Juba310 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 This is car audio related, but I trust this board over all others... so sorry if its a little off topic. I bought some 4 gauge wire for my Orion XTR 2150 amplifier that I will be using to power a single subwoofer. Itll be putting out around 600 watts so I was told to get the 4 gauge power wire. However, I just got the wire today and it doesnt look like its going to fit in the plugs that come with the amp. Is there any possible way to make the wire fit? Is it ok if not all the wire is in contact with the connector on the amp? Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Why do you need 4g speaker wire for a ~6-10' total run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Its for powering the amp, I was told that for in the 600-800 watt range you want to get 4 gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 At the risk of being a smart @ss , if the amp won't accomodate 4g wire, I am wondering who is out of the loop!? I don't know what kind of connectors the amp requires or utilizes, but perhaps one of the online ot local auto sound supply shops can supply a connector/spade/(fill in the blank type) connector that will accomodate the wire and mate with the amp... I bet Mike Hurd knows the answer for auto audio connector sources! Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 hmmm I'm building a sub with dual tumults and am going to use a qsc plx 3402 which gives like 2400 watts rms at 8 ohms bridged mono. The wire that is going to the speaker is 12 gauge copper. Don't get caught up in all the hype of smaller gauges since they will not exceed 10 feet and such. The normal wire for up to 20 amps (standard homes use 15) in a home is 12 gauge copper, 10 gauge aluminum. I bet that a single wall socket has more power then you car's generator can provide. also since you purchased your wire what you can do is strip some I would say middle wires since current is actually transported on the outer part of the wire itself. Simply untwist it and chop some inners and retwist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Thanks for the info jay, thats what I planned on doing. I was just wondering if it could possibly damage the amp or my subs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 10:54:39 PM Juba310 wrote: Thanks for the info jay, thats what I planned on doing. I was just wondering if it could possibly damage the amp or my subs. ---------------- No! Just your wallet! (and with the excess mass, perhaps your gas mileage! And all without any appreciable benefit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tofu Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- And all without any appreciable benefit... ---------------- thicker wires look cooler of course... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I think standard jump wires are 8 gauge too and that is from battery to battery. Surprise yet again the market hype... Though I finally have sin to all who read this. I brought 5 feet of the 11 gauge monster wire for a dollar a foot and 5 feet for two dollars a foot of monster z wire. Since they were the only wire sixth ave had there. They had 8,4,2, 0 but they were all aluminum and huge and expensive. I think the 0 gauge was 20 bucks a foot. Though the wire itself was like 3/4 a inch and the whole coating included was an inch or so... Which brings me to one question. How different is aluminum since aluminum is actually a better heat and electrical conductor per weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 4 gauge wont fit the connector? Go buy a distribution block for $ 12.00 and a short piece of 8 gauge wire. The block that you need must fit 4 gauge as an input, usually having (4) 8 gauge outputs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Serious car amplifiers draw massive amounts of current, especially those on subwoofers. JBL/Crown has a 6KW model that will suck back over 800 amperes at full boogie. Make sure to upgrade the ground as well, if you ground to the chassis, make damn sure that the ground from the battery to the chassis is upgraded as well. Also, please do not forget about fusing, you need a fuse 18" from the battery at the most, preferably closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Copper's resistance is ~1.70 x 10^ -8 ohms/meter Aluminum's resistance is ~2.74 x 10^ -8 ohms/meter Stick with copper! But if you need a good HEAT conductor, I would go with aluminum! And since I was told that The Handbook of Chemistry and Physics was flawed last time, you guys can check this site and write to the publishers with your objections! I'm out of here! http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/elecon.