2nd Amp

[semi]

what do you mean 'through each other'? and what size wiring are you using. My guess is that your subs are 1000W peak, not RMS. No offence if im wrong

 

[Genesis]

The question was to find out if the cable you're using is rated to handle the current that would be drawn to supply both amplifiers.

Cables are current rated. Obviously, the thicker the cable, the more current it can carry. I'm an electrician by trade, and I can tell you that using under-rated cable is dangerous. It can quite easily melt and catch fire, and that's the last thing you want in a car.

Current flow walks hand in hand with two properties, magnetism and heat. The heat is created by the friction of colliding electrons inside the conductor. The easiest way to reduce the heat given off by a conductor is to reduce the impedance of the conductor itself. This can be done by increasing the cross-sectional area of the conductor, amongst other methods. The thicker the conductor is, the less restriction it will place on current flow.

Think of it like a water pipe. If you try to force too much water through a pipe that is too thin to handle it, damage will occur. The two options you have are to reduce the amount of water you are trying to force through the pipe, or increase the cross-sectional area of the pipe to allow greater water flow.

This is related to the equation R=ρL/A.

R represents the Resistance of the conductor measured in Ohms.

ρ represents the Resistivity of the material, a pre-determined value measured in Ohm-Metres.

L represents the Length of the conductor in Metres.

A represents the Cross-Sectional Area of the conductor in Metres Squared.

As you can see, as A increases, R decreases. The thicker the wire, the more easily current can flow through it at a given value of voltage.

Sorry for the crash course, just thought it might help you understand the reason why cable size is so important.

 

[semi]

Sorry, was that post aimed toward me or the thread starter? If it was for me, you didnt answer my question. If it was'nt... cna you please answer my question

Just curious

 

[garfa]

using under-rated cable is dangerous. It can quite easily melt and catch fire, and that's the last thing you want in a car.

not really, the fuse will just blow heaps. (i hope ppl are using fuses)
semi i would be putting my money on thw 100watt subs as peak.

 

[Tasmaniak]

not if the fuse is overrated or if the fire starts before the fuse...when using underrated cable the highest current point is at the battery....before the fuse.

 

[garfa]

yeah sorry assuming that the cable has the right fuse.
also so even if underrated cable is being used with a fuse rated below the cables current rating, a fire can start before the main fuse?

 

[Wagon_Wheel]

Nah they r both Max not RMS, and ive already ordered a wiring kit off ebay so im just gunna run that and therefore wont encounter any problems

 

[semi]

not if the fuse is overrated or if the fire starts before the fuse...when using underrated cable the highest current point is at the battery....before the fuse.

but if you have a fuse, wont it only be flowing if the fuse isnt tripped? So it wont catch fire unless it shorts out before the fuse, hich is pretty unlikely. The danger would be using a fuse rated at 100A on a cable that can only handle 60.
you could have 90A flowing through it without melting the fuse

 

[dephilile]

I guess it would depend on the quality of the insulation.

In theory, if u can keep a wire cool it can carry an infinite amount of current. As it heats up its resistance increases, reducing the amount of current it can carry.

So if you had a cold bit of wire and shorted it, the fuse would probably blow. But if it was getting hot from all the current flowing through and then u shorted there is a chance it wouldn’t blow.

 

[garfa]

bottom line is if you cant read the side of a cable and then figure you need a fuse thats slightly less you shouldnt be installing a amp!