Well, you were using Class A amps on an electrical system that can't work w/them...pretty simple (sorry about those troubles). Class A is the best sounding, but terribly inefficient. They're used in Pro Audio a lot, but I'd stay away from them in mobile unless you have a huge electrical system.

 

i am running 600w total RMS..and my dash lights/headlights/brakes dim when the bass hits (when i turn it pretty loud) while the revs are down. once the revs are up i dont really notice anymore dimming...
would it be a good investment to get a cap or a bigger alternator?
it's been working fine for about a year.. =)

 

so dlh1999, what was ur conclusion? cap doesn't do **** and an efficient amp will help? to be honest, i don't know much about stereo. i just knew there's something called alternator but what does it do, i have no idea. so could you be more specific? sorry i am too stupid at this point. alternator, a new battery or a cap, which one should i get in order to get rid of the dimming lights?
also, what you mean by class A amp? what class is mine? i have Alpine MRV-T707 and later on i will get a new V12 430.
sorry if i asked too much

 

what amp do you have?

the alternator powers every elecrtical thing in your car when your car is turned on. when it is off, everything is powered by battery. the alternator recharges by the belts while the engine is running, so the fast they are spinning (higher revs) the better off it is, the slower it is spinning (idle) the more it struggles.

debating on weather to get an alternator upgrade or cap will depend on the budget and how far you want to go with the system.

 

Not only was I using one Class A amp, I was using TWO...how dumb is that. I did that years ago, and learned my lessons, as well as about amp classes...I've come to learn exactly what you said....Class A amps are excellent quality, but also complete power hogs. Unfortunately I learned a lot of what I know now AFTER I went through all the headaches.

 

No problem...I'll probably repeat some of what WiLL said, but here goes:

Your alternator is belt-driven, and supplies power to your battery and in turn your electrical system. It spools electricity and sends it to the battery to power electronics on the car. So in a sense the alternator is as crucial to the system as the battery. However, they have limits: They are spooled to produce enough power for your cars basic electronics & stuff: heaters, lights, etc. and not made for any major additions to the electrical system. Therefore, anytime you add something electrical to the system, like amps, you're adding to the load that the alternator must produce. So upgrading your alternator in theory will allow you to run a stereo better, but is generally really spendy. Does that make sense? Let me know if this is confusing, and I'll try to explain again.

Okay, as for my thoughts on caps. In my case the cap was pretty much useless because my amps were too much for my electrical system to handle anyway. So adding the cap just added to the strain, and killed off the alternators by overloading it (they tried to produce more power than they were capable, and eventually fried themselves). I had 2 Class A amps running. These amps produce awesome sound quality, but at the same time they are require a LOT of constant power...anytime they're on, they use as much power as they can. In your case, assuming you have a more efficient amp than what I was using, a cap could certainly help you out. If your stereo is just barely a strain, a cap could be what you need. I'd maybe try that first. If that doesn't do the trick, maybe a new battery. It wouldn't hurt to have your system tested...a lot of tire places and auto shops around here to those tests for free. But I wouldn't spend a ton of money right now...see what will solve your problem by trying cheap things first. I hope I'm helping here...I've kind of lost my train of thought, but I'll read this over in a little while and write again if I think I've forgotten anything...otherwise, let me know if I need to clear things up.

Hope that helped...:thumbup:

 

thank you dlh1999 for ur patient. having read through what you and WILL posted, i kind get the idea of what a cap and an alternator do to electrical system in a car. i think what i will do is to add another 2 channel amp first and see how things go. if all lights dim like crazy, i wouldn't mind spending a little extra on a cap since it is not very pricy. as for alternator, how much is it ?
thanx again...peace

 

$200+ for a new one. may be a little more....but that number sounds familiar...

 

not too bad. cheaper than what i thought. i thought it costs like hundreds since you said the words "depending on ur budget"
one last last question, is there any way i can test out my system after everything is installed to see whether i need a cap, a new battery, or an alternator?

 

Basically, the alternator charges the electrical system...it is responsible for supplying power to the rest of the system (and keeping the battery charged). A cap acts as a secondary battery...it's able to store power for when it is needed from your stereo, and can recharge super quick. That's why it potentially could be another strain on an electrical system. Anyway, that's basically what an alternator and cap each do for an electrical system. Just keep in mind that if your lights are dimming now with just one amp, then adding another amp will probably just make things worst. You could try to help the problem with a cap, or look around online to get an idea of what a high output alternator will cost...the first place to come to mind is mralternator.com...I'm not sure if it has what you're looking for, but it's a good starting point.