So my brother went off to college and left me his old sub from his stereo system in his room. I was wondering if it would be possible to use this in my car. The sub is powered by a wall plug and im able to wire it directly to my ipod. I can plug my ipod into my cars aux jack so with a headphone splitter i can connect my sub and my cars audio to my ipod at the same time (at least i think i can...correct me if im wrong). So in my mind the only problem is power...can i use a ac-dc converter to power it or would that drain my battery? is there anyway to get this to work without doing any serious wiring, as i clearly am a noob at this.
Thanks for the help
Thanks for the help
You can wire the dc to ac inverter through a relay off the battery if the inverter is large enough to support sub's wattage. You can actually use the deck's remote wire or accessory power to turn the relay on. Be sure to use a fuse at the battery end, preferably one step above the inverter's total fuse rating.
as i said im a noob at this and i realize this is prolly a stupid question but what is a relay and fuse?
A relay is a small device that uses a small current to connect two things that run at a higher current. The most common aftermarket type is called an standard "automotive" relay. It will either have four terminals or five. You only need to be concerned with the four I will mention. You can buy the 4 or 5 terminal version, it won't matter. Be sure to use a 40 amp version relay if possible, most of the cheaper ones are 30.
The input that turns the relay on would be low current, such as the remote wire of your deck. The contacts (87 and 30) on your relay would be for the battery side (87) and the amp side (30) of your main power wire that comes from the battery to feed your inverter. The fuse will be inline on the power cable and ideally only a few inches from the battery (4 to 18"). The fuse is to limit current, just in case the 12v power cable shorts somewhere in the car, to prevent a fire. It will pop instead of a flame on situation.
The relay would be right after the fuse and will switch power on to your inverter when the remote wire from your deck tells it to.
Here are five of the most common type used:
http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-HEAVY-DUTY-...9|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
You only need one
So the order of the main power wire would be:
1-battery to fuse, 4" to 18"
2-fuse holder with fuse
3-relay next, anywhere after the fuse, preferably under the hood
4-power wire leaves the relay to your inverter in the vehicle
On the relay you'd connect things as follows:
-terminal 85 goes to chassis ground, you can use the battery ground under the hood
-terminal 86 goes to the remote wire of the radio, use a small 1 amp fuse inline at the radio, just in case the wire gets shorted anywhere, to protect your radio
-terminal 87 goes to the battery through your main inline fuse (slightly larger than the inverter fuse rating. For example, if the inverter has a 25amp fuse, you'd use a 30amp under the hood)
-terminal 30 of the relay will connect to the main power wire that goes into your vehicle and connects to the inverter's 12v input
-ground the inverter with the shortest possible length of wire to a good solid surface on the car's body, scrape away all paint and use a good ring terminal (be safe and don't screw through the body into any brake or fuel lines
)
Now, when you turn your radio on, the remote wire will turn the underhood relay on. Terminals 87 and 30 will be connected, feeding 12v from your battery through your fuse to your inverter in the vehicle.
The input that turns the relay on would be low current, such as the remote wire of your deck. The contacts (87 and 30) on your relay would be for the battery side (87) and the amp side (30) of your main power wire that comes from the battery to feed your inverter. The fuse will be inline on the power cable and ideally only a few inches from the battery (4 to 18"). The fuse is to limit current, just in case the 12v power cable shorts somewhere in the car, to prevent a fire. It will pop instead of a flame on situation.
The relay would be right after the fuse and will switch power on to your inverter when the remote wire from your deck tells it to.
Here are five of the most common type used:
http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-HEAVY-DUTY-...9|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50
You only need one
So the order of the main power wire would be:
1-battery to fuse, 4" to 18"
2-fuse holder with fuse
3-relay next, anywhere after the fuse, preferably under the hood
4-power wire leaves the relay to your inverter in the vehicle
On the relay you'd connect things as follows:
-terminal 85 goes to chassis ground, you can use the battery ground under the hood
-terminal 86 goes to the remote wire of the radio, use a small 1 amp fuse inline at the radio, just in case the wire gets shorted anywhere, to protect your radio
-terminal 87 goes to the battery through your main inline fuse (slightly larger than the inverter fuse rating. For example, if the inverter has a 25amp fuse, you'd use a 30amp under the hood)
-terminal 30 of the relay will connect to the main power wire that goes into your vehicle and connects to the inverter's 12v input
-ground the inverter with the shortest possible length of wire to a good solid surface on the car's body, scrape away all paint and use a good ring terminal (be safe and don't screw through the body into any brake or fuel lines
)Now, when you turn your radio on, the remote wire will turn the underhood relay on. Terminals 87 and 30 will be connected, feeding 12v from your battery through your fuse to your inverter in the vehicle.
ok...but i have a 12 volt plug-in in my car...why cant i just plug the dc to ac inverter directly into this plug? or can i?
banshee said:
If your inverter has less fusing than the one that is for the acc outlet, it should be ok. The car should have a 20 amp, so the inverter would have to have 20 or smaller. Of course, you need to figure out the wattage the sub draws. Its going to be on the label on back of the sub box somewhere. The inverter needs to have a wattage rating higher than the box draws to prevent the inverter from going into protection and turning off.
If you have to have an inverter that has fusing larger than 20 amp to be able to have enough wattage for the sub for example, then you don't want to use the acc outlet. It would probably be constantly popping your car's fuse (unless of course the sub isn't too powerful)
i've got a great prive on ani nvertor
I've got a great price on an inverter with the 1 ga (or is it 2) , last used in an F150. You need to match the inverter to the amp power requirements to use home audio stuff in your car (you KNEW that!)
If you need it, here's a great price (~ 1kW inverter w/14 to 18 ft wire with crimped ring terminals)......65 + shipping and Paypal.
Larry
I've got a great price on an inverter with the 1 ga (or is it 2) , last used in an F150. You need to match the inverter to the amp power requirements to use home audio stuff in your car (you KNEW that!)
If you need it, here's a great price (~ 1kW inverter w/14 to 18 ft wire with crimped ring terminals)......65 + shipping and Paypal.
Larry
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