i've got a 2006 dodge charger with a 160a alternator and I'm running 1 memphis PDR.1000 that puts out 1000rms... my lights dim when the bass hits... would a capactor be good enough to fix this or do i need to upgrade my electrical system. If a cap is the awnser what is a good cheap one and where can I get it? Thanks
Yeah, do the big 3. Don't get a capacitor they are useless. Even with a good electrical system your lights may still dim, because the alt's voltage regulator is not fast enough to keep up with the amplifiers current draw. This is not a problem as long as your voltage does not go below 12.5 volts with the engine running.
i have a 2006 charger with 1 15" mtx 9544 subwoofer rated at 1000 watts rms and 2000 peak and 1 1501d amplifier driving it and my lights flicker so much my car feels as if it is going to die. Doing the big three on a 2006 dodge charger is very expensive because the battery is located in the trunk of the car and not under the hood. Running zero guage wire from the battery in the trunk to the alternator in the front requires alot of zero gauge wire and that is why it is expensive. If you can find good zero guage wire at a decent price then doing the big three might work but since the battery is in the back and the alternator is so far away i dont know if it will work. if anyone has done the big three to a new charger would you please let us know. and does anyone know where to get good zero gauge wire at a low cost.
I have a 2001 blazer and a new stereo system in it. I have upgraded the alt to battery (+), and added heavier grounds (4awg) in parallel with all factory battery grounds. I also added a 2 awg ground to the fender.
I have a MTX 7801 Amplifier (mine is rated at 1728 watts RMS at 1 ohm). I'm asking the amp for about 800W RMS powering 2 Infinity Kappa Perfects. When i'm nearly maxing out the perfects with one quick/hard bass hit, my voltage goes all over the place. It will dip severely (so much that cars think i'm flashing them with my headlights). I have 1/0 running from the battery to the Amp. At the amp, i have "T" connections that put a Stinger 12 farad capacitor in parallel with the amp (about 1 foot of 1/0 between them). I have upgraded my 100A alternator to a physically bigger 200A also. What am i doing wrong that my voltage dips so badly? It didn't seem to do this before, but lately my alternator seems to be dying. I realize this is probably the problem, but what caused it in the first place? The alternator is 2 months old! Did i hook somethign up wrong?
One more thing... My engine block has one of those extra 4awg wires grounding it. Should I be running an extra ground wire to the base of the alternator too? Right now, the alternator is grounded through the motor...
^^^ Actually this is on the same topic... I'm having trouble with my lights dimming as did the starter of this topic. So I think our problems might be related. Granted i'm not driving a Charger, but maybe we have the same problem.
Mark try the eBay. The sell by the foot. 20' of 0ga shouldn't be that expensive. After all it's a one time expense.
Raydulce, use a DMM and monitor the car's voltage when the bass hits. If your alternator is really 200A, then it should be able to handle 1800w amp. When your lights dim badly, are you moving or idling? Is your amp class D or AB?
I'm going to use a DMM tonight. I do have a couple of digital volt meters on the truck though, and even though they're probably not the highest quality they've been giving me an idea of whats going on. The alternator is rated for 200A @ about 2k rpm, and about 120A at idle.
I get these problems all the time, even when driving down the interstate. The amp is a Class D, MTX 7801.
Hey Jonathan Spino... I may have found our problem. I have been in contact with my amplifier manufacturer (MTX) and the manf of my capacitor (Stinger) and we've come to the conclusion that my problems (including lights dimming) are due to my battery. The system is done right, except that the battery i have is just not good enough. I bought a AC Delco Professional series battery which is wonderful! But when i crank up the bass, i'm trying to supply my amplifier with a large surge of current, at the same time i'm trying to recharge the capacitor. I've been instructed to add a 2nd small battery (stinger sp-680) or simply upgrade my primary battery (to a Stinger SP-1500D). These are 'dry' batteries and discharge much faster than a standard wet battery. This should help supply my system with the bass hits, as with helping to recharge that capacitor.
Since your battery is in the back of your car, i'd definatly add an extra ground (Drill through the nearest metal point and run 2 awg). Then i'd put a stinger battery back there. I don't want to sound like a comercial for them, but i've heard some darn good things about optima batteries, and stinger are supposed to just kick their butt. Good luck man. I'll let u know if it works for me (battery is shipping today).
