Archive through December 17, 2004
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Julio U Unregistered guest | I was wondering if anyone can help me out. I have a KENWOOD KAC-929 2 channel 1000w max power AMP, 2 10" TS-W254C PIONEER SUBS, each at 250w RMS and a pair of INFINITI 652i 6.5" speakers. All this I want to have as my audio system for my computer, but don't even know where to start. At the momment all I have is an onboard Sound card, but a newer one can be bought once I know where to start and what to look for. If anyone can help me out it would be much appriciated. Thanks | |
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BuTTeR Unregistered guest | ok, ull need a few things youll need a power adapter, 12 volt - 240 so u can plug ure amp into a wall socket. an audo cable adapter, 1 stereo (male) to 2X RCA (male). then its easy done. plug one side of the stereo adapter cable into your PC (the end that fits), then the other 2 plugs into your car amp. plug your amp into the wall (obveosly). hook the speakers up to ure car amp. that should be that, post again if u need help  |
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Unregistered guest | ok so i've heard of power adapters that you can buy for your car to plug AC units into, but they make the opposite of this?? Where would you by this?? | |
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Unregistered guest | How can i construct the PIE PIO/P TO RCA cable? any ideas? |
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Unregistered guest | What kind of adaptor can I get to hook up a car amp to my house system? If any where? Any info would be greatly appreciated. | |
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New member Username: ShadyPost Number: 3 Registered: Apr-04 | does anyone know where to get the adaptor to power the car amp with from the mains? thanks |
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Unregistered guest | Is there any way that i would be able to hook up my car subs and amp to my house system. i have 2 ten inch MTX subs and a 320 watt amp. i need some way to be able to power my amp to run my subs at more watts then my regular system. | |
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Bud Ice Unregistered guest | Yo, I have a Rockford-Fasgate 2 channel 600-watt power amp. Could I use a 12V 50 amp power adapter to be used with this amp to power subbs for home use, or do I need more amps ? Where can I find a power adapter at ? -=Looking for needed info=- Thanks, PEACE... | |
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Luke 356908274509246 Unregistered guest | the easiest/cheapest way to power a car amp in your house is to use computer powersupplys, they are regulated and cheap. | |
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New member Username: WeskerPost Number: 1 Registered: Jun-04 | Hey Luke or anyone who knows about this. Could you please tell me how to go about hooking up a car amp to a pc power supply? Which wires to cut and attach etc. Thanks. Also, please reply in my e-mail address: roch_pottier@hotmail.com |
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doggy69247 Unregistered guest | ok its not a good idea to run it directly from the wall the amperage in them convertors suck u need an actual car batery i have dont this i had my sub and amp hooked up 2 my dvd player its not recomenden the omes are different in house and car audio and if u have a car batery in your room u need a charger and when u charge baterys they let off fumes acid fumes with u breath in all night and find wourself haveing cronic nose bleeds becaus u rotted your walls on your nostrils out so now i have a car its all in my car no more waking up covered in blood looking like u have been shot |
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Unregistered guest | what can a 6-way amplifier run? | |
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Mike Clausing Unregistered guest | can you power multiple amps with one power supply if it was strong enough? I have a solid 400w powersupply and am looking to power 2 100w amps. | |
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Michael Clausing Unregistered guest | sorry i missread that, thats a lot of pwer supplies! How afordable is the other option? Could you give me a link? | |
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Anonymous | U use the yellow wires (12v) and the black wires (0v). make sure you have enouth power so that your powersupplys put out the value shown on the fuse of the amp. Use all the yellow wires and the same thickness of black wires. An alternative? this is the cheapest. cant use a transformer rectifier and caps/regulator coz its too expensive & inefficant. The cheapest way is switch mode powersupplys (like computer powersupplys) however, for those with a bit more moolaa then me, you can buy 12v switched mode psu's like http://www.altronics.com.au/cat.asp?cat=3&grp=464&id=M8737 Thats 150$AU for only 12.5 amps. (u can buy mine off me for $100au??? lol.) I picked up computer powersupplys from computer shops for like $5 each, 200watt AT type, they put out 8 amps each. Connect up 6 of them and off u go. Luke_g60@hotmail.com |
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Unregistered guest | you guys are crazy. don't use computer p.s. you will need to many. you can run an amp with one, but it will be SEVERELY starved for power. use a quality regulated power supply from a electronics supply whearhouse. a 20 amp supply is about 40 bucks. you realy need better than that. but a 40 amp model is better than a hundred (us$). really. if you have a 100 wpc amp, 2 channels, you really need a 400 watt p.s. to supply it. a good amp will be rated rms. which means dynamic power can be over twice the rated output. DO NOT cheap out on pwer supply. performance and sound quality will severely suffer. example: at one time a had a soundstream class a 5.0 amp. rated at 50 wpc rms. tested unit at 90 wpc rms. orginally i had the amp installed with 2 10 gauge cables for the + side of the power, and one for the -. the single biggest boost in sound was when a switched to 4 gauge cables. HUGE difference. so do you think that 6 computer power supplies are going to provide enough juice when 2 10 guage cables could not? one of those 10 gauge cables carried more current than all 6 of those supplies tied together! it wasn't close to enough. do it, but buy a quality 40 or 50 amp REGULATED power supply. you will HEAR the difference. if you can't, you don't need to be spending big bucks on audio stuff anyway. p.s. radio shack, or equivalent will have an adaptor to convert mini headphone jacks to rca. |
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mikcvr Unregistered guest | get a job.... earn extra cash.... buy a home audio system...... umm rent-a-center.... poor way to have nice things.... or a pawn shop..... something.. STOP TRYING TO CRACKER RIGG BS CAR AUDIO TIHS TO YOUR COMPUTER...... it's easier to get a stereo to rca splitter and plug your computer output to a home theatre input and break your windows than to rigg a bunch of tihs that sounds like tihs that will probably catch tihs on fire..... when it comes to music dont be so cheap..... i mean tihs ... the artist dont deserve for their pieces to sound like pieces of tihs.... pawn you car stereo stuff... or get a car... ... best advice given.... ........ you know how many times i had to edit the word 5h1t ..... took me an hour to post lol | |
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fly747sim Unregistered guest | mikcvr is one of the smartest people i've ever seen post on one of these sites. you can get quality home stereo equiptment fairly inexpensively if you go to best buy, grant it it won't be a bose or a valedine, but my KLH system will do everything you guys are trying to do with your car stuff, without the fuss....and the speakers are bigger, louder, and clearer. i think it cost me just over $500 american for my system and i've got 5.1 channel, 100 W/Channel reciever, 6 speakers (two are on the center channel output), and a 100 W powered 8" subwoofered. trust me, i've thought about what you all are trying to do, and this is better, easier, and cheaper in the long run. | |
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New member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 9 Registered: Jun-04 | If you seriously want to use a car amp in the home, you can stop listening to the non-registered users BS and read on. I have specialy made and have been using a atx PS for years now. This is how to use a ATX power supply as a cheep clean way to power your amp in the home.
Let me know what you think. |
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New member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 10 Registered: Jun-04 | This is funny "i had the amp installed with 2 10 gauge cables for the + side of the power, and one for the -. the single biggest boost in sound was when a switched to 4 gauge cables. HUGE difference. so do you think that 6 computer power supplies are going to provide enough juice when 2 10 guage cables could not? one of those 10 gauge cables carried more current than all 6 of those supplies tied together! it wasn't close to enough. " Like this is a load of BS any electrician knows the every 3 gauge sizes the wire cross section doubles so five 14 gauge wires or isx 16 gauge wires would be more then the equlivelent cross sectional area of his 4 gauge wire. and how many wires is there on a ATX power supply ? Now think about this if the ATX power supply wasnt clean then why the Fu@k would the have them on sensitive computer electronics ? |
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luke 675486 Unregistered guest | LOL nickvasquez - your the one who's crazy Do you honoustly think that Computer Power Supply manufacturers can sell a powersupply rated to deliver an amount of current, and not supply sufficant cross sectional area of wires to take the load? They have a rating!, its tested, and not by the way it sounds, its tested using proper equipment by people who get paid to do it for a living. Maybe if you plan to run it a long distance then you could use some beefy cable from the psu to the amp, but it doesn't sound like you very aware of whats goin on. Different size of cable for the + terminal as apposed to the - terminal? Now thats crazy. Current flows in a loop! Your outgoing cable is a bottleneck, and negating any benifit from the extra input cable. whateva im over it. lol. |
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Anonymous | I have been running amps off a couple computer power supplies for testing for years now. It wouldn't be mentioned if it wasn't possible. | |
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Bronze Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 15 Registered: Jun-04 | There is also enough ground wires to add up to the same wire gauge. If it a big amp you may need 2 or 3 ATX computer supplies to add up to the required amperage. This sure the hell beats using a car battery and charger setup or using a huge transformer and rectifier/regulator setup in the house. They weigh alot in comparsion and are far more bulky and in-efficient. A switching regulator has efficiency in the 90%+, alot better then other regulators. Oh and BTY I know about equiptment use for testing, after all I wouldn't be a very good electronics technician if i didn't now would I? | |
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Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 151 Registered: Mar-04 | Nad amps sound superb with Kef speakers, I haven't heard a better match (but I haven't tried EVERY speaker in the land though!) | |
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Unregistered guest | How do u connect many power suplies together ? I tried connecting them but they seem to short each other off. 1 more thing..What gauge cable do i need for a 40AMP Car amp ? | |
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Bronze Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 43 Registered: Jun-04 | Read the document above! Called "Using an ATX computer power supply to make a scalable multipurpose power supply.doc" It's only (51.2 k) this will answer your question. The number of power supplies required depends on the size of the power supplies used. ATX power supplies are recomended because most of the older AT style ones require a ~25% load on the +5 volt rail first to get the +12 volt rail to have the rated voltage/current. Because of this complication i only recommend ATX power supplies. Not to mention that old AT style power supplies also need a minimum load or they will burn themself out, moderen ATX PS don't have this problem. | |
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KISSTHIS Unregistered guest | I Have a Bose In my Room, so kiss my AR$E! | |
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New member Username: Stewy3214Post Number: 3 Registered: Jul-04 | Ou can do this easily and alot better. You can buy chargers for car batteries but you can buy ones for boats that charge batteries you can buy 25amp chargers. My setup is a 200amp hour battery and i just have the charger on when i need it but your amp though it has like 25Amp fuses or watever wont hardly ever reach like 10 or 20 so u get a few good hours before you evn have to think about charging. Simple but expensive way to do it but it works. hooking up to the computer is the easy part | |
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Bronze Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 78 Registered: Jun-04 | How can that be better ? Read my document its not that hard to power a huge amp from computer power suplies for under $100. And then you dont have a huge battery/charger setup or a heavy in-efficient transformer/rectifier/regulator setup. A computer switching power supply provides clean (noise free, near 100% pure DC current)power. They are very light (mabe 2.5 to 3 lbs at most). Just read my document above (Using an ATX computer power supply to make a scalable multipurpose power supply.doc "51.2 k") After you read it you'll understand it can't be much easier then that! |
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Bronze Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 79 Registered: Jun-04 | From a large computer parts company like www.tigerdirect.com you can get 4 big computer power supplies ($23 each!). They can be hooked in parallel to get 100 amps output at 12 volts!! (13.5-13.8 volts actualy) (Read my document above on how this is done) That will power any huge amp (that i have ever encountered anyway). |
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Bronze Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 80 Registered: Jun-04 | Note: On household wiring, you can only get 1700-1800 watts from a single branch from a 15 amp fuse (at 115-120 volts) If you need some serious power concider runing the power suplies off a 220 branch and switch the voltage on the power supplies to 220 volts. The you can get 3300 watts on the same 15 amp fuse at the 220 volts. (power equals volts by the current) Hope this helps the seriously power hungery! (NOTE: YOU WILL NEED MORE POWER SUPPLIES TO GET THIS AMOUNT OF POWER OUTPUT, ITS JUST TO SHOW THE POTENTIAL ADVAILABLE) |
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don1278942153 Unregistered guest | what a mess it would be to have all these power supplies hooked up all over the place in a room..computer power supplies are not made to produce to amounts of current you are needing for hooking up these amps and speakers... what a rat nest that will be with the clutter of supplies and computer power supplies.. use a 12 volt power supply rated to the task you are trying to produce. a regulated ac to dc power supply will supply what you are wanting to do.. you can obtain one from this company as well as a more.. i have had one from this company and they work excellent.. i have had it for years. http://www.tripplite.com/products/inverters/related_dcpower.cfm http://www.tripplite.com/products/inverters/related_dcpower.cfm the higher amp rating the more flexibility you have. |
