I have a ? for ya fellow Sub men

[sasquatch094]

So im putting an enclosure in the back of the hoe. 4 12's is my plan. Is this going to require maybe a 2nd alternator or 2nd battery?? what should i be worried about here. ill run about 2 amps.. And information to this would be sweet. thanks guys.. its not a square plain jane carpet box here, im fiberglassing it and everything.. soo your help in needed.. thanks:thumbsup:

 

[95ThAHOE]

what kinda watts you looking to put out?

 

[sasquatch094]

Umm.. well im not even sure what subs im getting, but in a the lines of JL's... like w3s or something..

 

[JKmotorsports]

It's not the number of subs that will determine your power needs, but rather the amount of current your amp(s) will draw. Once you decide on what amps you would like to install, then you can figure if you need to modify the power source (alt and batts) any and to what extent.
In my last SUV I ran eight 12" dvc subs wired 1 ohm on one 5000w amp and only used a mildly rewound stock alternator and two Optima batteries. Had I used another amp of the same output on the same number of subs, I would have installed a larger output alternator or maybe even two. (only reason I used only one amp was to demo to our customers the power output and how well the amp could handle a one ohm load).
A 300 watt amp pushing 10 subs and a 300w amp pushing one sub at the same ohm load will draw the same amount of current. So first determine what amps you are going to use and then go from there.

 

[sasquatch094]

well hmm, so i may need to wait a little bit before you guys can then answer this one completely .. what kind of amps are out there that are pretty good quality and etc.?? i love JLs and Alpines. if those could factor in a amp then thatd be great..

Also what is the hole OHM story behind subs and amps. like i see that W3's come in 2, 4, and 8 ohm. but i have no idea what the hell that is..

Also so if im going for W3's should i go with the 13inch or 12inch.. the 13 has 100 more watts (600) rather then the 12 being at 500.. remember a total of 4 of these bad boys..http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=26

how about one of these for an amp : http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps_pages.php?page_id=28

thanks guys for your help

 

[GMCYukalade]

I run two batts all the time with just 1 amp (1000d Memphis Power Reference) - however, i know that i don't need too at all.. - if i stepped up to the Mojo 15s and ran 2 1000ds than i would require the 2nd batt, and possibly a larger alt...

 

[YukonMud]

well hmm, so i may need to wait a little bit before you guys can then answer this one completely .. what kind of amps are out there that are pretty good quality and etc.?? i love JLs and Alpines. if those could factor in a amp then thatd be great..

Also what is the hole OHM story behind subs and amps. like i see that W3's come in 2, 4, and 8 ohm. but i have no idea what the hell that is..

Also so if im going for W3's should i go with the 13inch or 12inch.. the 13 has 100 more watts (600) rather then the 12 being at 500.. remember a total of 4 of these bad boys..http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_subs.php?series_id=26

how about one of these for an amp : http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_amps_pages.php?page_id=28

thanks guys for your help

The Ohms that you are seeing is the a measure of resistance...the different ratings allow the subs to be configured differently. This helps matching multiple subs to particular Ohm load that your amp(s) can handle. As a side note, home speakers are usually run at 8 Ohms, car speakers at 4 Ohms and subs anywhere between .5-4 Ohms. The lower the Ohms the more power will be sent to them because there will be less resistance for the amplifier.

Speakers/Subs can be run in series or parallel. Since you are looking to run subwoofers, I would look at getting a mono block (class D) amp. With that said you can wire the four subs like this http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/car/subwoofer_wiring/4DVC_4-ohm_mono.jpg and get a 2 Ohm load while using a 4 Ohm DVC subwoofer or do the samething and get a 1 Ohm load while using a 2 Ohm DVC subwoofer and the 8 Ohm subs will get you a 4 Ohm load at the amp.

You will have to figure out what Ohms you would like to run your system at (1 or 2) then figure out how many watts you will need at that load rating to determine what size amp you will need. After the easy part is done you can figure out the box type & size. :thumbsup:

Here are some other wiring diagrams.... http://www.crutchfield.com/learn/learningcenter/car/subwoofers_wiring.html?imageID=4DVC_4-ohm_mono

 

[JKmotorsports]

Here's a simple formula to help you get an idea about the needed current.
Power is the product of current and voltage. Power=P, current=I, and voltage=E, so P=IxE. So to figure out your current needs for the amp, you can take the peak output of the amp and divide it by the supply voltage with the eng running, which will be roughly 14.4v. That will give you the current draw of the amp at peak output. For ex: If your amp has a peak output of 2000 watts and your supply voltage is 14v, then take 2000 and divide by 14, which equals about 142.9 amps. A 1000 watt amp with 14v will need almost 71.5 amps to hit the peak output of 1Kw. Factor this in with the existing electrical demands of the vehicle's electrical system, then you can use this to help determine if you need to upgrade the alternator or not, and if so, what size to go with.

 

[treepete]

peaking a 2000w amp would make my head explode, but Im not 17 anymore.

I like the rockford amp I got, no troubles.

 

[JKmotorsports]

peaking a 2000w amp would make my head explode....

Then you wouldn't have been able to sit in my Expedition with 5000w pushing eight 12" subs
One of my friends said it made his bones hurt after a couple minutes. And a female at one of the car shows said "Damn!! Your truck makes me feel better than my boyfriend can!!!"
"Oh, really......."

