2 alternators?

[carfrk666]

ive been toying around with the idea of adding a second alternator onto my G50, i have no A/C in the car so i have a spot where i would be able to mount it, the reason i was thinking about adding a second alternator is because i need more charging amps to keep up with the sound system i have. just wondering if anyone knows someone whos done work like this, im thinking about wiring the new one in parallel to the old one. what do you guys think?

[qship96]

Any car stereo that requires the output of 2 alternators is bound to permanently damage your hearing......careful what you ask for as you may regret your decisions later in life when you get the itch and resources to enjoy a true high fidelity home Hi Fi system!

[jltibbs]

What we really need to know is, what is your amp power rating at? Not what it says on the amp itself, what size fuse/fuses are physically in the amp? Not the fuse under the hood. For instance, if you have two 40 amp fuses, you add them together (40 + 40 = 80) then add a zero (so, 800). This will tell you what you're amp is actually putting out. In my example, your amp would be putting out 800 watts. If you do not have a capacitor already, you should look at roughly 1 farad per 500 watts to be on the safe side. Massive Audio offers a 4 farad cap for roughly $100. I sell them for ~$75 through work. That should cover you for up to 2,000 watts.

So, what are the details on your amp?

Massive part number is CAP 4

[Skibane]

i need more charging amps to keep up with the sound system i have.

How do you know that?

What led you to conclude that your Q's original charging system is inadequate?

Have you measured the battery voltage, while your engine is running at a fast idle and your sound system is cranked?

[maxnix]

Must be cool in Lima!

[jltibbs]

How do you know that?

What led you to conclude that your Q's original charging system is inadequate?

Have you measured the battery voltage, while your engine is running at a fast idle and your sound system is cranked?

It actually doesn't take much to figure out whether or not your charging system is adequate enough. In my equation from my first post, I used the example that his amp has 800 watts. IF that is the case in reality, each time the bass hits, he could see draws of up to 80A. If our stock alternators are 110A, you minus the 80A and that only leave 30A to run everything else while the engine is running. Now if by chance he has a ballin amp and it's like 1500 watts, then he could see spikes of 150A which would obviously be more than what the alternator is capable of handling. Thus, he needs a capacitor, not another alternator.

[carfrk666]

ok well, the amp is an MCD1000, it puts out 1100 watts RMS, (2 40A fuses) i have 2 batterys in the car, and the lights still dim and after playing when i go to restart the car its slow to start, i am WAAAYY past capaciter stage, i dont like to use them because they dont do much, hence why i like to use a second battery if i was to tune in the amp a bit better i fear that the car will shut off at a stop with the lights on

qship96 :yes, it is very addicting Mixnix: no its not cool i just dont feel like finding a condencer and R12
Modified by carfrk666 at 10:28 AM 8/25/2009

[elwesso]

I see real potential problems, hardaches and tears in making the rest of the electrical system handling the extra power... I wonder if you could just add another alternator and run your stereo system purely off that, so that the rest of the cars electrical system is not going to be affected by the stereo at all!

[carfrk666]

if i add another amp then ill be pulling more amprage and killing the system futher, but would the voltage regulator in the alternator keep the system from overcharging?

[elwesso]

im sorry, I meant add another alternator.

[yodawill2000]

That was my thought.Add the alternator and have it charging a nice battery just for the audio.

Leaving the original to run all else.

[carfrk666]

this is a good thought, but if an audio system isnt body grounded (or body grounded correctly) it creates a feedback noise through the system

but im thinking if there is an alternative way i can get rid of the noise and have the separate charging system just for the audio . . .

[elwesso]

You could still have it body grounded and just run a beefy battery with the other alternator..

[carfrk666]

how would i do that? if just the ground is connected to body ground that wouldnt solve anything. i think im missing on how your sugjesting to go about this.

are you saying to connect postive from alternator to battery directly? i think that might just work actualy. .

im going to gather some supplies and start fabing up some brackets and start experimenting, ill keep everyone informed, thanks for the info everyone got some ideas to play with

[Skibane]

It actually doesn't take much to figure out whether or not your charging system is adequate enough. In my equation from my first post, I used the example that his amp has 800 watts. IF that is the case in reality, each time the bass hits, he could see draws of up to 80A. If our stock alternators are 110A, you minus the 80A and that only leave 30A to run everything else while the engine is running. Now if by chance he has a ballin amp and it's like 1500 watts, then he could see spikes of 150A which would obviously be more than what the alternator is capable of handling. Thus, he needs a capacitor, not another alternator.

The amplifier's peak current demand doesn't mean much, since the battery is capable of supplying many hundreds of amps during brief music peaks. What really matters is the amplifier's average current demand - If it is more than the alternator is capable of supplying, the battery voltage will start to fall off, and the amplifier will start to clip on loud musical peaks.

Unless you've actually measured the battery voltage while the amp is crankin' and the alternator is alternatin', you really can't draw any conclusions about whether or not the original charging system is adequate.

[elwesso]

are you saying to connect postive from alternator to battery directly? i think that might just work actualy. .

im going to gather some supplies and start fabing up some brackets and start experimenting, ill keep everyone informed, thanks for the info everyone got some ideas to play with

exactly, it will be like a separate charging system... youll need to incorporate a high amperage fuse though...