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don1278942153 Unregistered guest | get a nice home stereo with surround sound .. run the wires neatly throughout the room.. (spend a little extra time running the wires neatly) . all the amps and power supplies you wish to hook up like some of the rest of these people will make a room look like a tornado. problem solved.. with less headache.. or follow the link in the post above to find a decent power supply to do what you wish to do.. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyBarrington Passage, Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 140 Registered: Jun-04 | Have you ever looked at the electronics in one of them power supplies? They are the same thing as computer power supply. Its a switching regulator, to increase the output they parallel the outputs, almost the same as wiring them externaly except its done on the board. The largest they have is 60 amps. I can build one to do in excess of 100amps easily. mess of wires ? remove the power supplies from there orgional case and install in a custom case like mine, then all the wiring is hidden. All you'll have is two large binding posts. If your made of money and dont want to get your hands dirty, fine go buy a power supply. The power supply that uses already cheep switching PS units together produces a cheep alternative to thoes that aren't scared to do a little electrical work. I do electronics and i have used this setup for years at the manifacturing company i worked for. saved them alot of money. A test grade fixed power supply that has a 20 amp output can easily cost $300. Thats for the same output and ripple regection that a typical computer power supply has at a fraction of the cost. Hows that possible ? because computer power supplies are made at such a high volume the prices are very cheep and quality is high. The real difference is the price and the looks. You are moding a power supply thats meant for another product, but its a well suted power supply for any task. | |
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deelkar Unregistered guest | Please distinguish clearly between permanent power, average ower and peak power. the wattage of the amp is almost always peak power, and that's what requires the "big wires", especially if you run them for a few feet. keep 12V Power lines short, and you need smaller cross-section. furthermore you can put Capacitors just before the actual amp, so you don't have to worry too much about peak load, so you can use a PSU designed for your average load, and don't worry, unless you have a really bad amp/speaker combo you don't need too much average power for some serious havoc. |
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an audio guy Unregistered guest | Ok, dont hook a car amp to a computer that's just stupid. Think about it, the power is way different, AC and DC. Leave a car amp in a car so you wont stress it for power. It will sound like crap because you wont harly have any juice going to it. Take it from me, I run my own DJ/mobile car audio company, and I own about 10 grand in amps, and 20 grand in speakers. The worst thing for a speaker is to underpower it. You'll destroy it 10x quicker than by overpowering them. So stop trying to be cheap, spend some money get a home audio receiver and hook it up to your computer that way. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 218 Registered: Jun-04 | You obviously don't know a thing that you're talking about. A computer power supply converts AC to a regulated DC current for one and they are scalable to meet your power requirements its called paralleling similar to what you do with speakers to half the impedance and load the amp more, but in reverse. So leave it to an electrical/electronics technician to explain that it's more then possible. I use computer power supplies for testing or car amps and I have for years. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 219 Registered: Jun-04 | deelkar, look at any amp and pay attention to the fuse rating. A 500 watt amp has a 25 amp fuse for my example. Power equals volts multiplied by the current in amps. Now do the math 25 amps multiplied by ~13.5 to 13.8 (average 12 volt system is slightly above 12 volts between ~12.8-14.2 depending on the charging systems state) and you get only 345 watts. Whys that? It's because it's a peak to peak power rating not the actual power (RMS or equivalent DC power value because remember audio is a form of AC with varying frequency and voltage). RMS is approximately half the peak value (without getting into the heavy math around it). The reason the fuse is rated so high is because it depends on temperature and the typical rule is to use a fuse with 150% the normal current. A fuse protects the circuit by blowing very fast above its rating, and will blow when near its rating for long periods especially if the ambient temperature is high. Wiring should be over sized in low voltage circuits (low voltage is considered <90 volts) to minimise I x R losses (Power loss) more so with DC current then AC current (I'm not going to elaborate why that's so in the posting). Capacitors will help with supplying the power to the amp during demanding periods (normally during heavy bass at loud volume where you have the maximum load), but never under rate the power supply because of a large capacitor bank.. |
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Anonymous | Car batteries? Nosebleeds? 12volt transformers running hot as primus stoves? My god! I like the experimentation - but really! In the time it took to type all this, the original poster could have saved up for a decent home system to go with his PC! Most soundcards have a very poor output until you start spending serious cash - but even then, it's difficult to match the performance of PC sound to Hi-Fi seperates. For a start, most soundcards I've seen don't even have proper line out sockets. 1.5mm jack is hardly the way to go if sound qaulity is important to you. My advice would be to get a decent sound card and trawl around for a good second hand audio bargain. I simply hooked up a NAD 3020i with a pair of Gale minis and it's great! Even with a modestly priced soundcard. Honestly, why try to crack a sledgehammer with a nut, when you can have sweet as a nut sound for only a few extra tenners? If nothing else, you'll know that it's not going to kill you along with your no-claims bonus during the night. Savings on your elec. bill might even pay for it! LOL! V |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 223 Registered: Jun-04 | The question asked was a simple one and the solution to it seamed that everyone had their 2 cents. The question is a viable one many people have their reasons for wanting to do this. Me it was for AMP testing i didn't want to use a battery every time I test a amp in the house. Batteries are expensive and need to be maintained. I didn't want to deal with the hassle of that. I figured out with working on electronics that the expensive high current bench switchers they just parallel the outputs. That had made me think, why can't you do that to cheep computer switching power supplies? In fact you can and fairly easily. Computers need clean power and in fact the power is much cleaner then you get from your car! (Put your car on and oscilloscope [An oscilloscope is basically a graphical volt meter that draws the voltage changes with time '<milliseconds'] and you'll see what I mean). If you were reading the postings there are many people interested in doing this not just the one that's why so many replies. And many from sceptics like your self. You say most sound cards have poor output, yes I agree a lot do but I think it's a bit far to say most do. Onboard sound that's poorly designed defiantly sounds bad same for poor PCI sound cards but less so then onboard sound. The sound blaster series is quite good especially the Audigy series with >96 DB SNR and the price is good too. Sure that don't measure up to more high end gear, but who the hell can hear the difference from anything over >75-80 DB SNR? Most of the sound problems that people run into are because of ground loop feedback, a poor ground between the audio source and the amp causing a hum or other noise. This can be easily fixed. Audio isn't discriminatory over the audio jack size, where the hell did you get that from? Also it's a 1/8" or ~2.5mm 'mini jack' jack not a 1.5mm 'micro jack' also the cords can easily be purchased from radio shack and many other stores. I can break it down for you. 1) You have no money but have the skills. This is for you to do the mod to the ATX power supplies to power your gear in your house. (If you want a cheep system using a car system you already have or for testing purposes) 2) You have no money and have no electrical skills. (Save up your money and forget even doing this and don't even suggest that a battery and charger setup is the way to go. It only proves that you're a stupid idiot.) 3) You have money and the skills. (You may want to do this for AMP/receiver testing (any 12 volt gear actually) or to power your car amps for extended times with the engine off, like for beach parties (most public developed beaches have power outlets near by) and demos (to show off your gear), etc) 4) You have the money and have no electrical skill. Just go buy a system don't waste your time unless it's for a learning experience. |
