How can I connect my car amp to my PC???

Closed: New threads not accepted on this page
  Thread Last Poster Posts Last Post
Archive through December 17, 2004weedy22100
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page
 

weedy22
Unregistered guest
Sorry Fryguy wrong post. I will continue in the post

Will a car amp work on a home stereo?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 437
Registered: Jun-04
Try another load like an standard 100 watt light bulb on the +12 output. I suspect that there may be a wire problem.
 

HyperViper
Unregistered guest
Hi, i like many people in this post ar trying to power a small car amp with a PSU.. its a 350w ATX PSU putting out 16A on the yellow wires.. the amp is just a basic rampage 300w amp.. I have powered this amp with moderate volume at 14amps before, so I have no questions 1 PSU would suit me fine. Now, as far as hooking it up goes.. I downloaded that document as uploaded earlier and read it.. what I did was took *All* yellow wires, that includes the ones that when the the small 12V + sqaure plug as well as the large retangular plug that plugs into the motherboard, and all the other ones that go to the peripherals... stripped them and braided them together.. I did the same for all the back wires.. as far as the REM goes, i kind of assumed the purple wire would go there, but im not sure.. and I just tied the pwr_on with a black wire, as its a newer style ATX with the switch on the back, so I will just turn it off that way. All said and done, after connecting the wires to my AMP and powering on the powersupply, the PSU comes on, but the AMP does not. So i was curious if anyone can help me? Are all the black part of the same ground? like do certain yellows or the pwr_on for instance have to be hooked up to a specific ground? or can it be any? and am I supposed to do something with the pwr_ok, cause I also read that once the PSU voltages stablize the pwr_ok signals the PSU to output full power...

any help would be greatly appreciated..
ty, cheers
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 448
Registered: Jun-04
You're so close to getting it running it's not funny.

Tie the REM to the +12 (yellow). You can use the pwr_ok from the PSU but you need to use a transistor to sink the current needed. The pwr_ok will only provide a few milliamp of current; usually not even enough to light an LED.

The PWR_ON can be tied to the black wire any one at all. What I do is solder the wire to the ground rail inside the PSU so I don't have any extra wires externally to deal with.
 

HyperViper
Unregistered guest
so your saying tie the purple wire in with the yellow? I was going to use the purple wire +5v for the REM terminal..
 

HyperViper
Unregistered guest
or do you mean use a small wire and bridge the REM with the 12v terminal besdie it? o.O
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 449
Registered: Jun-04
I'm saying cut the purple wire off, you don't need it.

Yes just bridge the REM to the +12 with a small wire. Then when you turn on the power supply with the switch on it the AMP will turn on without the need for a second switch.
 

HyperViper
Unregistered guest
wow... it works now and its damn loud.. thanks a lot for the help :D
 

Unregistered guest
Hey just a quick question i don't know if you answered it but is there any way you can bypass the remote terminal on a <a href="http://www.serverlogic3.com/lm/rtl3.asp?si=5&k=car%20amplifier">car amplifier</a> any help would be great email me at admin@darkshot.darktech.org if you can help me out
 

Darkshot
Unregistered guest
sorry the post above should be:

Hey just a quick question i don't know if you answered it but is there any way you can bypass the remote terminal on a car amp any help would be great email me at admin@darkshot.darktech.org if you can help me out
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 451
Registered: Jun-04
darkshot, your trying to do what now?
 

Unregistered guest
i'm trying to connect a car amp to my pc. scince my pc doesn't have a remote wire the amp will not turn on because the head unit sends a signal to the amp through the remote wire i want to be able to have my amp run all the time when i have power to it.
 

Darkshot
Unregistered guest
what i have to power the amp is a 117V AC to 13.8V DC regulated DC power supply and i would run + to + and - to ground.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 455
Registered: Jun-04
That's how it works for the wiring and all you need to do for the amp issue is run a small wire from the +12 to the REM terminal on the amp to hold the amp on.
 

Darkshot
Unregistered guest
so send 12V to the REM terminal ok that's what i thought
 

Darkshot
Unregistered guest
thanks FryGuy that worked great the only problem is my power supply isn't sending enough amps but it's workin fine other then that and my subs pound hard for dvd's.
 

READ THE THREAD!
Unregistered guest
"is there a really easy way to convert a car amp to run
off a outlet or whould i need to get a house amp."

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THAT HAS BEEN ANSKED AND THE ANSWER HAS BEEN GIVEN?

OR ON THIS THREAD:

https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/4033.html

PEOPLE READ THE THREAD BEFORE YOU ASK THE SAME QUESTION A MILLION TIMES!

IT ALLREADY HAS AN ANSWER!
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
I would just like to thank everyone for there input. It will help me out a lot with what I want to do. I am making a box out of plexi-glass that will have two subs in the bottom, four mids all round, and a Car Deck for playing. I had many questions on how I should power it. (A co-worker has one that he uses at the local ice rink to use during hockey practices which he powers off a car battery, which works for him). Myself, I would rather explore and learn. I'm going to try the PS method.

For the people who said to save and buy an actual system, well that just takes out all the fun of creating something yourself. Yes, it may not sound the best, or it may not even work, I don't care. It is all just for the fun of it. My system will serve no purpose other than for some good old fun.

Thanks everyone.
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
Oh, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate.
 

