Amplifier wiring question?

Simon_Lee_Smith · 06-08-2007, 12:24

Right,

I know no one has ever wired an amp into the internal fusebox of a car, but why not?

If it was a small amp with a max current draw of say 20-30A then the internal fusebox should have enough spare capacity to cope.

For example my Furby VRS doesn't have heated seats or an electric sunroof or trailer towing capability or 12V power socket in the boot, but all of these features have an empty position in the fuse box. The sunroof alone is a potential 25A.....

So why not do it?

Any ideas people?!

Si.

PS: Don't wire into youre fuse box after reading this, I am not a qualified electrcian and am not responsible if you torch your car!!

LJ_Matt · 06-08-2007, 12:34

I would say don't do it if at all avoidable. (And I am an electrician

)
Why would you want to load up the internal existing car's wiring loom when you can wire straight to the battery with a seperate fused line?
also, consider the fault loading - even if your amp is low powered (and I wouldn't consider 25-30A as low!) then if there was a fault you could be putting a strain on the loom.
Worse case senario you could end up causing a fire etc..........
I'd always advise a hefty seperate cable run directly to the battery terminal with a fuse as close to the battery but others may advise different.

Simon_Lee_Smith · 06-08-2007, 12:49

The reason I asked was I have seen a line of amps from Blaupunkt that just connect to your cars standard stereo wiring and it got me thinking.

I see your point about the fault path, but to fry the loom, you would have create a short-circuit that wasn’t covered by one of the fuses. (And if you are wiring into the fuse box, then that’s got to be quite a challenge! - negligence excluded)

But the extra strain on the loom... the loom should be able to handle it... after all it can handle the potential heated seats, sunroof drive etc etc.

The only reason to do it his way would to be to keep it all OEM looking, which I know appeals to a few people out there.

Thanks for the electrical point of view though LJ_Matt.

Si.

tazy7 · 07-08-2007, 11:05

the other reason is feed back noise through the system, its good practise to run speaker RCAs and power cables as far away from each other due to interferance.

a friend of mine wired a PC sub through the ciggy lighter and the main problem apart from the fact that the ciggy lighters fuse wasnt up to the job, the alternator whine, putting it through the cars fusebox you will get this problem.

amps should be fused as close to the battery as possible and use as thick a cable you can fit

06-08-2007, 12:24	#1
Simon_Lee_Smith Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Amplifier wiring question? Right, I know no one has ever wired an amp into the internal fusebox of a car, but why not? If it was a small amp with a max current draw of say 20-30A then the internal fusebox should have enough spare capacity to cope. For example my Furby VRS doesn't have heated seats or an electric sunroof or trailer towing capability or 12V power socket in the boot, but all of these features have an empty position in the fuse box. The sunroof alone is a potential 25A..... So why not do it? Any ideas people?! Si. PS: Don't wire into youre fuse box after reading this, I am not a qualified electrcian and am not responsible if you torch your car!!

06-08-2007, 12:34	#2
LJ_Matt Light Jockey! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 671 Thanks: 2 Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Amplifier wiring question? I would say don't do it if at all avoidable. (And I am an electrician ) Why would you want to load up the internal existing car's wiring loom when you can wire straight to the battery with a seperate fused line? also, consider the fault loading - even if your amp is low powered (and I wouldn't consider 25-30A as low!) then if there was a fault you could be putting a strain on the loom. Worse case senario you could end up causing a fire etc.......... I'd always advise a hefty seperate cable run directly to the battery terminal with a fuse as close to the battery but others may advise different. __________________ Regards, Matt ________________________________________________ Assumption is the mother of all foul ups Now proud owner of a Kawasaki ER-6F too!

06-08-2007, 12:49	#3
Simon_Lee_Smith Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 7 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Amplifier wiring question? The reason I asked was I have seen a line of amps from Blaupunkt that just connect to your cars standard stereo wiring and it got me thinking. I see your point about the fault path, but to fry the loom, you would have create a short-circuit that wasn’t covered by one of the fuses. (And if you are wiring into the fuse box, then that’s got to be quite a challenge! - negligence excluded) But the extra strain on the loom... the loom should be able to handle it... after all it can handle the potential heated seats, sunroof drive etc etc. The only reason to do it his way would to be to keep it all OEM looking, which I know appeals to a few people out there. Thanks for the electrical point of view though LJ_Matt. Si.

07-08-2007, 11:05	#4
tazy7 Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Kent UK Posts: 86 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Amplifier wiring question? the other reason is feed back noise through the system, its good practise to run speaker RCAs and power cables as far away from each other due to interferance. a friend of mine wired a PC sub through the ciggy lighter and the main problem apart from the fact that the ciggy lighters fuse wasnt up to the job, the alternator whine, putting it through the cars fusebox you will get this problem. amps should be fused as close to the battery as possible and use as thick a cable you can fit

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