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Anonymous | 'Lo Fry Guy, "Audio isn't discriminatory over the audio jack size, where the hell did you get that from? Also it's a 1/8" or ~2.5mm 'mini jack' jack not a 1.5mm 'micro jack' also the cords can easily be purchased from radio shack and many other stores." I got it - perhaps, from the fact that proper audio interconnects are properly shielded and carry the nice fat woven oxygen free stuff inside. It tends to make 'em a bit fat - you know? I've yet to see one of these with a little jack crammed onto the end. Part of the reason I never touched Radio Shack for anything audio, is because they were never specialists in hi-fi. I found their gear leaned towards the generic in qaulity. Don't qoute me here, but I think Radio Shack was Tandy's brand product line? Looks to me like they've disapeared from the streets here in England. If you can get these jacks on the end of good (I mean GOOD - not bellwire!) audio cable, then I stand corrected and will look out for some for my own PC->amp setup. Now this might save me the cost of having to replace my sound card with one which carries proper RCA/phono sockets. Heh- don't get me wrong - I love the fact people want to experiment with offbeat setups in this forum - 'cos that's how we all learn to economize and be self-sufficient. I'd read this stuff all day long if I had the time! Regards, V |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 225 Registered: Jun-04 | I have cut them apart and they are shielded (ground is braded around the left and right wires) just like the good microphone wire. The dollar store patch cords lack proper shielding that's critical to eliminate induced noise from near by electronic equipment. Also the grounding and connection quality is no different from the RCA jack. If you think that spending the cash for oxygen free copper is worth it and that a low level audio cable needs to be a heavy wire to lower its resistance a half a ohm. You either have money to blow or you're very dumb. High current wiring can benefit from this, like subwoofer wires so the amp can have a better 'dampening' effect to maximise the transient response. What little effect that it actually is, is very minimal to say the least. I agree that radio shack is far from a state of the art Hi-Fi dealer. But note I have fooled the savviest of local audiophiles with a custom speaker system using radio shack speakers and a well made Technics amp. There is so many things to play with an audio system and the expensive speakers do sound good but cheep radio shack speakers can rival the good stuff with proper balanced passive crossovers (none of them off the shelf one crossover for all speaker systems type of deals) you just can't get the flat frequency response that way. No I'm not saying that a pair of radio shack speakers can replace a pair of $2000 klipsch speakers, they can't! The high power speakers offer much higher SPL 'loudness' (not to mention handle more power and require a smaller box because of that) then radio shack speakers can ever do. Basically what I'm saying is don't knock it till you've tried it. I have learned a lot over the years and have proven to many that expensive gear don't always mean superior sound quality. There is so many things to look at for a audio system. The main things are; Features, sound quality and SPL (how loud you want it or need it). 1) Features: CD, DVD, inputs, selector switches... etc 2) Sound Quality: SNR, usually >75-80 DB you wont hear any difference. THD, With all modern gear this is so minimal that this isn't much of a concern now. This applies to all of the sources and the amps. Speaker boxes need to be solid with cross braces to minimise panel resonances. (If your building your own speaker system)The box needs to be properly sized for the speakers used. There is no one box that suits all speakers of the same driver size. It needs to be made to the speaker's thiele-small parameters. The crossover design for 2-3-4 way systems is always an over looked component. (If your building your own speaker system) These needs to be custom made and balanced to get the proper balance between drivers and crossover characteristics maximise the flatness of the frequency response. This is obtained by knowing how to use the different orders (1-2-3-4th order filters) of passive filters and how they act together, it gets very complicated quickly. CAD design makes this easy to do now days. 3) SPL, how loud do you want your system. This is a big one that confuses most people. The expensive speakers assume that you want lots of sound in a small speaker box. That's why they are so high powered, especially car speakers because of the limited room for a box. This doesn't mean that high powered speakers are louder. You can have the same loudness with a lower powered driver. With the trade-off being that the box needs to be larger to get the low frequency response. Generally a low powered driver is more efficient but not by much. Speakers are only about 2% efficient at converting electrical current to sound, so the total difference between them isn't much. So more power it can handle usually the louder the driver can push. More power and more moving mass, the smaller the box can be at high SPL. You can accomplish the same thing by doing an isobaric configuration like the 'push-pull' configuration. This doubles the power and moving mass, so it halves the box size with the trade-off being that the drivers could be 3 DB louder by themselves and the efficiency is slightly lower (not to mention the additional costs for amp power and the driver cost for the high power small box sub or the isobaric pair). This is only a small scratch on the surface of all the things behind the scene that make up a 'good' system. I'm sure I may have sparked some debate or scepticism on the things I have mentioned. I'm open to hear them and discuss them, this process is called learning. You can never learn to much! |
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Bronze Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 11 Registered: Sep-04 | Fryguy, Oh, well - if you are something of an expert then of course you'll be slicing up wires as well as tweaking all sorts of junk to sound better. The statement was probably not directed at me personally, but for what it's worth, I'm neither dumb, nor made of cash. It's all a matter of picking up snippets of info as you go. I spent time taking the oxygen out of metal - but for a different purpose - degassing molten bronze, as it happens. I'm no expert - either on hi-fi or metalurgy - but the theory behind taking the bubbly out just makes common sense to me. And in practice? Well, I have to say (and we always say - 'let your ears decide) that replacing ordinary cables with good copper (with gold bits on the end) made an undeniable and tangible improvement to the sound - to my ears, at any rate. All of my audio cables are out of the old stock bargain bucket - so I always think - what the hell, it can't hurt to have nearest to best at the price they go for. Interconnects matter, it's a fact - but that's how I found out. As for Radio Shack, it's just that a lot of people wouldn't know how to go about improving on it. They just want it out of the box. In that respect, there are similarities - just different areas of skill. i need hi-fi out the box, but I'd rather take quality, discarded furniture and turn it into something special, rather than make do with brand new chipboard. One day, I hope I'll be able to do the same with hi-fi - and it's not just the money aspect- it's the fun and satisfaction of achieving something. That's why it's a pleasure to talk to people with your experience in here. Couldn't agree more on the 'expensive gear' concept. I think there's a lot of overpriced nastiness out there in silver boxes, bristling with coloured lights - but 'Shack gear