![]() This same logic applies to the ground return path. If the amplifier draws a significant amount of current, then your installer will need to use large-gauge conductors to prevent voltage losses due to the resistance in those conductors. Understanding Automotive Window Tint Shades and Colorsįeeding your high-performance amplifier with the power it needs means delivering as much voltage as possible to the power terminals. For example, 2 amps of current flowing through a 4-ohm resistor results in 8 volts being produced across that resistor. To calculate the voltage drop across a resistance, multiply the current flow (in amps) by the total resistance of the device (ohms). When the current flow is significant, we can see several volts across the wire, and it will heat up. In the case of a piece of wire, the resistance is typically low, so very little voltage is wasted. Whenever current flows through a device or conductor with resistance, a voltage is produced across that device. More than 121 feet of adhesive is used to assemble the 2019 Acura RDX. These materials are not electrically conductive. What’s more concerning is that many new vehicles are assembled with high-strength adhesives and even two-sided tapes from companies like 3M, Dow Chemical and Henkel. These materials don’t conduct electricity as well as a high-quality copper conductor. In many modern vehicles, lighter metals such as aluminum are used in vehicle construction. In some cases, especially with cars that are painted silver, some primers and corrosion-resistant coatings can look similar to bare metal. You’d think removing paint, primer and coatings would be easy, but the number of poor grounds we see is amazing. This stress can loosen the connection and cause intermittent behavior or damage. Because the cable is of a reasonably large gauge, it can experience moderate loads during acceleration and braking and from the vibrations associated with regular driving. The ground connection needs to be secure. The JL Jeep Wrangler body features steel, aluminum, magnesium, Quiet Steel and glass-fiber reinforced polyester panel construction to save weight and reduce noise. Third, the chassis may not be a direct electrical return path to the battery. Second, your installer needs to brush or grind away any paint, rustproofing or undercoating from the metal before they drill a hole to make the connection. First, the connection to the chassis needs to be secure and reliable. What’s Wrong with a Chassis Ground?Ī few things could go wrong when using the chassis as a ground point for a high-power amplifier. As a result, there was often enough surface area between the panels to allow current to flow from the ground of the amp back to the negative terminal of the battery or alternator. Until about a decade ago, most cars and trucks were built with steel, and the chassis or unibody components were spot-welded together. The wire from the amplifier’s ground terminal would be bolted to the chassis of the vehicle. In the “good old days,” installing an amplifier in a car or truck involved having your installer run a large-gauge wire from the battery’s positive terminal through a fuse holder or circuit breaker to the positive terminal of the amplifier. Having an Amplifier Installed in Your Vehicle Your installer needs to know how to work with battery ground connections that include a current sensor. Once the engine is running, the alternator recharges the battery. Don’t try this, though, as many new vehicles monitor current flow in and out of the battery to control the alternator’s function. Technically, you can remove the battery from the car and it will continue to run. Once the engine starts, the alternator takes over the operation of the vehicle. It feeds a high-torque electric motor that spins the engine when you turn the ignition key to start. The battery is there to start the vehicle. ![]() Our vehicles have two power sources: the battery and the alternator. Power flows from the electrical source through the load and back to the source again. Your load, be it a light bulb, radio or amplifier, needs to have two electrical connections. Whether you subscribe to the conventional current theory that electricity flows from the positive side of a power source through a load and back to the negative terminal, or to the electron theory that holds that electrons flow from negative to positive, what matters is that an electrical circuit is a loop. ![]() Many of these statements also add, “Connecting directly to the battery will cause noise.” All of these statements are nonsense. Perhaps it would add to the clarity of the statement to say that many inexperienced installers think the ground wire for the amp has to go to the chassis of the vehicle. It’s time to dispel another unsubstantiated car audio myth! This time, we’re talking about claiming that you can’t ground an amplifier directly to the battery in a vehicle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |