ok so i got a custom build 200amp alt. from nathan an i have the big 3 wired an i have a red top under the hood i have another battery in the back just a regular batter soon to be a yellow top an i have the power wire from the red top to the 2nd battery an i have the 2nd battery ground in the back. i have 14.68 volts at idle i think or rev. my lights still dim right now all i have is a hifonics 400 for the speakers an a hifonics 1600 not mine but ill soon have a kicker zx1500 do i have a good powering system??
"If not it's fine. Lights will always dim somewhat."
This is true only if you're system draws more current than your alternator or charging system can produce. You have to keep in mind that your two-hundred amp alternator does not produce two-hundred amps at idle. In order to get two-hundred amps out of your charging system you have to increase the RPM of the pulley to obtain the maximum amperage from the alternator. When you stop at stop signs and red lights you have to hope that your alternator's idle amperage can support the current demands of your vehicle and whatever accessories you have installed into it(In this case a high power audio system).
Rob, it wouldn't matter if your alternator did 1000 amps. The voltage regulators are not fast enough to respond instantly to instant current demands. Thats what causes the brief dim of the lights.
When the voltage drops down to battery voltage and doesn't go back right away, thats when you know you've got a problem.
I wasn't arguing with you M.S., WTF is your real name by the way? I was just saying that the OP understood charging systems a bit better. I think my charging system supports 2.5k RMS at a stop light with no dimming at all.