circumstances on a car like the GS.
So your total system requirements could well be 270 amps. This does however mean that your alternator should be up to the job however you HC1800 probably wont.
Kinetik batteries are rated in Watts to make matching easier and they also advise allowing roughly 1200 watts fro the vehicles standard equipment. This means in Kinetik terms your requirements will be 2640 Watts so as you can see your quite underpowered battery wise. My suggestions would be to add an HC1400 in the boot if you can.
I doubt the cap is causing your issue so i wouldnt worry about having to remove it although i would never recommend a CAP to solve a current draw issue. I normally would only use them to improve sound quality and transient response in a system.
You also have to take into account the voltage drop that can occur in cables especially in a long run from front to rear.
Contrary to popular belief it is a goodf idea too earth the amps / rear battery to the front battery as the chassis of a vehicle is generally not a very efficient conductor so this may be something else that you might want to try.
In summary i would start by adding a rear battery and seeing how you go from there.
This assumes that you dont have an earthing problem elsewhere of course so make sure everything else is in good condition.
Hope this helps
Nath
04-28-11, 11:53 PM
#41
The maths there isnt too correct im afraid.
If your total system power RMS is roughly 1440W then assuming your amps are pretty efficient (say 70% which a good average) then your total current draw could be up to 143 amps. This is at a voltage of 14.4V but as your voltage drops then your current requirements will increase. At 12V then your total requirement could be 171 amps or more. The rest of your vehilce electrics could require up to 100 amps under certain circumstances on a car like the GS.
So your total system requirements could well be 270 amps. This does however mean that your alternator should be up to the job however you HC1800 probably wont.
Kinetik batteries are rated in Watts to make matching easier and they also advise allowing roughly 1200 watts fro the vehicles standard equipment. This means in Kinetik terms your requirements will be 2640 Watts so as you can see your quite underpowered battery wise. My suggestions would be to add an HC1400 in the boot if you can.
I doubt the cap is causing your issue so i wouldnt worry about having to remove it although i would never recommend a CAP to solve a current draw issue. I normally would only use them to improve sound quality and transient response in a system.
You also have to take into account the voltage drop that can occur in cables especially in a long run from front to rear.
Contrary to popular belief it is a goodf idea too earth the amps / rear battery to the front battery as the chassis of a vehicle is generally not a very efficient conductor so this may be something else that you might want to try.
In summary i would start by adding a rear battery and seeing how you go from there.
This assumes that you dont have an earthing problem elsewhere of course so make sure everything else is in good condition.
Hope this helps
Nath
If your total system power RMS is roughly 1440W then assuming your amps are pretty efficient (say 70% which a good average) then your total current draw could be up to 143 amps. This is at a voltage of 14.4V but as your voltage drops then your current requirements will increase. At 12V then your total requirement could be 171 amps or more. The rest of your vehilce electrics could require up to 100 amps under certain circumstances on a car like the GS.
So your total system requirements could well be 270 amps. This does however mean that your alternator should be up to the job however you HC1800 probably wont.
Kinetik batteries are rated in Watts to make matching easier and they also advise allowing roughly 1200 watts fro the vehicles standard equipment. This means in Kinetik terms your requirements will be 2640 Watts so as you can see your quite underpowered battery wise. My suggestions would be to add an HC1400 in the boot if you can.
I doubt the cap is causing your issue so i wouldnt worry about having to remove it although i would never recommend a CAP to solve a current draw issue. I normally would only use them to improve sound quality and transient response in a system.
You also have to take into account the voltage drop that can occur in cables especially in a long run from front to rear.
Contrary to popular belief it is a goodf idea too earth the amps / rear battery to the front battery as the chassis of a vehicle is generally not a very efficient conductor so this may be something else that you might want to try.
In summary i would start by adding a rear battery and seeing how you go from there.
This assumes that you dont have an earthing problem elsewhere of course so make sure everything else is in good condition.
Hope this helps
Nath
im still learning about electrical, and even though i realize i should've probably figured that out before, i still didnt really realize it til now lol.
you made a lot of sense about my battery just not being up to par. i guess i was just being stubborn wanting my one single battery to hold up against everything (mostly cus i dont want to have to purchase another one and becuase i really dont want to have to add more equipment to my car) but i guess thats what it takes with this much power and also considering our gs' are almost completely electrical.
do you know of any battery that is bigger (power wise) than a kinetik 1800 but same measurements as the 1800?
or do you think i could just add a smaller kinetik in the back?
Last edited by robertoyou; 04-28-11 at 11:57 PM.
04-29-11, 01:07 AM
#42
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thanks for the detailed reply man. really appreciate it.
im still learning about electrical, and even though i realize i should've probably figured that out before, i still didnt really realize it til now lol.
you made a lot of sense about my battery just not being up to par. i guess i was just being stubborn wanting my one single battery to hold up against everything (mostly cus i dont want to have to purchase another one and becuase i really dont want to have to add more equipment to my car) but i guess thats what it takes with this much power and also considering our gs' are almost completely electrical.
do you know of any battery that is bigger (power wise) than a kinetik 1800 but same measurements as the 1800?
or do you think i could just add a smaller kinetik in the back?
im still learning about electrical, and even though i realize i should've probably figured that out before, i still didnt really realize it til now lol.
you made a lot of sense about my battery just not being up to par. i guess i was just being stubborn wanting my one single battery to hold up against everything (mostly cus i dont want to have to purchase another one and becuase i really dont want to have to add more equipment to my car) but i guess thats what it takes with this much power and also considering our gs' are almost completely electrical.
do you know of any battery that is bigger (power wise) than a kinetik 1800 but same measurements as the 1800?
or do you think i could just add a smaller kinetik in the back?
Regarding a bigger power cell i think you will struggle to find a bigger capacity cell that is the same dimensions as the HC1800. Knetik are very good and efficient for their size so im afraid you will probably have to go down the twin cell route. They do make bigger cells but you wont be able to fit them in the standard location (HC2400 for example). I think your best bet will be an HC1400 in the boot and that will also give you a little headroom for future upgrades or additional items etc.
Assuming that your current power cell is in good condition and all your wiring is ok then you should be pretty well set for everything you need.
Thanks
04-29-11, 09:50 AM
#43
Regarding a bigger power cell i think you will struggle to find a bigger capacity cell that is the same dimensions as the HC1800. Kinetik are very good and efficient for their size so im afraid you will probably have to go down the twin cell route. They do make bigger cells but you wont be able to fit them in the standard location (HC2400 for example).
Thanks
Thanks
i have a hc1800 under-hood and a hc2400 in the trunk but when i test fit them i was using the hc2400 under-hood and was gonna upgrade to the hc3800 in the rear but never did
Last edited by sakataj; 05-04-11 at 10:05 AM.
04-29-11, 10:44 AM
#44
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Well if thats the case and a 2400 WILL drop straight in then thats possibly a good solution to your problem (or at least a first step). You may be able to sell your 1800 an recoup some of the cost and also the weight increase will not be as great as adding a second cell in the boot.
As for why the information was ignored earlier im afraid i really cant say, maybe the OP just wanted a slightly more detailed explanation as to what was causing the problem. Im sure it wasnt personal though and im sure all help and advice will be appreciated by the OP.
Thanks
Nath
As for why the information was ignored earlier im afraid i really cant say, maybe the OP just wanted a slightly more detailed explanation as to what was causing the problem. Im sure it wasnt personal though and im sure all help and advice will be appreciated by the OP.
Thanks
Nath
04-29-11, 12:36 PM
#45
maybe he just likes making new hreads, i dunno.