Anonymous
 
You know, I have been deleting the "How Can I...." messages from this thread when they arrive, thinking the whole thing is pretty stupid when it comes to using car stereos in the home. Now you come to describe how it will look and the element of fun and creativity, I rather like the idea. I wonder if anyone's thought of selling these creations as designer stereos? I think they would look pretty cool in modern/ tech look homes.

Happy New Year to you all.
 

Unregistered guest
Well, i have ben reading all the posts!! but i am still confused, I have a car amplifier, and in the power input has 3 connectors: first GND (i guess means ground) second IGN + (ignition positive i guess) thrid B+ (is battery Positive). and i have a power adaptor from AC 220v to 12 v. 1000mA, and i want to connect the positive wire in the B+ and IGN+ too, and the GND to the negative Wire, is this correct!!!! or my house will burn???
Any suggestion? any Consideration?
Sorry but my english is really bad as my Electric fundaments, so i am in really troubles here
please help!!! and honestly, i only could understand a few of the posts!!
By the way the amplifier is a MB-200.V4 Premier? 750 watts!!
AGain thanks , !!!!!!
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 464
Registered: Jun-04
Me_Happy_Person, It does work and sounds fine. The only issue that you may have with the sound will be with ground-loop feed back (hum/buzz noise) its with un-common amp and source grounds an audio isolator or some crafting of the electrical syatem so they have common grounds will fix this problem.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 465
Registered: Jun-04
Anonymous, I'm starting a small business up and I never thought of selling them as custom stereos, mabe I will later make one up and try to sell it. That will be in a few months at least before I can build one.

I have been having computer hardware problems and that why i'm late at responding. I'm not sure how often I can get online to respond. hopefully it wont be like this for long, I miss my computer :-(

Note: I,m typing this fast and not even spell checking, etc, sorry for any spelling, gramer errors.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 466
Registered: Jun-04
fenix_bol, Your power adaptor will not work. If its a small wall transformer it is useless. You need a larger power supply that will have a higher current rating then 1000MA/miliamp thats only 1 Amp. Power equals voltage by the current in amps, so 1 amp at 12 volts is only 12 watts of power, see the problem.

Select an power converter that 12 volts but with the current thats needed by the amp. Cheeting tip: look at the fuse rating on the amp, if there is more then one then add them togther to get the total current required.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 467
Registered: Jun-04
fenix_bol, your wiring is correct just the power converter is too small to power the amp.
 

Unregistered guest
thankX FryGuy.ca THANKX
i am understanding the problem, the fuse next to the power input is only one and says 15A, my amp is 750 watts so i have to find a power converter with 12 volt and 15A, am i correct?
thanks again!!!!
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 469
Registered: Jun-04
You got it *thumbs up* . If you select a switch mode converter its more efficient at converting the power (less energy as wasted heat) and its usualy smaller and lighter weight then a linear type regulated power supply.

My recommendation is a switch mode power supply unit(PSU) for those reasons. whether or not you mod a computer ATX PSU to do the job or buy a switch mode PSU already built is your choice.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ahmer

Hyderabad, Sindh Pakistan

Post Number: 13
Registered: Dec-04
HEY FRYGUY,

please take a look here...
https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/114919.html
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 475
Registered: Jun-04
Yes, and I see glasswolf is flaming me again behind my back. If he ever tried it out he would change his mind about it.
 

New member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jan-05
well you could use a bettry charger that puts out 75-100amps its what im using to power my subs for my HT
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 482
Registered: Jun-04
True, It works well and thats what I started with.
But like everything it has it's problems also.

The down side to a battery and charger setup is:
1.heavy transformer and battery
2.noisy transformer (hum noise, more annoying then a fan's 'white noise' like sound)
3.wasted power from conversion of power and storage to battery, it waste's power in the form of heat. (touch a dead battery when it charges for an hour or two)
4.Its less direct conversion of power and uses noisy linear regulator in a charger.
5.Sulphuric acid smells bad when charging.
6.Acid can cause damage.
7.explosive hydrogen gas is produced also.

In some cases a charger type circuit and battery would be ideal. In the home it's not in most cases.

If its not a sealed battery (and even then)some gasses escape and it reaks of sulphur from the acid. The acid can spill and cause damage to finished surfaces, it realy don't like clothing and rugs :-( . Not to mention the explosive hydrogen gas thats produced from the energy conversion in the acid.
 

New member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jan-05
Theres no battery in my house its connected directly to some capicators to smooth out the signal than it connects to the amp
No Battery

*I didn't think of that, that would of been bad
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 484
Registered: Jun-04
Most people have them on a battery. It's because of the internal circuit that detects proper battery hook-up needs voltage from the battery to sence its wiring and then it will produce the charging current. Yours must have a boost/jump setting to bypass that?

It's good to see a true DIYer with a mod of his own :-D .
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 14
Registered: Jan-05
thanks fryguy you into building amplifiers,etc...
would of sent these via email but said there was a fatal error
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 487
Registered: Jun-04
I have built a few amps and many other custom made electronic circuits.

How My ATX Power Supply Unit (PSU) Mod Started:
It starts off with a need to do something then I think of a simple circuit to do it. That's when I made my ATX PSU mod. I was thinking there had to be a cheep, easy and simple way to power 12 volt devices for testing.

To tell you the story. I needed a high current 12 volt power supply for tasting.

I had to come up with a cheep PSU somewhere and I was looking threw the junk and spotted some ATX computer PSU's. I looked at the specs and wished I could hook them together in parallel to get higher current. I went on-line and seen if I could find the specs for the PSU and discovered that with some minor mods I could and do it safely.
Its not much different from the modular high current switchers, and they have parallelled outputs for higher currents.

The I was on the Internet searching (can't remember what now) and stumbled on e-coustics forum. There was a posting of someone wanting to power an car amp in the home. The rest is history.

Whats the error you say about? an error with the forum?
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 21
Registered: Jan-05
No not the forum its in my email acount you know when some one writes some thing it sends a copy, well anu ways just noticed the do not reply back message at the bottum.

I got into it the same way, needed some thing to power my amp so i went to my high school and found some books on elestronics in the itt room so i took them home and now know more about it then any one in my school

have you ever herd of ESP http://sound.westhost.com/p-list.htm Im planning on making a 7channel amplifier or buying car amps. I've sent emails to JBL,MTX,Infinity and none have emailed me back with the RMS rating of amplifiers into 8 ohms i wonder why?

may be a little late but happy new year
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
Hi, I've been reading this tthread for a while and Ive tried everything. Like Hyperviper said, when i connect my amp to my psu it feeds it power and turns on for a second and then it immediately turns off. I have put in a smaller wire adn fused it with the +12V next to it but it's still the same. I took out teh +12V for the remote and used a +3V instead and it's the same thing. any help or suggestions?

I have a 800W Amp and a 350W PSU

(I have a feeling that the PSU may not have enough power to power the amp but shouldn't it still turn on faintly?)

many thanks
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 488
Registered: Jun-04
If you look on their web sites it should have the specs for all their products, you shouldn't have to e-mail them for that.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 489
Registered: Jun-04
If you have a volt meter measure the voltage from the PSU to the amp. It will give you an idea of whats going on.

I'm sure you done this; The green wire (PS_ON)with the PSU should be tied to the ground for the PSU to turn on.

NOTE: An old AT style PSU won't work in most cases because they need a ~20% +5 volt rail load for proper +12 volt rail regulation at the rated voltage. If you are using an ATX PSU and its doing that then it's an off spec ATX PSU that don't conform to the ATX v1.3 spec. (Worst case)In that case there is nothing you can do with the PSU. The cheeper ATX models (not in all cases) seem to have this problem so far.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 22
Registered: Jan-05
dubz what is the class of your amplifier

EX:class AB
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
well here is the link (I bought it off ebay)
not sure what class but hope this link helps

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem%26item%3D7936186300%26& sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

FryGuy, well my PSU isn't that old. I got it off a computer about a year or two old and I know that there is power going to the amp. As an alternative method, is there a way to use something else to trigger the remote? (i.e. not using a a wire from the PSU itself?)

thanks.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 498
Registered: Jun-04
You can use a simple switch if needed or any other type or switch like a relay switch, etc.

It all depends on what you need it to do and what other gear you have wired together.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 499
Registered: Jun-04
BTW, Your link above didn't work for me.

Oh, Also you can use the PS_ON (green) wire on the PSU to a switch that goes to the ground (black), to turn the PSU on and off remotely. If that's what you need to do with your project.
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
sorry about the link
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem%26item%3D7936186300
this one should work.

as for the remote on the amplifier, do I just need to send a current to the remote to start the amp up?
If so, I'm just wondering why my PSU shuts off everytime I place a wire carrying positive voltage to the remote? Is there away to go around this? Maybe by pass the remote altogether? thnx
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
oh sorry and I forgot to add this

my PSU is model: ATX-350 (made by Thame Star)
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 24
Registered: Jan-05
1. dubz do you have the -12v/+12v connected into your amp?

2. did you have the remote connected to the same power supllie that is powering your amp?
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
i only have the +12V connected to my amp (plus the black ground to the ground on the amp) and yes, the remote is connected to the same power supply as my amp...it shuts off everytime i try to connect the remote.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 38
Registered: Jan-05
what kind of amp did you get?
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem%26item%3D7936186300

here are the specs
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
sorry the link doesn't work....

here are the specs:

AM-4505 AMPLIFIER FEATURES

* 2 Channel Power Amplifier

* 4 Ohm Stable in Stereo Mode

* 2 Ohm Stable in Stereo Mode

* Gold Plated Connectors

* MOSFET Power Supply

* High Level Input

* Low Level Input

* X-over Control

* Crossover Switch

* Gain (Input Level) Controls

* Bass Boost Control

* Thermal Protection

* Short Circuit Protection

* Remote Turn-ON/Turn OFF Circuit

* 2 X 400 Watt RMS Power

* X-Over 50-300 Hz

* Jumbo Illumination Bar

* High Pass/Flat/Low pass Switch

It's an amp made by Cuspid
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 500
Registered: Jun-04
My guess is that the power supply is to small. A 350 watt ATX don't push the full 350 watts at +12 volts.

If your amp is 400 wats RMS total then it's under powered severely. So much so that it's not able to turn on.
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
hmmm but shouldn't the power supply stay on even if it's not powerful enough to turn the amp on? what i don't understand is why the PSU shuts off once i try to hook up the remote or if the wire touches metal?

for example, with my 12V power hooked up and my ground, i use a +3V or some other postive voltage wire to hook up the remote, the PSU shuts off or if i make contact with metal with the same wire or any other positive voltage wire
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
hmmm i just remembered, i have an old laptop that is no longer functional, I think it has an external PSU, is it possible to use that with teh ATX power supply?

If it's possible, how? Does it look similar and do I do the same thing? (i.e braid the yellow with the ATX yellows and the black with the ATX black, etc?)
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 502
Registered: Jun-04
dubz, your shorting it out that's why. Good thing for the over-current protection or you could have damaged the power supply.

You only use the +12 for the remote and any wire other then the ground touching metal will cause a short.
 

dubz
Unregistered guest
OHH i thought so. so how do i change it so it doesn't short out? I followed the directions from above so I don't know what I did wrong
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jan-05
If I can only power 1 positive voltage wire from the PSU, if I decide to use that 12V for the power, what would I use for the remote?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 503
Registered: Jun-04
You use the same +12 for the REM on the amp too. If you require the amp to be turned on and off other then with the PSU switch, then install a switch between the +12 and the REM on the amp to do that.
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 3
Registered: Jan-05
hmmm but that is the problem, everytime I try to add or fuse two smaller wires to the exisiting +12V line on the power switch of the amp, it seems to do taht short circuit thing and turn the PSU off
 

Ben Reeves
Unregistered guest
can anyone tell me what is wrong with this setup (2 x 500watt ATX PSU's powering 1200watt mosfet amp). It shud at least turn on right?

http://www.veoda.com/1.jpg
http://www.veoda.com/2.jpg
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 39
Registered: Jan-05
try it first by just using one power supplie to the amp
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jan-05
I'm having the same problem but I'm only using on ATX power supply
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 505
Registered: Jun-04
Here is a small test setup:

Picture shows the smp wiring and a switch for the PSU to remotly turn it on.

Notice: The short jumper to hold the amps Remote on.

Upload
 

Ben Reeves
Unregistered guest
I can't figure mine out the setup is exactly the same as above. Say if i accidentally put the 12v in the ground and 0v in the power would that have broken the amp? The fuses arn't blown
 

Ben Reeves
Unregistered guest
There are two 30A fuses on the amp, does that mean i have to reach 60A before it will turn on. At the moment the PSU's would supply make 34A
 

Ben Reeves
Unregistered guest
Yep as I thought the amp was blown when i accidentially put the current through the wrong way. Dubz you've probably done the same.

I went down to Halfords and got a new one and F~*K does it sound good, definitely worth doing!

Great forum thanks for all your help
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 5
Registered: Jan-05
Ben, hmmm I don't think that my fuse is blown because I never reversed the wiring and my amp does turn on for a split second when I hook up my remote. However, the reason that my amp doesn't turn is because my PSU shorts out...it's werid because I have the EXACT same setup as above and my amp only turns on for a few seconds and then the PSU cuts out, switching the amp off with it when I try to hook up ANY wire to the remote from the same PSU. I'm going to try hooking up my old laptop PSU just for the remote....
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 6
Registered: Jan-05
Ben, hmmm I don't think that my fuse is blown because I never reversed the wiring and my amp does turn on for a split second when I hook up my remote. However, the reason that my amp doesn't turn is because my PSU shorts out...it's werid because I have the EXACT same setup as above and my amp only turns on for a few seconds and then the PSU cuts out, switching the amp off with it when I try to hook up ANY wire to the remote from the same PSU. I'm going to try hooking up my old laptop PSU just for the remote....
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
I was wondering if anyone knows how to trip a non-ATX PSU to turn it on. I have two ATX power supplies for my unit, but I also had another non-ATX unit and was just curius if it were possibly to make it work. I can't figure out how to get it to turn on. Any help would be good. Thanks.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 506
Registered: Jun-04
You won't need separate power for the remote. If it's not working when connected to the +12 then it's just not going to work.

To run your amp at full volume you will need a second power supply to get the proper current rating. If the amp is fully loaded to its limit with speakers, the amp will cut-out at about half volume with your current setup.

When you mix wires up and power it up it will short the PSU. All that will do is force the PSU into over-current protection.

The only possible way to damage the amp would be if you;
1) Reversed the power and ground to the amp.
2) Had the power wire touch the chassis ground on the amp with the ground connected properly?
There is probably other possible wiring situations that can cause damage to an amp but they are the common ones.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 507
Registered: Jun-04
The AT style power supplies are on as soon as you plug them in they have a inline power switch (They don't have a PS_ON wire).

The down side of the AT PSU's is that most of them (not ALL of them) need a 20% load on the +5 volt rail before they offer stable regulation at full output current on the +12 volt rail.
 

weedy222
Unregistered guest
Hey FryGuy,

I am still trying to trouble shoot my set-up. I bought a test light. My PS is able to light the Test light. But I am having the same problems as users above then when connected to the amp the PS shuts of after a few seconds. (I know my amp works because I tested it in my car.)

http://www.pcimicro.com/.sc/ms/dd/1032987946/9/nc/ee/587/Achieve%5E2FViomax%20%2 0500w%20Power%20Supply%20w%5E2F%20Dual%20Fan%20New%20Retail%20Box

I noticed in one of your posts you mentioned that "cheap" ATX power supplies may not follow the correct ATX standards and this may cause a problem. I have a "cheap" PS right now and was wondering if you could recommend a PS that you know works and puts out ~25 Amps @12v?
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
Its was wierd, maybe the PSU is just toast I'm not sure. But when I turned on the switch, the cooling fan would start up, then instantly turn off. That was without hooking anything up to it. I then hooked up a mutimeter to it and it was showing it was pumping out something like 2v on one wire and .5 on another. That just doesn't seem right.
What do you mean by a 20% load? And is there a possiblility of me duplicating it somehow?