Raydulce, here's the problem. Battery is a device that releases energy. I know lot of people will say "throw in a second battery" or "add a cap" and it will solve all your dimming problem. By doing that, you're only masking the issue, not solving it. If for example, you add a 2nd battery to your configuration, all you've did was increase the power reserve. When the bass hits, it'll suck up power from the alternator, and whatever it can't produce, it'll get from battery. Alternators supply 13.2v - 14.4v. Battery is always around 12.5v. So if you do the math, you will ALWAYS have dimming problem. The only time when you will not notice it is, when most of the current draw comes from the batteries. This means the voltage will be around 12.5v or less. So during that time, the lights will appear "normal". If you had eagle eyes, then you'd notice that it's not as bright. What you really should do is find out how far the voltage drops during heavy bass. If it's above 12.5v then you're fine. If not, then the alternator is not producing the rated power. Your 200A alternator shouldn't have any problem with 1800w amp. I've had 160A with 2000w class D amp and had no major issue. You will always have slight dimming cause of voltage drops, 14.4v --> 13.2v.
the second battery will stablize voltage rails until that's depleted, too. the battery only helps when: a: on an isolator and b: when the engine is off. if your voltage rails sag with your car is running, you need a high output alternator.
I'm really having the problem while the vehicle is running. I have a High Output alternator already. My truck came from the factory with a 100A which was WAY more than the truck needed. So i upgraded to a 200A. I figure this is leaving me about 150A free for the stereo. I still get voltage drops. Anybody have any other suggestions? I'm going to TRY the dry cell stinger battery, becuase i'm low on options. I'll let u guys know how that works in a week or so.
Most of those "supercaps" have such high ESR's that they can actually make things worse. If you still have a problem with light dimming you could try a conventional stiffening cap with a decent ESR.
I really don't understand the problem though. As long as the headlights don't dim severely enough to cause an accident and the voltage recovers quickly who cares?
In some cases dimming headlights is just par for the course.
lights dimming briefly isn't really a problem, as that's just a visual symptom of the propagation between the demand for higher current, and the alternator responding. If you watch the voltage on a meter and it's dropping below 12 volts, and not recovering quickly, then you have problems. remember the alternator's output is only 200A when it's above idle, like 1500RPM or better. At idle, the alternator isn't putting out nearly the current it's rated for.
Yeah, i'm going to try to disconnect the cap. The headlights are dimming way too much though. To the point that it looks like i'm flashing people going down the road. Plus i blew the alternator... I think i'm gonna try a STINGER battery and also try disconnecting the cap. Who knows...
Well if you blew the alternator thats probably the whole problem. Betcha things will be a lot better when you get a new one.
I still don't understand why people are so interested in buying special built batteries.
THEY MAKE ZERO DIFFERENCE WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.
In fact more batteries just increases the load on the alternator. I've never bought an optima, stinger, or kinetik and since I never run my system with the engine off probably never will.
I've been trying to stress that, but I guess you can't beat the marketing people. I mean they did the same thing with magical caps and batcaps. The only time when I see 2nd battery being useful is when you have lot of devices and want to power them separately from starter battery.
Well i'll be able to form an opinion on the battery in a little while. I installed a STINGER 1500D battery tonight. It should be stupidly big for my application (maybe thats why I had to make a few modifications to get the darn thing to fit!). I'll get my alternator back by Thursday or Friday.... So then i'll be able to compare everything. So far, my factory alternator just sucks so bad that the battery and capacitor don't do much...
So ISAAC and FISHY, what do you recomend for me then? I had a High Output alternator and had some moderate light dimming. Nothing horrible, but more than I think should of had. Then I blew my alternator. 200+ alternator with 1/0 wiring (130A at idle). I blew something in it, and then had severe voltage problems. I realize getting back a new alternator will make a world of difference, but why did it blow in the first place? Why do my lights still dim quite a bit when everythign is hooked up correctly?
I'm trying the battery and capacitor becuase nobody has been able to tell me a better solution. I really am open to suggestions.
Well its seems like you're willing to throw a helluva lot of money at the problem.
Use two alternators. One to power the stock systems in your car, the other exclusively your tunes. I imagine it would involve terribly expensive custom work, but isolating the two systems would definitely solve any headlight dimming problems.
Personally I'd just learn to deal with it, especially if you see improvement with a new alternator.
As far as why your alternator died? Dunno the answer to that one. Mine died after a couple years of use as well. The voltage gradually began to climb over time until it eventually gave up the ghost.
You may have to look at regular alternator replacement as part of the price of doing business.
