I have all the electronics savvy of your average Amish kindergartner, so bear with me please LOL I'm putting together a homebuilt E-Caller rig to take the place of my 30 year old Johnny Stewart cassette deck outfit (25 pounds & clunky as all getout). It involves a 12 volt 7.2 amp hour battery - inline buss fuse -- Kentiger lHifi Power Amplifier - standard AC wall outlet - connecting to 65W Pyle horn speakers, using 12 gauge speaker wire.
I have the stuff to build the E-caller EXCEPT a power cord from the battery to the Kentiger amplifier. No power cable was supplied with the amp.
Now, I tried a really thin wimpy wire recharging cable from my old Johnny Stewart E-caller, since it had the proper connector to fit the male plug in the amp. So I cut the AC wall outlet prongs off and put the positive and negative alligator clips on the raw end, added the in-line glass fuse, and hooked the whole thing up to the battery. Within 3 seconds the thin wire sizzled and melted from the alligator clips to the fuse housing and would have burst into flames if I hadn't disconnected the clips from the battery. WOW -- SCIENCE!
So... apparently the wire that re-charged my Johnny Stewart tape deck battery was TOO WIMPY?? to do the job?? The glass automotive fuse DID NOT blow, by the way. The amp itself, and the wire from the fuse fitting to the amp itself, were not affected.
I looked online and Kentiger only offers 1 power cable ... it has an AC wall plug - to - 1/8th" female connector. This cable has a circuit breaker built into the cable. Is this what I need to get, and cut off the AC household wall plug and replace it with the red and black alligator clips?
CAN I MAKE MY OWN POWER CABLE (Alligator clips to fuse holder to amp) out of the 12 gauge speaker wire
Or what do you suggest? (besides give up DIY electronics projects; too late for that now, I'm hooked on the smell of ozone and plastic insulation smoke in the morning). THANKS in advance Gordo
I have the stuff to build the E-caller EXCEPT a power cord from the battery to the Kentiger amplifier. No power cable was supplied with the amp.
Now, I tried a really thin wimpy wire recharging cable from my old Johnny Stewart E-caller, since it had the proper connector to fit the male plug in the amp. So I cut the AC wall outlet prongs off and put the positive and negative alligator clips on the raw end, added the in-line glass fuse, and hooked the whole thing up to the battery. Within 3 seconds the thin wire sizzled and melted from the alligator clips to the fuse housing and would have burst into flames if I hadn't disconnected the clips from the battery. WOW -- SCIENCE!
So... apparently the wire that re-charged my Johnny Stewart tape deck battery was TOO WIMPY?? to do the job?? The glass automotive fuse DID NOT blow, by the way. The amp itself, and the wire from the fuse fitting to the amp itself, were not affected.
I looked online and Kentiger only offers 1 power cable ... it has an AC wall plug - to - 1/8th" female connector. This cable has a circuit breaker built into the cable. Is this what I need to get, and cut off the AC household wall plug and replace it with the red and black alligator clips?
CAN I MAKE MY OWN POWER CABLE (Alligator clips to fuse holder to amp) out of the 12 gauge speaker wire
Or what do you suggest? (besides give up DIY electronics projects; too late for that now, I'm hooked on the smell of ozone and plastic insulation smoke in the morning). THANKS in advance Gordo
A power cable to connect the 12 V battery to the power amplifier?
12 gauge speaker wire can safely carry up to 20 A in your application - that's 240 W of power at 12 V.
I do hope you will wire all the components up safely, as your battery can deliver a dangerously high current if short circuited.
12 gauge speaker wire can safely carry up to 20 A in your application - that's 240 W of power at 12 V.
I do hope you will wire all the components up safely, as your battery can deliver a dangerously high current if short circuited.
sounds like your fuse is too big, and i suspect you have the positive and negative reversed.
i would recheck what is required for these things before trying again.
i would recheck what is required for these things before trying again.
If you use these crappy alligator clip cables you buy cheaply in a bundle, I would expect them to burn under these circumstances