Anyway, thanks for all the help.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 509
Registered: Jun-04
If it's shutting off after it's turned on try some of these steps;

1) Eliminate any possible short problems, try another test load.

2) Measure the voltage before and during the simulation of the problem, try with different loads. This will help rule out that it's the PSU or the load that has the problem.

3) If it's the PSU and not the load, try loading the +5 (Resistors or large light bulbs, a 1000 watt projector bulb works well or big flood light bulb at 500 watts) and measure the voltage produced on the +12 rail.

If the +12 increases when the +5 is loaded then it can't be used or fixed in any way, it's the design of the PSU. You'll need another PSU for this mod that meets the ATX standard specs not the old AT specs.
 

New member
Username: Baby_dubz

Vancouver , British Colu... Canada

Post Number: 7
Registered: Jan-05
I'm still puzzled. I know my ATX Power supply does have enough power to at least keep the Amplifier on because when i hook up my wires, the "ON" light turns on for a split second and then my PSU just cuts out. It seems to me that every time I try to put a load on the same circuit that I hook my amplifier to, something shorts out causing the PSU to shut off. It's like everytime I send current up those wires something shorts but I don't know what. I've looked almost everywhere
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 515
Registered: Jun-04
Have you tried loading the +5 rail (as mentioned above)and measuring the +12 voltage?
 

weedy222
Unregistered guest
I tried to loading my power supply and these are the results. When the 5V side is loaded the 12v side measures 12.11v. Unloaded it measures 12.08v.

What do these results mean? Is that a big enough difference in voltage or is the .03v negligible?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 525
Registered: Jun-04
Try that same test with a load on the +12 also and see if it swings more then that.

With the results you have it tells me that it's not a power supply problem. (With the AT PSU's they would have +12 rail regulation drop-outs when the +5 rail wasn't loaded to about 20% its rated output).

What's the rated current on the +12 of the PSU and what is the load on it now? I still say there is a short circuit problem with the AMP. Maybe try to wire the amp to a battery temporally to test that it's still operational.
 

Unregistered guest
I was wondering if i can use a Pyramid Gold Series Regulated Power Supply(input: 115V AC 60Hz 250W. Output: 13.8V DC10 AMP CONSTANT. 12 AMP SURGE)To power up a 1000 Watt Amplifier. Please Help ME
 

Unregistered guest
Its a car Amplifier
 

sTONEYbILL
Unregistered guest
HEY EVERYONE. THANX FOR ALL THE HELP. THIS SH i T REALLY DOES WORK AND ITS GOOD TO HAVE TWO CLARION VNETS AT YOUR FEET WHILE PLAYING FPS GAMES W00t
 

Unregistered guest
WAZUP!!!!
Hey I have a lil question and a suggestion too...
Am Trying to Hook up my 10" JL Audiow3 of 500W to my home stereo, I knwo I have to use an amp and I already have it its a "VR3 500-Watt Subwoofer Amplifier" (Its a car amplifier) But I have no Idea how to conect it to the power supply??? (The one on the wall) If u can post a picture I think it would really help!!! THANX!!!!
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 528
Registered: Jun-04
A.S. Mexican Homie, Its a bit small of a Power supply for your huge amp. I think a 1000 watt amp should have about an 80 amp fuse, so you would need about 8 of them to power it properly.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 529
Registered: Jun-04
JAZP new_style new_stuff, If your talking about a wall transformer(wall wart) or power pack they can provide the power necessary to a amp that size.

A 500 watt amp will need at least 30-40 amps. A wall transformer may offer 500ma to mabe a max of about 1 amp.
 

AS Mexican Homie
Unregistered guest
So is there anything else i can use that would be cheaper to power my 1000 watt car amplifier
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 539
Registered: Jun-04
A batery and charger if you have on on hand, but I don't reccomend it to be used as a long term solution.

(The battery can easily be damaged by the discharge/charge cycles with time (costing more with replacement unless it's a deep cycle battery to begin with that can handle that abuse), sulphur smell (rotten egg like smell) explosive gasses during charging (hydrogen gas), etc. These all make it a bad choice for long term use in the house.)
 

A.S. Mexican Homie
Unregistered guest
Is there any other posible way that i can power it without using a car batery?Because that sounds kinda dangerous because of the chemicals that car batteries contain.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Cory

Canada

Post Number: 68
Registered: Jan-05
try the battery charger with a 0.1 ohm resistor rated at the bigest wattege you can find and connect it from possitive on the battery charger to possitive on the amp if that doesn't simulate a battery load then try a capicator but this tiome connect it from + to -. rated at 100pf or possibly smaller depending on the type of charger. The capicator also has to be rated at 25 volts or higher.