never apealed to me - especially the 'Realistic' brand. Incidentally, my very first audio system was some Technics seperates. I loved 'em for years, and still got the cassette deck going to this day! I think debate is a good thing for getting ideas across and learning more. Couldn't agree more with you on that one. Actually though, if you asked me to build a custom crossover, I would look pretty dumb, as I wouldn't know where to start! Would love to build a really great pair of speaker cabs one day. Maybe I'll find out how if I stick around here, eh? regards, V |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 226 Registered: Jun-04 | I agree with you. There are benefits to different gear (store bought or made). Oxygen free copper does have its advantage of being a better conductor but so does using a larger gauge of wire. Gold contacts are good conductors and best of all they don't corrode or oxidise. The can be an advantage but does it justify the added cost for all systems to have it? The answer is no, it's not worth it for most situations. Harsh environments will defiantly benefit from the gold contacts, like systems on marine craft. Will it make a sound difference to have oxygen free copper speaker wires? No, it will only lower the resistance of the wire. It may have result in the amplifier having a bit of an increased dampening effect on the speaker, though the result is negligible and most likely inaudible. You must have had a situation where the wire was extremely under sized for the amount of current going to the speaker for you to notice a difference. High powered subwoofers defiantly need heavy gauge wires, especially in long cable runs! The good speaker systems have the proper work done (calculations for the crossovers etc) to ensure the quality of the sound. The problem is many people don't understand the differences between the gear, the technology and/or terminology. How many people know what the advantages are, and how much or how little of a difference it actually makes to the systems overall sound? Understanding these advantages and comparing the costs you can save money on the trivial things. Then spend it where it's more needed or save it for your pocket. If you don't need a super system why go over board on the costs? You don't need a $1000 stereo system for music in your den or library nor does it need to be able to push 100+ DB. So why spend the money on high powered speakers and amp, your not going to need that power unless you space is limited and/or you want it to be loud. Every seemingly simple thing there is a lot or science and technology behind it. A simple light bulb is more complicated then most may think! Speaker systems and components are defiantly far more complicated then a light bulb! |
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sps_2k1 Unregistered guest | this has been the most bizzaare of the posts i have ever read..but i commend fryguy for all the gr8 work.. whats the fun in just buying off the shelf.. improvising and designing gives some real kick... actually i see people have lost the zeal to face challanges .. this post started for a solution to attaching a car amp to a pc.. so let it continue with it. if u have got some stuff to share on the topic then plz do.. its really gr8 to learn about such innovations... AND ALL THOSE WEALTHY OR SKILL LESS STUPID PEOPLES ...FIND SOME OTHER POST.. |
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Bronze Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 12 Registered: Sep-04 | 'Skilllessness' (unskilled) doesn't necessarily mean stupid. Everyone has to start somewhere when learning something new. I think the best answers to any question take into account the practicallities of the situation, rather than a mere single pronged excursion into Frankenstien's lab. There's nothing wrong with this, of course - provided you assess first that the querrant is in a position to obtain - and capable of rigging the suggested components to make it work. The original question is bound to spark offshoot debates - going from 'is this possible' to 'is this the best thing to do?' It may be that the original querrant(s) needed to save money on buying a new domestic amp, when they already have a spare car stereo. Given that set of circumstances, I for one, would definitely try it because I'm happy to experiment if there's a saving to be made. Some people simply don't have the time when they need a quick solution. I've spent this whole week just messing about with different hi-fi arrangments and building proper furniture for the gear. Next week, I'm working mad hours and just need to just press a button to relax after work. I think it's important, however, to assess what the querrant really needs and try to look at the bigger picture. With differing opinions coming in, it's then up to that person to make up their own mind, weighing the pros and cons. Perhaps the line ".... but don't even know where to start" might actually be a clue to work from in this case? I'd also add that where building your own custom PC work desk, setting the car stereo into a panel somewhere might look incredibly cool for that 'integrated' feel - especially if the car speakers were set into the work station, too. That may seem trivial to some, as well - but remember that different people have different needs and goals. Just because one person likes to jury-rig and experiment doesn't mean it's the easiest and most efficient route for another to take. Surely, this forum is here to help people at all levels as well as being a stage for interesting debates. At the end of the day, if the answers help someone to decide on the most realistic solution, then something is achieved. I'll finish by saying that I do in fact have the utmost respect for the knowledgable experimenters - so there's no need to feel defencive towards the practice. If debate helps us to learn, as I have just recently from Fryguy.ca then so be it. Not a bad thing. Regards, V |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 230 Registered: Jun-04 | **thumbs up to Varney** I couldnt have said it better myself. Thats what this is about and it definatly depend on your needs and you will need some basic wiring skills. |
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Bronze Member Username: VarneyBirminghamEngland, UK Post Number: 14 Registered: Sep-04 | But I gotta ask you now: Does speaker wire HAVE to be braided? Is the braided design a better conductor (as similar to how wire behaves in a coil), or would a single-core copper wire with a gold contact work well? I never tried this, but a year ago, whilst wiring my workshop, I'd nearly spent out doing this. Wondered at the time if I could use the solid core copper power cable as speaker wire? V |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 233 Registered: Jun-04 | For low level audio wires like from the source to the line in on the amp you will defiantly want to use a shielded cable (ground braded around the other conductor(s) not meaning the standard stranded cable its "microphone wire" its for line level audio especially any high impedance signals or loads like microphone elements and phono cartridges) for speakers just normal wire is fine but running long lengths along side high current wires can induce a small 60hz current and possibly cause a noticeable buzz at low volume. But this is unlikely for speaker wires due to the impedance of the speaker and amp output would easily stomp out the few micro-volts of induced current. So for speakers you can use stranded or solid copper wire and don't need a braded or shielded cable. | |
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Anonymous | "ok, ull need a few things youll need a power adapter, 12 volt - 240 so u can plug ure amp into a wall socket. an audo cable adapter, 1 stereo (male) to 2X RCA (male). then its easy done. plug one side of the stereo adapter cable into your PC (the end that fits), then the other 2 plugs into your car amp. plug your amp into the wall (obveosly). hook the speakers up to ure car amp. that should be that, post again if u need help " Whats wrong with that? Cant someone just give a simple, straight answer FFS!!! |
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Young guy Unregistered guest | I have a foot of 8 guage and a foot of 18 gauge wire. I am trying to rig up a switch to turn on and off my amp with the REM jack. The switch has 3 connecters, SUPPLY VOLTS, ON ACC., and EARTH GROUND. what do I do? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 274 Registered: Jun-04 | Young guy the supply volts goes to the positive and the on acc goes to the REM on the amp. connect the ground to the negative terminal to get the light to work. |
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Young Guy Unregistered guest | Ok, Thanks. Would speaker wire be good for the + - and REM? Don't want to cut up my other wire, I will if I have to. | |
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New member Username: Young_guyReiliengen, Heidelberg Germany Post Number: 1 Registered: Oct-04 | Fry Guy, I have used the battery/charger option. From what i have heard about the atx psu's there better and cheeper. if somthing goes wrong with my battery, i will build my self a transformer out of PSU's | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 278 Registered: Jun-04 | Young Guy , a battery and charger will work fine. In the future I do recommend that you use a switching power supply for powering your gear directly from the wall. (the reasons were beat to death above). The REM to turn on your amp is low current its just a relay or a solid state switch your turning on. So any 18-22 gauge wire is fine for this task. |
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New member Username: Young_guyReiliengen, Heidelberg Germany Post Number: 2 Registered: Oct-04 | Fry Guy, Thanks for your help. | |
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New member Username: DehooglPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-04 | You can use a PC PSU. It will need to be rated at enough watts for your amp (more than the RMS rating of your amp (I think)). The yellow lead and the black lead right next to this are the ones you need to use. They will be attached to a plug that you usually plug into your hardrive, etc. The best way to connect your amp would be to get the corresponding socket or to hardwire it to the circuit board inside the PSU NOTE: dangerous voltages inside! To avoid electrocution, unplug PSU and leave for a while or if you can, press the power switch, this will discharge the caps inside it. Using this method should work, just make sure your PSU has a high enough power rating or you will burn it out. ;) |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 313 Registered: Jun-04 | Actualy the circuits over current protection will kick in and it will die and in serious cases the internal glass fuse will burn out saving the PSU. I have done it too many times and I haven't killed a PSU yet. Thats just my experience and i still wouldn't risk it if its a expensive PSU. | |
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New member Username: RomesazToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 3 Registered: Oct-04 | I dont see why you DONT just use a car battery. I mean, even if you can get a car amp powered by a comp psu, why would you? Its certainly not cheaper, especially if you're using multiple. How much does a car battery and charger go for these days? I know my way around computers more so than audio, so here's my take on it purely from logic: A good computer psu, costs anywhere from 80 or so dollars, up (that's canadian). Now, if you're using multiple, you're looking at 80+*x, where x is the number of PSUs you're gonna you. I wouldnt recommend using any random PSU, especially ones that are very light to the touch. I've seen enough computers damaged cause of cheap PSUs. So, if a cheap PSU cant really provide any clean power to a computer, why would you want it anywhere near your car amp? Just my two cent, cause I was a little confused by what you meant by "cheaper" when using comp PSUs you power your car amp. I dunno, unless a car batt/charger cost more than 100+ bucks or so total, i'd still go with that option, rather than the PSU. just my 2 cents. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 315 Registered: Jun-04 | You can go buy a battery and a charger to use on your amp in the house but the disadvantages out weigh the savings. For one you can't run it for long at full volume before the charger can't keep up with it and the amp goes into protection mode. Also for clean power do you seriously think that a basic current limited linear charger is clean power to charge that battery? Any cheep ATX will far exceed the cleanliness of power that a charger can produce. The cheep ATX are not as good as the more expensive ones that for sure but are 'good enough' for the average 'Joe Blow' that wants to run it for testing or just listening to music. The cost is cheaper even if the initial cost is more. This is because that a charger and a battery is very in inefficient it converts 120 to 12 volt dc with a inefficient linear charger that's at the most 70% efficient. Then there is losses related to the chemical changes to charge the battery (Haven't you noticed that a charging battery gets very warm?). Then you have losses related to changing the chemical to electrical energy again. If you add the losses you may in the end only be 50-60% efficient, the rest is lost as heat. A switching regulator supplies the entire amount of power to the amp and they typically have efficiency greater than 80% and usually in the 90% range. The largest problem with a battery and charger setup is that it literally stinks; it reeks of sulphur when it's charging and not to mention that the fumes are dangerous! In a true pinch it can be an option but as a long term solution it certainly is not. |
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New member Username: RomesazToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 4 Registered: Oct-04 | Hm... yeah I was considering the chemical side of things if you were to use a car battery/charger. It just seemed like the better option to me, thats all. Like i stated earlier, I've worked more with computers than audio, especially car audio, so it was just my 2 cents worth, hope i didnt offend. Though i appreciate the explanation. Really the only reason i had posted, was cause I didnt really see the "cheaper" factors of using PSUs, since any decent PSU can run quiet high money relative to a car battery, unless i'm mistaken in prices of car batteries. And as you can see, I didnt consider the cleanliness of power from a charger :|.... Either way, thanks for the clarification. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 316 Registered: Jun-04 | As I had said a battery and charger setup will work but it should be considered a temporary solution. Car batteries are $100 and up and they don't last that long when drained and charged repeatedly so you'll need a battery made for that use like a deep cycle battery. I wasn't offended nor was I trying to belittle you. I myself use to use a battery and charger setup for a long time. It was after having to replace my second battery that I thought there has to be a better and cheaper way. I was also getting annoyed with charging problems and the mess from the acid. Also this setup made testing amps in different rooms difficult, the battery is very heavy to carry around. In my job I had repaired a few high current PSUs and compared to a computer ATX. I noticed they just paralleled the outputs on some. This is how the ATX PSU mod came to be. (NOTE: It's good for tailgate parties and you don't need to idle your engine.) |
