Will my battery
cope with a big amplifier's power demands?
Most passenger cars are powered by a single 12 Volt battery of sufficient
capacity to allow the car to start even when the battery is fairly old.
If you turn on the headlights, wipers, heated screen demisters, and other
high current items, and stop the engine, the battery will drain very quickly.
With the engine running, it is the alternator which actually supplies
the demand, not the battery.
If you add a high power amplifier, say about 750 Watts, then you may
find that the alternator will not keep up with the total requirements
of the electrical system.
You will know, as the headlights will start to dim as you turn up the
wick!
Or perhaps the dashboard lights act as a mini disco, beating in time
to the bass drive!
The solution is to add an auxiliary battery to power only the sound
system. It stops you having to ask for a push from your friends when the
car battery is flat.
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Above 750 Watts - you probably need an auxilliary
battery.
Often this battery is installed at the rear of the vehicle, and as close
to the amplifier system as possible. To ensure the main battery is not
drained by this battery when the engine is not running, an isolator is
inserted between them. Connection is only made when the engine is running,
and then the alternator charges both batteries.
An isolator can be as simple as a pair of diodes, but as this increases
the volt drop in the supply chain, it is more usual to use a solenoid.
Fuse protection is essential.
For higher performance, a storage capacitor is often used, mounted as
close to the amplifier as possible.
Need to know more, have your system checked for performance,
or buy your power accessories - contact the Road Radio sales team.
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