(you have to make sure the poliarties for the capicator are correct when coonecting it up)

 

JAZP new_style new_stuff
Unregistered guest
THANX FryGuy.ca UR RESPONSE REALLY HELPED ME!!!!
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
I would like to thank everyone, and FryGuy especially for all the help. I have almost finished my speaker box, it took a long time to do, but that is because of school. It worked EXCELLENT!!! Except for the bad quality Cd I tried first (oops) and the fact I shorted one of the power supplies by accident, but no damage done. Thanks again. I'll post pictures in the next couple of days so you guys can see.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 549
Registered: Jun-04
I can't wait to see your pictures.

Thank you for trying my ATX PSU mod out.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 552
Registered: Jun-04
A.S. Mexican Homie, The computer power supply mod I have above is probably the safest (IMO) and more efficient long term solution. The cost is cheaper then a linear power supply, and switchers of the same power can cost a lot more.
 

Unregistered guest
you guys rock... I hope your still updating the post.
so i can go like this yea..?
4 x 400watt comp PSUs into a 1600watt amp (duh) and 2x 800watt 18" Subs.
please tell me if it is possible and i will begin construction.
Can do pix for all you noobsters who think you can run a sub thru an RCA cable to your comp and run it off the wattage from that.
LOL
adamw@orcon.net.nz
 

AdamW
Unregistered guest
oh - and FryGuy - am i good to make like 2000watts worth of PSU "amp power" and run a 1600 watt amp of it... is that safe of will the AMP overload or some sh!t?
thanks
adam
 

AdamW
Unregistered guest
riiight.... i uploaded a jpg and it didnt work....
a schematic of the setup...
someone email me if you want the pic...
adamw@orcon.net.nz or adamwis@gmail.com if you dont get me on orcon.
adam.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 572
Registered: Jun-04
You can't do a wattage to wattage conversion. Look at the current rating of the PSU at the +12 then compare to the current requirement of the amp. This is because the total power rating of the PSU is the sum of all the outputs, not just the +12.
 

Anonymous
 
QQdddsa
 

Anonymous
 
FryGuy, I tried your setup using a 400 amp ATX PS hooked to a 100 w RMS amp. Like one of the other posters, the amp power light comes on briefly but the PS fan cuts off immediately. Voltmeter shows over 12 volts until the PS fan cuts off.

I have another identical power supply I can run in parallel but I would have thought that the amp would at least power up at low volumes with only one PS.

If I add the second power supply do I just gang the yellow wires together and the black wires together from each PS?

Is it okay to bolt the PS cases together and assume a common ground for both?

Are the black wires internally grounded to the case?

I am using this to power a subwoofer mostly as an experiment until I buy a sub and amp. I have several auto subs just sitting around taking up space.

Any tips/suggestions?
 

Anonymous
 
I tested some more last night. The 400w ATX PS label shows 200w at 12v, the remainder is at other voltage levels. I hooked a 75w light buld to it and it BARELY glowed. Voltage output with no load was 12.05v. The load dropped it to 11.91v. The same results occurred with a 100w bulb. So, I'm guessing that the PS overload protection is kicking in when I try to power up the 100w RMS amp. What concerns me is that if one PS is so far off will only adding one more be enough?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 576
Registered: Jun-04
The amp should power up and run properly with a small amp like that. I'm not sure what the resolution before was, I think it was a wiring issue.

To parallel the PSU's you just simply connect the yellow to yellow and black to black as you wondered. The case is a common ground to the earth ground and the common black wires.

Will the PSU power up without the amp connected? If not then there is a problem with the PSU or you don't have the PS_ON wire connected to a ground.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 578
Registered: Jun-04
The voltage shouldn't drop that much with the load of a 120 volt light bulb as a test load (All it will do is a slight red glow). The non spec PSUs need the +5 rail to be loaded to have proper regulation of the +12 rail. It sounds like thats your case, to try it out load the +5 and see if the loaded +12 increases in voltage. NOTE: You may need to load the +5 with several large (75-100w) bulbs to see any change.
 

Just a test
Unregistered guest
Yes, the PS powers up just fine without the amp connected.
 

Just a test
Unregistered guest
Hooking up several house light bulbs will be a pain. Can I simply wire a resistor between a red wire and ground to create a load for the 5v rail? Will hooking to just one of the red wires suffice? I am assuming that all of the red wires come from the same source since that is how the yellow and black wires were done.

Actually, a 12v bulb from an automotive application could be wired in fairly easily (easy to find a light socket with wire terminals) as a test. Would that provide sufficient load for the 5v rail? I know it will glow very dimly but would another 120v bulb work as a quick test to load the 5v rail?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 580
Registered: Jun-04
A light bulb just is something that everyone has as a simple load for testing. A 100 watt bulb makes a very cheep low ohms high power load. Running it at low voltages it has a very long life time, many tens of years. It has fairly low induction but the big drawback is that its resistance increases as the current does (simple current limiter action as the wire becomes hot it resists the flow of electrons).

If you have large power resistors to test with by all means use them. Just watch the power into them or you'll over heat them quickly. They will yeld more stable test results then a light bulb as a load can.

You only need one red wire for the test they are all common to each other.
 

Just a test
Unregistered guest
I connected a 75w house bulb between the 5v red wire and ground and a 100w between the yellow wire and ground. No load PS output was 12.05v. The load dropped it to 11.91v without the 5v line loaded. Loading the 5v line pulled the voltage up to 11.99v. By connecting and disconnecting the 5v load I could watch the voltage alternate between the 11.91 and 11.99 values.