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Jay, through the 80's GM used CCAW ( copper clad aluminum wire ) in there models as a weight saving measure, even the wire running through the interior to the trunklights was ccaw. If you had a stuck starter solenoid, and it kept cranking even though the key was off, the wires would melt off from the amount of current going through them. The diesel models ( GM truck with 6.2l, and the olds cars with the 5.7l diesel ) had copper, not copper clad aluminum. You could not solder the trunk wiring back together if some dummy cut them to add a trailer plug, instead you had to use butt crimps to repair this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 11:13:47 PM dragonfyr wrote: Copper's resistance is ~1.70 x 10^ -8 ohms/meter Aluminum's resistance is ~2.74 x 10^ -8 ohms/meter Stick with copper! But if you need a good HEAT conductor, I would go with aluminum! And since I was told that The Handbook of Chemistry and Physics was flawed last time, you guys can check this site and write to the publishers with your objections! I'm out of here! http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif"> http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/images/smilies/9.gif"> http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/elecon.html ---------------- I said per weight of copper versus aluminum since copper weighs more then aluminum. Also yes I know cars pull some mean current due to the low ohms they usually have like 1 ohm WTF! But 800??? that sounds a little too much, that might be peak burst? Usually high end subs in cars have massive batteries to feed the speakers I thought so the lights don't go dim when the speaker goes BOOM!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I not sure if anyone is getting my point? I said aluminum is a better heat and electrical conductor per weight and not per volume. Equal sized cables always mean copper would win. But if say you needed a specific weight then alumiunum would win. I brought copper because I know per gauge it is much better. Even in home electrical fixtures aluminum always is one gauge down copper per same amps given. Given that I rather go with some 11 gauge copper wire over some 8 gauge aluminum wire that were at the audio store where I purchased my cable. Though I understand why the lower gauges are all aluminum since the cost of copper over aluminum is exponential. Also remember at one time aluminum was more money then silver was. Rofl Napolean had aluminum plates to "show off." Though that was before the bessemer process I believe to purify aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Haha wow thanks for all the info everyone. I love these boards. If I'd asked at some car audio forum I'd probably just get flamed for my "old" amp. I feel really stupid for buying it now... but I already have it, so I'll just shave some of the wire off the tip like you said. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Well given a car battery it is what it is. A low volt high amp device. Using a car battery for a clock would be useless as car batteries are called on only once when the car is starting. I believe the ignition does use up to 1000 amps to crank the starter motor but would the car battery last for one hour cranking the starter, not likely. Also on another note. Aluminum is right on the border from a metal or non metal. Once aluminum touches an oxygen environment it oxidizes to aluminum oxide. Hence your soda cans and such do not tarnish or rust. Also pure aluminum oxide is used for sandpaper and for high heat crucibals. But one thing that is rather funny and dangerous is to drop mercury (don't do this) on aluminum and watch before your eyes as the aluminum will disintegrate. Mercury actually disallows the production of aluminum oxide to protect itself. You may have to scratch the aluminum after the mercury has been added. Since it is pure aluminum going down the aluminum basically turns to dust and filings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Oh, I may be learning something here! 'Per unit mass' has significant meaning for me, but I will admit to never having to deal nor to be concerned with resistivity 'per unit weight'. And since weight (mass x gravity) changes with elevation while mass (the 'amount' of 'stuff') remains constant...- ok I will simply say I am confused by the pertinence of this distinction here. But then I am often confused... Personally, in lieu of a compelling reason, I would stick with copper for the ease with which it can be worked, its compatibility with other components, and its resistance. I hope no one is taking this too seriously! And in that spirit... While this is a left field tangent, aluminum does oxidize! But with a thin film that tends to retard itself and not result in further degredation. I just never felt the need to worry about the relative weight of the wiring for my car stereo! Perhaps I should become concerned with the mass and resultant weight of any residual bladder contents before driving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juba310 Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Oh yeah, and I have a 60 or 80 fuse in the line... and am using 4 gauge for both the power and ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 ---------------- On 6/14/2005 11:31:45 PM Juba310 wrote: Haha wow thanks for all the info everyone. I love these boards. If I'd asked at some car audio forum I'd probably just get flamed for my "old" amp. I feel really stupid for buying it now... but I already have it, so I'll just shave some of the wire off the tip like you said. Thanks. ---------------- I'd shave some of the middles as the electrical current actually runs on the outside of the wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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