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New member Username: Turok6_007Post Number: 4 Registered: Jul-05 | can i hook up a 1200 watt car amplifier to a 40 amp power supply or would i need a few 40 amp power supplys also can i hook up a 500 watt amp to a 40 amp power supply or could i use a lower power supply |
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Silver Member Username: Kd7nfrMontpelier, ID United States Post Number: 410 Registered: Apr-05 | You can hook it up, but put a circuit braker on the positive side that's 40 amps. That way you don't blow your PS. And you can run that 500 watt on it easy. |
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New member Username: Turok6_007Post Number: 9 Registered: Jul-05 | is it possible to hook up a 50 x 4 watt max car radio or a 35 x4 radio to a 10 amp power supply is so which one |
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Gold Member Username: James1115Wilton, Ct Post Number: 3647 Registered: Dec-04 | you would be able to hook up any head unit to a 10amp power supply the only problem you would run into is if you ran it at peak power but even the alpine v-drive's only run 27 watt rms but they claim 60x4 peak. as long as you keep it within limits it would be fine. |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfWisteria, Lane USA Post Number: 8383 Registered: Dec-03 | I'll give you the math for this so you'll be able to figure it out yourself. 40A power supply, multiply by the voltage output.. 12VDC or 13.8VDC. Usually the latter. That's the amount of wattage the SUPPLY puts out. Now you need to find out what the amplifier draws: amplifier wattage: 1200 watts RMS (always use RMS) find out if the amplifier uses a regulated (PWM) power supply, or unregulated. you'll know this by seeing if the input voltage affects the power output of teh amp. If the amp isn't affected by input voltage OR the amp says it has a PWM power supply, divide the wattage of the amp by 12. IF the amplifier wattage is affected by the input voltage, divide by teh power supply's output voltage (13.8 usually) we'll use 12 for this example. result is 100 (Amperes) to get 1200 watts now, take that 100A and multiply by 1.2 if this is a class D amplifier, or multiply by 1.4 if this is a multi-channel class AB (full range) amplifier. This is done to factor in average efficiency based on type of amp. say our example amplifier is class D. 100A * 1.2 your amp needs about 120A to deliver 1200 watts. this means while you can run a 1200 watt amp on a 40A supply, the most power you'll get from the amp without blowing the power supply circuit breaker, is about 380 watts RMS. (40A*12V)*0.8 |
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Silver Member Username: Kd7nfrMontpelier, ID United States Post Number: 416 Registered: Apr-05 | Lol. I'm glad someone here has the patience to explain all that, I sure don't... |
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gpz1100 Unregistered guest | In addition to what glass said, consider the following. Most home bench power supplies (this is what you're using?) should probably not be run at 100% load (or close to 100% (1200/1400 = 86%). Although it's unlikely you'll be running your speakers and amp at maximum volume levels, this is something to always keep in mind.. No electronic equipment should be run at full power for extended periods of time.. Reduces equipment life. I have the following on my test bench. PR25 model http://www.tripplite.com/shared/pdf/literature/200406125.pdf It's uses a step down transformer rather than switching to produce the output. Big heavy boat anchor, but works well. Which PS you using?? |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfWisteria, Lane USA Post Number: 8395 Registered: Dec-03 | I have an Orion PS100 myself, but yeah you generally want to run a power supply like these at around 60-80%, but no higher to keep it near it's peak efficiency. The power curve drops off more sharply after that point and you start running into problems. You'll also find most supplies are rated for continuous and peak current values. stick with the continuous ratings to see what they'll do in realistic use. for most benchwork that doesn't involve running the amplifier at full output to test power output, that 40A should do fine.. great for troubleshooting and such. even connected to some test bookshelf speakers, you'll draw maybe 10 or 20 watts from most amps during bench testing. |