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New member Username: RomesazToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 6 Registered: Oct-04 | nah, no worries. I didnt take it as belittling. I was just curious. I'm willing to find out anything really about well... most anything. So I guess i should have phrased it more as a question lol I dont think I could have ever even come up with anything as ...creative? lol Though i'm curious, what kind of PSUs do you use? brand? model? and how have they been working so far? I mean, any problems at all? enough power? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 318 Registered: Jun-04 | I personally use several in parallel to get 120 amps output at 12 volt (13.8-14.2 actually). They are assorted brands (all are cheep off brand models) and models of different sizes. Mine is a bank of 6 PSU's that are old AT PSU's but I recommend only using ATX PSU's because the old AT style PSU's have many problems unless you have the ones with the right circuitry in them. Most AT PSU's need a substantial load on the +5 volt rail to have the proper regulation and full rated output on the +12 volt rail, and some AT PSU's need a load or they will burn themselves out. My power supply has been running for several years now with fairly heavy use for testing 12 volt gear and running Halloween props for our Haunted House. A thermally controlled fan keeps the sound down from the fans. I have future plans to mount into a nice metal case (old rack mount amp case) and use a single large fan that provides lost of air at a lower DB level. |
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New member Username: RomesazToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 7 Registered: Oct-04 | Hahah I see you've found many uses for your PSUs lol. Well, the reason i asked was just as i implied earlier; a good PSU nowadays will cost about 80+ bucks(canadian, since thats the currency i wont with, and as I noticed by your uh...profile(??) you do too). There are many brands out there, of course some are more prominent than others, and goes to say with any good really. It's just that I've come to really distrust cheapo PSUs, and hence my very initial question and I guess concern. But hey, if you know what you're doing with them, and have everything under control, then my compliments to you (whatever that may mean to ya hehe). As i stated, just curious, and dont mean to critique or anything of the like. I'd be the last one to do any sort of critiqueing :D. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 320 Registered: Jun-04 | I agree 100%, not all power supplies are built equal. The heavy ones use heavier switching transistors and the Inductors are much heavier so filtering is a bit better and don't saturate under high currents. The cheep one lack surge protection and EMI/RFI filtering on the AC mains. This is how they save money to sell them cheaper, other then that they are the same. If you're using a surge arrestor or a power bar with surge protection your fine. A good place to get a cheep PSU from at wholesale prices withour being a registered reseller would be www.tigerdirect.ca . |
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New member Username: RomesazToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 8 Registered: Oct-04 | I prefer www.canadacomputers.com or www.sunnycomputers.com for my computer hardware purchases. I've just found overall that their prices are a lil' more agreeable with my budget usually. But then again, I think canada comps, has locations only in the greater Toronto area, but they've been expanding lately, so in a few years they might be all over canada. | |
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Jsawyer Unregistered guest | I am trying to run a 500w MTX mono block car amp into a Polk/MOMO 1000W peak power handling subwoofer. I have a 25amp AC-DC converter with the + and - terminals on it. But where would i hook up the REM to on the stereo? any suggestions? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 326 Registered: Jun-04 | depends on what you mean. If you just want to turn the amp on it goes to the +12 volt wire. | |
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jsawyer Unregistered guest | in my car i hook the REM to the acc on the back of the head unit. without it the amp will not turn on, i guess i'm just trying to turn it on so that it will power the sub. --when u say +12volt wire, is that the positive wire on the switch to turn on the converter or the 10 gauge power wire? | |
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april1166 Unregistered guest | Hi, Im buying a C.D. Player for my car and I was woundering if I need a special kind of C.D. player, I dont want to waste my money on something that will not work... could someone please help me??? ^_^ thanks, april | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 327 Registered: Jun-04 | Just your positive power wire. | |
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jsawyer Unregistered guest | april, any cd player will work as long as you have a wiring harness that works for your car. your best bet in your situation is to take it somewhere to have it put in. its costly but worth it if you dont know what your doing or know someone who does | |
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keatz Unregistered guest | the power adapter that allows you to run your amp staight from a wall socket..what does it look like?? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 346 Registered: Jun-04 | Its a moded computer power supply, if you have ever seen a computer power supply before thats what it looks like. | |
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Unregistered guest | Hello I just came to dis website And I think is very cool! Now am trying to hook up my 2 200W. tweeters and my 2 6-1/2 speakers onto my computer. Now I have them pluged to my home stereo but it doesnt sound very well I think it needs more power. Can I get anamplifier for my pc? How Do I plug it to my pc? Or What am I supose to do? |
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Unregistered guest | I have the same question as JAZP new_style new_stuff i want to hook up my speakers and my tweeters but i dont know how to power and setup a amplifier. Email me please at abraham_solis2004@yahoo.com Please Help Me |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 365 Registered: Jun-04 | what hardware do you have? If you have a house amp use that and a patch cable. If not then you'll need an amp first. | |
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whitfield Unregistered guest | Hi, Really interesting post. I'm looking at doing something similar to get 12v high amp output from 240v. I only have 1 question after reading the great contributions here (especially Fryguy). I'm looking to drive 2 car amplifiers could someone point me in the right direction on how to calculate the number of Amps I will require? amp 1 is fused to 80VA (4*20A), amp 2 (sub amp) is 40VA. Is it as simple as I will need to generate 120Amps at 12v? What would be the efect if I create say only 60A at 12v? Cheers for any help. |
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whitfield Unregistered guest | just realised I said 80VA and 40 VA in my question... I meant 80Amps and 40 Amps. |
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A.S. Mexican Homie Unregistered guest | Its a car AMP and i need help on how i can power it. its a 300 watt amplifier | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 370 Registered: Jun-04 | If you're going to be powering from 240 volts ac that going to be ever better then 120 volts. You can switch the power supplies to 220-240 volt and your set and due to the higher input voltage the input current is lower and you can have twice the output with the same 15 amp input fuse in your house. You answered your own question on the current use you just sum the two currents together to get the total current requirement needed 120 amps. This is possible to do and will be a bit of an investment on your part but cheaper then other power supplies. I have the document posted above on how to make the power supply from ATX PSU's from a computer. For you to get the most power for your buck look around and get PSU's with the highest +12 volt current rating that you can find. This will reduce the number of units you need and the over all cost. Then follow the guide for the principle on how it's done and make changes where needed to meet your needs. |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 371 Registered: Jun-04 | Quote: "What would be the effect if I create say only 60A at 12v?" Answer: The AMP will kick out when you turn up the volume. This is because as you turn up the volume you are turning up the power output to the speakers. If the power supplies can't supply the power the AMP will shut down. |
