Moderate output alternators?

aggybong · Post by **aggybong** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:23 am

My 1995 Toyota Camry has an 80amp alt and my lights slighty dim when I'm only at 450w gain wise, when my amps can handle near 1000w. However, this isn't what I'm worried about. I am more concerned for the health of my two amps, both of which get extremely hot after an hour or so of use. They even sometimes go into protection mode, and I'm now fairly certain that this is what killed my previous amp, which was a SoundStream Van Gogh 800.5.

I don't need something overly large, just around 120-130amp. I've seen the larger alternators and the accompanying large price tag, and I don't think I need or can afford to go that high. I am just looking for something fairly cheap that will save me from having two dead amps. I've already eaten a $300 loss, which could have went to an alternator if I only realized what was going on

As a side note, I don't mind if the alternator idle amps are low, I am always driving when listening to music. For reference, my car sits at about 900rpm when idle.

Scarrell · Post by **Scarrell** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:54 am

just get like 5 caps........

not really..... maybe you should replace the battery with a Optima Yellow Top, and try the Big 3 Upgrade(dont remember what all you do there), anyway if you want to get a new High Output Altenator (you should get one anyways to be safe), get a 160amp alt or so.. you should be fine and you will be able to run your current setup and almost any future systems sufficiently.... but also getting any of these done will not sometimes solve light dimming, but it will/should give your system better performance and your car will not suffer if it does now.... i dunno

Jszar · Post by **Jszar** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:45 am

130 should work for you. your car doesnt use a lot of juice to begin with. definately think about a new battery, and a new alt. as far as the amps getting hot...you could have some things set up wrong, or you could not have them properly ventelated. make sure they have enough air flowing around them.

Post by **GlassWolf** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:04 am

the amplifier gain isn't a volume or power control. it simply matches the line voltage to the input stage of the amp.
if you set gain too low, you get a weak input signal and a poor s/n ratio. If you set gain too high, you over-drive the amplifier and it clips, which causes your amp to go into protection, or damages your speakers. Also high gains cause noise, high THD, and really give no benefit in volume or power output.

set the gain on each amp properly (see http://www.bcae1.com for guides on how this is done) and upgrade to a larger alternator, maybe 120A to 130A and switch to a yellow top battery for times you're using the system with the engine off.
that should fix any troubles.

aggybong · Post by **aggybong** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:52 am

Err, I don't know what gave you the idea that I don't know how gains work. My sub amp can do 600w but my sub can only handle 400w. My speaker amp can do 175x2 but my current (single) speaker can only handle 50w.

And yes, I want to upgrade my alternator, which was the reason for this post. My question was if there are any places that actually sell 130amp or so alternators, because all the places I've seen start at 200amp.

MrSo0h0o · Post by **MrSo0h0o** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:14 pm

i have a 93 camry(i4) with something like a 70 or 80amp alt. and im running a 300wRMS xtant sub amp and a 4 ch eclipse amp 50x4 with stock electrical and everything is working fine.

this is the place to go for an alt for your cam

http://www.mralternator.com/alternators/toyota.html

aggybong · Post by **aggybong** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:32 pm

That place is more expensive than the other places I've been to

alldaz · Post by **alldaz** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:10 pm

Jszar wrote:130 should work for you. your car doesnt use a lot of juice to begin with. definately think about a new battery, and a new alt. as far as the amps getting hot...you could have some things set up wrong, or you could not have them properly ventelated. make sure they have enough air flowing around them.

i agree :)

aggybong · Post by **aggybong** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:18 pm

The amps are probably getting hot from the voltage dropping. Everything else is set up correctly, I'm sure of it.

As for a new battery...is it really needed if I get a new alternator? I just got a new (normal) battery, and I don't look forward to dropping another $150? on a red top. I never plan on sitting with the car off and listening to music. The car will be on, and more than likely I'll be driving, not sitting and listening except maybe at a stop light :)

breakjunki · Post by **breakjunki** » Mon Jul 04, 2005 3:23 pm

Just a thought. try motorcityreman.com seems to be the cheapest place online for ho alternators.