dc cables in cars

[sparkyork]

hi, im just wondering about DC supplies within cars etc. they some to talk in gauges in relation to sizing etc. say ive got an amplifier thats gotta 30 amp fuse sat in it, then theoriticaly could i just use a 6mm out of a twin and earth to feed this or is it different cable for dc supplies

 

[tony.towa]

Hi Rich

There are two main wiring guages, Standard Wire Guage (SWG) and American Wire Guage (AWG), we use SWG over here.

If you google swg and go to the result 8666 Standard Wiring Gauge there is a chart giving the diameter of the cable there.

 

[jibspark]

what power is the amp? remember the current in a car is gonna be much higher as its only 12v,

and even if the amp is fused you should still fuse the cable.

 

[Shakey]

hi, im just wondering about DC supplies within cars etc. they some to talk in gauges in relation to sizing etc. say ive got an amplifier thats gotta 30 amp fuse sat in it, then theoriticaly could i just use a 6mm out of a twin and earth to feed this or is it different cable for dc supplies

Having spent many years as an auto-sparks (cars through to HGV, cranes, etc etc) I have never used (or seen) solid core cables in vehicles, always stranded.

 

[CUDABOY]

there are dedicated "amp" wiring kits out there, halfords sell one around £20,has blue/white stripe cable for amp switching,thick black -ve,thick red+ve never use solid,multi stranded,the ones in kit have hundreds! also with the earth<black>keep as short as possible,deck it to the car body as close to the amp as possible and get a really good earth not flimsy,i normally use a 8-10mm bolt straight into chassis ! dont rush it,separate your power/signal or rca leads,avoid cheep big power claim amps,good second hand alpine<i use 3 old skool duo b circiuts ones,bout 20 yrs old!!!>get good connections,double check then connect to battery,when routing through bulkhead to battey use good grommit/and fuse it close to battery,ive seen carpets light up when its snagged/chaffed and you got a real dead dead short!!! i have multi block gold plated 100a fused connectors in mine,does make a difference.oh, final note make sure your playing some decent tunes through it!!!

 

[Mike P]

if you know the max power the normal calculation works .
IxV=W I=current V= Voltage W= Power

And of course Ohms Law
v
-----
I R

 

[sparkyork]

cheers guys its all sorted now, ive got a full wiring kit in me car but didnt wanna rip it our to do this other job, quite familiar with ice installs as well. only things is tho as a temporary measure ive used 10mm earth for me live and earth connections, got fuse near battery etc, what difference does this make compared to multi stranded cabling (better resistance?)

 

[Shakey]

there are dedicated "amp" wiring kits out there, halfords sell one around £20,has blue/white stripe cable for amp switching,thick black -ve,thick red+ve never use solid,multi stranded,the ones in kit have hundreds! also with the earth<black>keep as short as possible,deck it to the car body as close to the amp as possible and get a really good earth not flimsy,i normally use a 8-10mm bolt straight into chassis ! dont rush it,separate your power/signal or rca leads,avoid cheep big power claim amps,good second hand alpine<i use 3 old skool duo b circiuts ones,bout 20 yrs old!!!>get good connections,double check then connect to battery,when routing through bulkhead to battey use good grommit/and fuse it close to battery,ive seen carpets light up when its snagged/chaffed and you got a real dead dead short!!! i have multi block gold plated 100a fused connectors in mine,does make a difference.oh, final note make sure your playing some decent tunes through it!!!

aah, we know about decent tunes dont we Nathan, got your DAB with Planet Rock yet?

 

[CUDABOY]

only radio at moment is radio wah wah!!! somone teething,have to throw him another steak! will be picking one up in week, been hectic,want to use board change did 6 months ago as one of my two niciec,didnt involve labc as you dont!!! lol <was dads house>thats why needed to know if nic man would want to know/see labc paperwork....funtk if does!!! catchup soon mate,waiting for postie and my multi funky tester to arrive!