Is the 0.6 volt drop more reasonable or is there something else I need to be looking for before I hook it up to the amp again?

How would I know a "large power resistor"? Left on my own I would have just gotten a common carbon resistor from Radio Shack. I'm assuming from your comment that that won't cut it.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 581
Registered: Jun-04
I would try a heavier load on the +5 rail, the voltage on the +12 should rise more. Its like a balancing act on the non standard ATX and older AT PSUs. The load on the +12 alone will drop the voltage drastically. Then if you load the +5 rail the regulation can work properly once the loading is around 20% the rated +5 output current. You'll need to load the +5 rail a bit more to see if this is your situation for sure.

If you use 100 watt bulbs (20 ohms each, or 0.25 amps at 5 volts or 0.6 amps at +12 each, thats only 1.25 watts at 5 volts or 7.2 watts at 12 volts ), you need a few (4-6 bulbs on the +5 rail) to have enough loading to notice a large +12 swing.

Your right on the resistor assumption, the small 1/2 watt and even larger 5 watt resistors for a test load just won't due. You need the larger 20 -100 watt test loads for testing. To find the power requires you need to use the formula (Power = Volts * Amps) To find the amps use the formula (Amps = volts / Resistance).
 

Unregistered guest
Hi; i've been looking to hook up a car amp/sub to my receiver and this is what i have so far. I'd like to know if this is adequate or if i need to purchase another power supply.

MGE vigor series 400w power supply: +12v@18A View
Profile ap1000m amplifier: 310 watts rms View
Kenwood wfc-3005 12 inch sub. 350watts rmsView

Also as i was first informed about this idea from a friend; i was told to just use one yellow wire and one black wire. What is the difference of connecting all of the wires in a bundle? (I wouldn't mind purchasing another power supply or twisting all the wires, i just don't want to do anything unecessary and i don't want to spend money for no reason either. Thank you in advance
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 585
Registered: Jun-04
The +12 at 18 amps is very close, at max volume you may have problems but it should work well.
 

Ladou
Unregistered guest
why dont you guys just get a dry cell battery or deep cycle battery with a charger!! i have a dry cell battery and a 10 amp charger, and running an alpine 700 watt amp with 2 type R subs in my room,i use a kenwood home theather to run it. i pluged it in the sub output its incredible how it sounds!!! so much bass!!!!!
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 597
Registered: Jun-04
Thats true. You can do that. But it has its down side. Battery's are costly and need replacement over time, Not to mention messy and heavy. Acid spills can ruin materials in seconds. I got a hole in my rug as a result of a leak from charging. Charging a battery is not very efficient. The chemical change from charging releases an explosive hydrogen and smelly sulphur gas. For a long term solution it don't make sense. Direct conversion of power to the amp is far more efficient.

For occasional testing and use then the battery and charger setup is a good temporary solution for the home.

Then again running a car amp in the home is a tricky thing to do period.
 

AdamW
Unregistered guest
Just a bit of info on how robust car amp's actually are, and how a computer PSU will be like heaven compared to a car's power supply.

Cars nowadays use 12V electrical system. Keep in mind that 12V is not exactly 12V in an automotive environment. Voltage is anywhere between 7 and 14.5V (starting to running engine at full RPM with no electrical consumption and a fully charged battery and an "optimistic" voltage regulator on the alternator). A typical voltage when car is running or stopped is around 11-15V depending on the battery condition, is the motor running and how much electrical load is active at this particular time in the car. ). Then there are large spikes of many 10s of volts (usually 80V is considered "normal") to take into account. When doing electrical design that goes to car environment, the requirements must be fully understood or problems will arise. Car battery supplies power to the starter and ignition system to start the engine, supplies the extra power necessary when the vehicle's electrical load exceeds the supply from the charging system and acts as a voltage stabilizer in the electrical system.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 601
Registered: Jun-04
Thats exactly why a battery and charger setup is not a good long term solution.

A car battery is not made to be discharged any large amount and can be damaged with this abuse. A deep cycle battery can take much more abuse but still with time it will be damaged also.

The electrical system is made to power the load from the engine. The battery is just made to supply the short duration high current required to start the engine. It was never intended to supply power to a load by itself.
 

Me_Happy_Person
Unregistered guest
Unfortunately i can't attatch a pic without compressing it beyond all recognition, sorry.

I have another question. How come my subs seem to crap out at higher volumes (not really even all that loud). They still produce bass and everything, but they just don't sound right if you know what i mean. My amp is 300Watts a channel and my subs are are 450 watts each, so it shouldn't be because of that I also have two 400W PSU and a 200W PSU so I have plenty of power that way also. I tried adjusting the gain, but it just turns down the subs so the mids and tweeters are way too overpowering. Is it because I opted for cheap speakers? I just can't figure it out, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 604
Registered: Jun-04
If it's new system it may be that the tweeters/midrange is over powering the rest of the system. Check that the subs are in phase

If everything was fine running before, it could be voltage sags. A large capacitor can help, though its not normally required as the PSU will adjust the voltage very quickly under load to maintain the proper voltage.

Cheep speakers normally won't produce the higher SPL of the more expensive high extrusion models.
 