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Anonymous | Can someone please tell me how to hook up my 1200 watt jbl amp to my pc or home system?????? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 372 Registered: Jun-04 | Anonymous, read the posts thats what its all about! | |
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Anonymous | but my amp requires 14.4v DC current, it didnt state how much ampere it takes, and where to connect the GND?? Where to fix the RMT connector to?? can i fix a preamp also?? | |
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Anonymous | MY sound card IS VIA Technologies, Inc. BUT four speakers options not working HELP |
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New member Username: Young_guyReiliengen, Heidelberg Germany Post Number: 3 Registered: Oct-04 | I am giving up with my car battery with a 1000 watt amp (Drains to quick for me) I will go with the PSU's, What minimum requirements will i need for a 1000 wat amp? amperage, wattage? could i put them in a small computer case or rack amp case? if so what would i have to make sure of? If not what would i do with that loose mess? |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 378 Registered: Jun-04 | Anonymous, a standard 12 volt power supply is about 13.8 (including the power from an ATX PSU). The power required will not be stated on most amps just look at the fuse rating for an idea of the peak power you need for the PSU. The REM terminals connect to the Positive (+12 volt, yellow wire). Pre amps can be wired in the same fashion as a normal stereo. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 379 Registered: Jun-04 | Anonymous, sounds like a driver and mixer problem. Update your driver and mixer software for that sound card. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 380 Registered: Jun-04 | Young Guy, A 1000 watt amp will need an 80 amp power supply by my estimate, Check this by looking at the recommended fuse replacement or at the fuses on the unit (If more then one fuse, add them together). For a finished professional look an old rack amp case (That's what I did) can be fitted to hold the components. If you do this you may want to just use one large cooling fan for lower noise (Be sure that it has the same total air flow as the individual fans and as low SPL rating as you can find). All the individual wires on the PSU can be replaced with one large gauge wire to clean it up in the case. Then they can tie to your choice of termination (Large Binding posts, Battery posts, pig tail, or other type of high current connector). (Construction notes: Build to maximize air flow (Intake and exhaust with no obstructions and a line all heat producing components in a straight line with intake and exhaust is best), be sure all high voltage connections are insulated if they are not in the case or if they are loose, securely fasten everything and assume it will be dropped, put a sheet of thin plastic on the underside of the circuit board to prevent short circuit if dropped, be 100% sure that the circuit is not live BEFORE working on it!, allow 10-15 min with power off before working on the PSU to let the capacitors drain to a safe level) |
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Unregistered guest | hey ya all i need help.. i hav RockFordFosgate Punch 500a2 amp.. and 2 12" Alpine Type R.. i wanna hook it up to my computer .. if ya aint too buzy.. holla at gunzsalute@hotmail.com | |
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New member Username: Young_guyReiliengen, Heidelberg Germany Post Number: 4 Registered: Oct-04 | there are two 15 amp fuses on my amp... so 30 amp? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 384 Registered: Jun-04 | I would say so. must be a 4 channel amp with 2 seperate 2 channel amps in a single case for them to have put two 15 amp fuses and not the standard 30 amp fuse. (30 amp is the largest standard maxi type car fuse) | |
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New member Username: Young_guyReiliengen, Heidelberg Germany Post Number: 5 Registered: Oct-04 | Acctually i have a 2 ch amp. (Metric Audio 2 ch 1000W mosfet WDE-1000) Oh... where in my room (Basicly square) would i put my i sub to have it sound like it would in a car? i sit in the middle of a wall. | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 391 Registered: Jun-04 | In the conner it usualy produces a more punchy sound. It can depend on the sub box too. If its a floor firing sub, out the front or of a back baffle. | |
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cyrus_sha Unregistered guest | i have a car amp hooked to mine it was quite simple if its a smaller amp i also have a car cd changer hooked to the comp it wasnt that difficult at all this stuff was just givin to me and i alreayd had enough audio in the car.and messed around found some info about mame which is building a computer in to an arcade cabinet in a mame cabinet they usally use a car amp for sound CAR AMP to Comptuer for the amp get a processor fan or somthing of that sort you can cut the connector off of YELLOW wire go's to power black to ground any other wires on it you dont need if you want it to power on when the computer turns on bridge power(yellow wire) to remote. if you want a switch to turn it off find some random switch just for On and Off have a small wire go from the power to one of the 2 wires coming from the switch the other wire from the switch go's to remote set up the speakers and such and your done set gain to your prefrence CD CHANGER to Computer for the cd changer its a little more difficult there are three main power wires for most Red-yellow-black again you can use a processor fan connector the Yellow coming from the changer connect to yellow on the comp connector youve cut from the fan black go's to black for ground as for the red wire coming from the changer that you will be set up as your switch you can bridge it to your yellow wires to make it turn on with the computer if you want a switch to turn on and off when you wish use a small wire that gos from the yellow power (constant12)to one of the wires on a one of the 2wires of the switch the other wire coming from the switch gos straight to the red wire and your done with power and such now connect all the rest of your plugs (AV cables and such)to the proper plug ins and your done the AVs can be pluged into the amp or a stereo if you plug to the amp you need something for volume CAR HEAD UNIT A head unit can also be hooked to your computer again 3main power wires on deck yellow-red-black use a processor fan connection once again yellow go's to yellow black to black the red bridge with yellow for the deck to turn on with teh computer or wire a switch like before hook speakers and your done your probably not going to be able to hook all 3 things up at once depends on your power suply make sure all your connections are good and not exposed if your case is metal which most are and any of the black exposed wiring toughs you will have some shorting out to look forward to if this happends sometimes you can mess with the voltage switch on your power supply by unpluging switching it to the opposit of what it is on and pressing the power button keep doing this and it should turn back on after a while it helps to also put some extra fans around power suply and in case ive some how obtained a giant server fan from a friend and it helps a great deal and works perfectly ah good luck |
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weedy22 Unregistered guest | I have been trying to hook up a Jensen amp using a computer power supply. I followed FryGuy's document and everything works for about 2 seconds and then shuts off. Does anyone know what may be wrong? | |
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Silver Member Username: FryguyNova Scotia Canada Post Number: 436 Registered: Jun-04 | What's the size of the AMP and the current ratings of each would be handy. Also what's your configuration and testing you have done to eliminate the possible causes? | |
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weedy22 Unregistered guest | Here is the power supply I have. http://www.pcimicro.com/.sc/ms/dd/1032987946/9/nc/ee/587/Achieve%5E2FViomax%20%2 0500w%20Power%20Supply%20w%5E2F%20Dual%20Fan%20New%20Retail%20Box A Jensen LXA 300 watts w/25 amp fuse |
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