 

[sasquatch094]

Thanks everyone.. yea ill deff tell ya guys what im going to get here.. this whole sub thing kinda makes me nuts, i cant understand this ****. But yet i want to do something later in life with custom interior and interior electronics, but i have no found one college that does this.. any help : / ... thanks guys

 

[sasquatch094]

Nice exploder JK.. like the screens.. hows your box divided?? like is each sub have its own seperate box? or do you have mutiple subs per box?? (get it or no)).. thanks

 

[JKmotorsports]

Thanks everyone.. yea ill deff tell ya guys what im going to get here.. this whole sub thing kinda makes me nuts, i cant understand this ****. But yet i want to do something later in life with custom interior and interior electronics, but i have no found one college that does this.. any help : / ... thanks guys

You're not going to find a typical college that provides this type of training. It's going to be an independent specialized school like Acoustic Edge Institute, Mobile Dynamics, and Installer Institute, which are probably your top schools for this type of field. You'll learn about vehicle electronics, principles of electricity and electronics, acoustics, fabrication, video, security, enclosure principles/design/and construction, and LOTS more. You can earn certain levels of certification. Right now I'm MECP 1st class Advanced cert and have been for a few yrs. I'm working on the highest cert right now, Master MECP, as well as my ASE A6 automotive electronics cert. which I should have already had a long time ago but been procrastinating.
I took a 2 year vocational electronics course and have been doing this for stuff for about 16 yrs professionally. Everything from simple stuff to high end comp systems and custom body work, interior fabrication, etc. And not just cars, but boats, yachts, RVs, custom golf carts, etc. Almost 17 yrs and I still learn stuff everyday. Integrating with the advancements in car electronics, extensive use of electronics modules and serial bus systems, etc keep you on your toes in this field.

Nice exploder JK.. like the screens.. hows your box divided?? like is each sub have its own seperate box? or do you have mutiple subs per box?? (get it or no)).. thanks

This was just a simple sealed enclosure with eight seperate chambers at 2 cu.ft. ea. 3/4" MDF with 1.5" baffles and lots of internal bracing. I didn't build it for SPL comps, but just to show off one of the amps we carried that pushed all these subs to 151.5 db. with no problems. Could have got the spl higher had I built it for spl though (body panel re-inforcement, ported enclosure, better upgraded power supply system, etc). 151 is still loud, considering a 747 jet at take off is about 145-147 db.

 

[sasquatch094]

DAMN JK.. that deff. helps me out. Ive been looking for a college or tech school and nothing.. Ive only came across Wyotech (which my brother went too) and id be doing upholstery and what not.. But im gunna check these out now on the internet.. Im just wondering tho, how old are you? My brother went to Wyotech for paint, business, street rod, high output motors and stuff, body work and what not. but were hoping to have out own company in later yrs. me doing the inside and him on the outside... but thanks alot JK..

 

[JKmotorsports]

DAMN JK.. that deff. helps me out... Ive only came across Wyotech... Im just wondering tho, how old are you?... but thanks alot JK..

No prob man. Wyotech is one place I'd like to go. Mobile electronics and fabrication is my profession, but as a hobby, my brothers and I put together performance cars and we like racing. Wyotech would be a fun exciting place for me.
I'm 34 yrs old man. Rebuilt my first engine with my dad when I was 12. A Ford 351 Cleveland. Been messing with cars since and started my car electronics career while a jr in high school at a local shop helping out and learning. Stuck with it and decided to go beyond the simple stereo and amp installations, and on to custom fabrication, motorization, high-end a/v and security, etc etc. Now here I am with a couple of my personal cars in magazines and a few of my customer's cars running around at shows. I'll probably be doing this til I retire.
Anyway, good luck on your search for a school bro and your business if you guys decide to go that route. Let me know if you need anything else.

 

[treepete]

JK, come back to remote control man, we need your skillz there, lol.
I want to fab up some micro subs for my Team Associated T4. I can only put in 7.2 volts at 70 amps for about 5 minutes. what can I get for that?

seriously though, that many subs make my eyeballs vibrate just lookin at 'em.

 

[sasquatch094]

well i looked at those 3 schools and applied for information from all of them. 2 of the 3 called me today and told me some stuff.. Have you ever been to any of these??

 

[JKmotorsports]

I haven't been to any of those. Most of my experience is from years of hands-on through work. I read lots of reference material and studied a lot on my own. And with my electronics course, it all helped me to get certified. The only problem with the schools is that you learn a lot of the book material, but only get so much hands-on time. I've hired and worked with guys certified straight out of mobile electronics school. And all they knew were formulas and the variety of different tools. Most didn't know how to use the tools or how to pull interior panels apart, integrating into car computers, etc. They could tell me things like Kirchoff's Voltage Law, sound wave properties, etc, but didn't know how to apply it to everyday installations. Hands-on is the best way to learn IMO. Sure, the schools are definitely a good place to start, but don't expect to come out being able to design and install an all-out high end comp system like most of these other guys think. You can only do so much hands-on in the few weeks that you're there at school. There's hundreds of different models of cars out there, and only a few that you get to work on in school.
Ask the different schools how much actual hands-on training you get and go with the one that provides the most actual hands-on hours. Good luck man:thumbsup:.

 

[sasquatch094]

Well the one thats called Acoustic Edge, like guarantee that youll work hands on 100percent of the time. The only problem i have with that place (and i love what they do there, its everything i wanted to do) is that its like half way across the US.. I live in Ohio their in Texas or Oklahoma, and they have a new one coming out in Illinios. Not sure when that ones coming out tho.

 

[treepete]

Sas, you think maybe a local custom shop would take you under their wing? You could cut your teeth on you and your buddies cars to start. take some time to study on your own, and when the Illinois branch of that school opens, it wont be as far from Ohio/ Maybe?