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WHAT IS THE CORRECT ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION? I PLAN ON PURCHASEING A HIGH OUTPUT ALT, AND I HAVE A D-12 DIESEL BATTERY. THIS BATTERY IS VERY LARGE. I WOULD RATHER HAVE MORE TRUNK SPACE IF POSSIBLE. WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION DR DOOM
Posts: 141 | From: Depths of Hell aka Roanoke Virginia | Registered: Apr 2000
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I think your going to get alot of answers to this. I know, theoretically, that it's not supposed to help you while the car is running.
If I unhook my extra batteries, while all my amps are playing: The truck cuts off. I have 2 alternators on the truck, sooooo I dont think they are the prob. But, with the batteris hooked up: Stereo plays all day, with the truck on OR off.
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Optima red top are starting batterys only and not designed for high powered systems that deep discharge the batterys. yellow top are perfect for that application . i have nearly 3000 watts rms with a stock 100amp alt with 2 yellow tops and have no problems . Of coarse i dont crank my system full blast for extended periods of time , if i did i would run into problems ...
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Well, I've got some recent real experience to relay. I've got a Comp car with well over 1000 watts. I had a 34 amp alt originally and just a front battery. I added a rear battery and the system did get louder. I then added a 100+ amp alt and the system got even louder with the engine on. I ran it this way for a couple of years until recently adding 4 more generic high cca batteries right at the amp rack. The system now plays louder with the car on or off. I can also overtax the alternator badly though. This is because I can keep the amp on longer at a higher volume and get a constant charge current of over the rating of the alternator. Previously the charge current would pulse with the music. My definition of louder here is I can crank the thing louder before getting the same clipping coming into play. Before I could go up to the threshold of clipping (I can't stand to run any significant clipping) and charge current would be about 20 to 60 amps pulsing with the music. My rear battery voltage would drop off bad. Now that the current is held up higher with the extra batteries I can crank it further without starving the amp for power. Unfortunately the alt sees a constant current of higher than it's capable of if I beat the system mercilessly.
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A cars electrical system is very simple, the alternator supplies main power, unless you over tax it. In which case the batteries become the back up voltage source, until the taxing is over. Then the alternator tops off the batteries again, and becomes the main power source again. So yes extra batteries help, but they also draw down an alternator too, if used as the only source of charging. That why we always keep our extra batteries topped off with a trickle charger.
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Okay extra battiers do help when the car is turned on. Now this is in terms of normal say systems that are playing dynamic music, not crazy dragers like we all like to build. This is also no replacement for a needed higheroupt alternators but provide a cushion before you will need to add one. It also eliminated the need for capacitors. Extra batteries can actually easy the load on your alternator. Like Tech said his V used to fluctuate bady with a small ammount of battery power, this is very hard on an alternator. First you must understand how an alternator works. The regulator senses voltage, as the voltage drops the reg sends more current through the field cuircuit increasing the amperage output of the alternator, as a result V goes back up right. Now for example if you pull 100amps from a single battery and the V drops 2v then the alt will sense that drop and replace it with 100amp. But if you take two batteries in parralel and pull the same 100amps (that means 50 per batt) you only get half the V drop. Therefore in this case the alt would only sense a 1V drop, putting out only half the current to compensate (50amps) but for twice as long. Everyone still with me? Now we all know that heat is the #1 enemy of your alternator, alts are not designed to output thier maximum for any extended period of time, they simply cannot dissipate the heat. But now by adding another battery and allowing the alt to charge half as much but for twice as long it has the ability to keep itself within acceptable operating tempuratures.
------------------ Knowledge=SPL As does and open mind Team Hertz Canada Pres Hertz Audio
Posts: 221 | From: Calgary, AB | Registered: Nov 1999
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What I still don't quite understand is if an extra battery will increase your score. The high score is usually obtain in the first instant of the burp, correct? so would it help?
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It's been said, but I'll say it again, in other words.
When your system comes under a load, the powersource with the HIGHEST voltage carries the load. When the load hits the alternator, the magnetic field collapses, and the alternators voltage drops to match the voltage of the batteries. If you have too little rated battery current, the output from the batteries cannot carry the load, and the voltage continues to drop.
I have a DMM with a peak hold function. When I went to set up the system for the first time, I hooked up the meter, set the gains, then charged it and burped it. I had a low of 11.5 Volts. Set up an additional battery, and it stayed stable at 12.2 Volts.
Posts: 101 | From: Overland Park, Kansas | Registered: Jan 2000
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i say yes, cause if it's no, i'm a dumbass.
im my view, when the amp says "give me the juice bitch", your alternator responds "take this", then your amp says "that's not enough, you lazy bum, give me more", so you alt say "hey battery i need some help here", and the battery says sure, i've been leachin off of ya all day, i guess i could get off my but and do something". so the battery help the alternator better maintain a constant current. the battery is instant power (more or less) kinda like a buffer for Voltage drop. when the alt gets over taxed (and yes up to this point the batt has just been a load, a small load, but still a load) it will start drawing power from the batts to sustain and minimize voltage drop. so the amp says "damn thanks man", the alt says "cool, but i sweaten like a pig here, you better slow down or your gonna kill me", the batt says "i'm gettin tired, i need some gatorade."
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