Is it possible to blow an amp by pushing too much bass?

Dr. Bogger · Post by **Dr. Bogger** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:47 pm

ok, well im pritty sure the root cause of it is that the amp is ment to draw more than 20 amps of power... i mean the amp its self has 3 fuses, that = a total of 42 Amps, and my inline power fuse is only 20 amps.

Justin from Detroit1 · Sat Dec 02, 2006 10:12 pm

Buy a 60 amp fuse.

smoker · Post by **smoker** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:07 am

that car isnt what i would consider quite old....hell i drive a 93.....i just cant afford a new car right now.

cargodz · Post by **cargodz** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:04 am

Dr. Bogger wrote:omg... well my amp has 3 fuses... two 20 amp fuses, and one 2 amp fuse... so i need a 42 amp fuse at the power line? omg... i dont know is my car could even handle that power XD
Keep in mind, my car is running the stock alt., and it is probabley quite old as well. (my car is a 1995, and it probabley has never been changed, but i could be wrong.)
I only have a 20 amp fuse on the battery, and the wire is 8 gauge, i know, i probabley should upgrade it.

If I remember correctly... You have a Beretta right?
If I am correct, then it should have a 105 Amp alternator... even if it's the 4 cyl.
With that 105 alt, you will have no problem upgrading to a 60 amp fuse... Hell I got an 80 amp and 4 ga. run on mine and have no dimming problems (although I am only running 500w).

Dr. Bogger · Post by **Dr. Bogger** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:28 am

cargodz wrote:Hell I got an 80 amp and 4 ga. run on mine and have no dimming problems (although I am only running 500w).

Well with my subwoofer, the lights in my car dim for every "boom"... Is this the cause of a bad alt? or a bad battery? or is it normal? it dont dim a lot, but just a little.

And yes, i have a beretta. its a 6 cyl.

ZeroAccess · Post by **ZeroAccess** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:08 am

with a 105 amp alternator

I recomend doing the big3(do a search its been mentioned millions of times) and getting a decent battery
EverStart or Optima

If dimming occurs still you MAY be able to get a small cap and try that if that doesn't work I recomend upgrading alternator but you should be fine with big3 and new battery. Also go to Advance/Autozone and have them check your alternator out it may be getting weak.

Scarrell · Post by **Scarrell** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:52 am

eh.. no cap please!... as i told you before.. do the big 3.. dimming can occur even with a high output alt.. none the less.. your alt, if it is 105amps.. should be fine.. do the big 3, and im sure you will be fine..

geolemon · Post by **geolemon** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:09 pm

Dr. Bogger wrote:Well with my subwoofer, the lights in my car dim for every "boom"... Is this the cause of a bad alt? or a bad battery? or is it normal? it dont dim a lot, but just a little.
And yes, i have a beretta. its a 6 cyl.

http://www.betteraudio.com/geolemon/newmain/battcapalt
Info that may help you.

It's probably not because of a bad alternator. But, you could measure your voltage with the car running. If it's somewhere in the 14.2, 14.3v neighborhood, all is good. If it significantly rises and falls with engine RPM, it could indicate a bad regulator.

If you measure your voltage with the car off, and it's much lower than 12v, it's a sign of a bad battery. But even a nice healthy 12v-12.5v battery voltage isn't necessarily a sign of good health - you can overstress a battery pretty easily. Pay attention to what is in that link regarding standard batteries vs. deep cycle batteries, and the pros and cons of each.

It's hard to really say whether it's "normal" or not, without personally experiencing it, and seeing the sort of music you are experiencing it with, whether it makes sense in the scope of your equipment, and your settings.

It could also be an indication of something as simple as a less-than-ideal ground connection, power connection, battery connection, or battery ground connection (or any other connection in the power circuit).

In that article I think I wrote a bit about the "big 3" upgrade too - that's a cheap and easy upgrade that can have significant impact, as it directly addresses often ignored, but critical, elements in that power circuit. ]drama[/i] of the headlight dimming with a simple capacitor, but no matter how many caps you have, you'll never eliminate it... not with an array of auxiliary batteries, and (unless you have a small amp) not even with a larger alternator.

I think that link will help you figure out your headlight dimming issue.

geolemon · Post by **geolemon** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:12 pm

Scarrell wrote:eh.. no cap please!... as i told you before.. do the big 3.. dimming can occur even with a high output alt.. none the less.. your alt, if it is 105amps.. should be fine.. do the big 3, and im sure you will be fine..

I wouldn't do a high-end system without a capacitor, just like I wouldn't build a high-end car without shock absorbers.

You are putting a highly dynamic audio system into your car that will inherently generate huge transients in the current it tries to draw from your car's electrical system, even though the "average current draw" is modest even with a huge system.

Your car's electrical system isn't designed for highly transient current production, and isn't designed by nature to contend with something so massively dynamic.

So make it be - simple!

Name one other electrical device that can improve the transient response of your electrical system.

Ryan from Ohio · Post by **Ryan from Ohio** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:29 pm

DO THE BIG 3 UPFRADE

That their sir is the wire from the alternator. That wire is 10 Ga. It is NOT capable of handling the power the alternator can produce for any real amount of time.

This is one of the reasons your lights are diming.

I havent read through all the pages, but I see mention of a different fuse. I assume the one your using is to small. Get the correct fuse for your wiring/amplifier setup.

But really, you need to do the big 3. Alternator to battery. Transmission to body. Battery to body. Its not hard, really.