Unregistered guest
hello everyone im trying to hook my 160 watt amp to my home panasonic stereo i dont have a power convetor to give it 12v but i do have a pc power supply how do i get the power from the power supply to the amp without blowing the fuse or without the light come on for a few seconds and go out i really need this
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 608
Registered: Jun-04
Have you tried it and its resulting in these problems?

The PSU modification with small amps and a single PSU should work flawless. This can depend on the ATX specification it follows. If you're having any problems let me know what ATX specification it follows and/or model then I can establish what ATX specs or models will give problems with this mod.
 

ERIC DOGG
Unregistered guest
well knowing me i cant understand what your saying but i think you are asking have i tried hooking the stuff up yes i have i used 2 pc power supplys the protection light comes on for like 2 seconds and goes out i had the ground right i had a little piece of wire coming from the 12v i had 3 yellow wires each from pc power supply its just not giving it enough power how can i get it to stay on
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 609
Registered: Jun-04
If the PSU won't stay on then there is a short problem or the turn on surge is too high for the PSU's. Double check your wiring to be sure that there is no stray strands of wire, and I would calculate the total current requirement that you need to be sure you have enough power.
 

eaterbug
Unregistered guest
Hello FryGuy.i need ur help!i hav a pioneer car head unit,and i hav a 450watt PS,there are 3 cable at the back of the player,how should i connect them?and when i turned on the player,there is music coming out,but some part are distorted but some are not...what happened?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 612
Registered: Jun-04
Use a volt meter to check that there is not a voltage problem. Some ATX PSU's dont work without the +5 rail being loaded, similar to the old AT PSU's.
 

Germz24
Unregistered guest
can a microwave power supply work for a mono sub amp?
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 614
Registered: Jun-04
NO! They are a step-up transformer typically around (6KV) six thousand volts. They do have a low voltage output around 6 volts but that's useless for this application.
 

Unregistered guest
Ok i did what the pic did above and i turned it on and the fan moved just slitely (twitched) and well i thought i have to powerfull of amp so i unpluged it and see if it would turn on and the fan just twitched again so whats up? also i forgot to put my new fuse in the amp so may that be a factor? but why would it not work when it is not hooked up to amp? Please Email me at southparkgy@aol.com Thnks
 

Silver Member
Username: Fryguy

Nova Scotia Canada

Post Number: 620
Registered: Jun-04
Is the PS_ON (Green wire) connected to the ground (Black wire)?
 

eaterbug
Unregistered guest
Fryguy,thanks for the advice.now i m ok with the MOD,just not quite satisfied..I hav 2 ATX 450 watt,a car deck unit,a 600 watt amp,a 222 watt amp and a pre-amp(not sure how many watt).So far i can only use the car deck unit and the 600 watt amp with excellent sound.is there such way that i can connect them all?Thanks
 

eaterbug
Unregistered guest
Oh ya,FryGuy,a ATX has many grounds right?can i use only 1 black ground to the amp?or must i use the whole bundle?by the way is there anyway to keep my settings in my car deck unit?because everytime i off the plug the unit is reseted...haa thanks for the help~!
 

darkshot
Unregistered guest
eaterbug

not really unless you wire a constant power source to the deck like a car would have and that would require another power supply
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-05
ATTN: FRYGUY: i've always wondered how to go about this and this seems legit, i tried it earlier today with an OLD junky non-ATX 200w +12/8A PSU tryin to power a 2 channel PPI 2120 120 watt brigded but i plan on using 2 10"s as explained from other users it powered on and it turned off immediatlly this was solved by me simply switchin the voltage switch to 220v or something around there then it stayed on but cut in n out when only at halfway volume barely playing as if the amp wasnt gettin enough power, so i plan on purchasing tommorow a 480w ATX PSU at +12/17a will this be sufficent? Also does this method support long periods of play at high volume, say 2 hours? Link down below:

http://www.pcclub.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A6230480
 

Unregistered guest
I am running a kenwood amp with 4 channels off of an old AT power supply i bought for 10 bucks, it also cuts out sometimes like you are saying and i think i know your problem. i think from what you are saying that you are shorting your powersupply so make sure you are not running 12V to a ground anywhere and you should be fine also if you would be able to tell me what kind of amperage your power supply will put out i could tell if you are draining it too much cuz i'm using a 8A power supply and on 2 12" Mobile Authority subs it shakes the walls and i don't wanna turn it much louder so i think ur problem is ur shorting ur psu
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 2
Registered: Mar-05
yeah my old PSU is 8A also i'm confused what you mean by "so make sure you are not running 12V to a ground anywhere" i double checked the wiring and everything seems fine, this PSU is about 10 years old from an old comp i used to have so i think its just a shitty PSU how else can i stop it from shorting out?
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 3
Registered: Mar-05
so your running 2 12"s off an 8A PSU? how many RMS watts is your amp? i'm tryin to at least get 1 10" i can get it sometimes to play but it's constantly crackling and cutting out i plan on gettin a 500watt PSU that has 34amps i think that should be sufficient right?
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 4
Registered: Mar-05
i tried the lightbulb test and it couldnt even light the light at all when switched to 230v it would spark when touching but no light and when at 115v the PSU died when touchin the bulb. BAD PSU? (sorry for the many posts, this forum doesnt let you edit your posts)
 

Unregistered guest
after recent experiments with my own at power supply which is very similar to your own i have noticed that yes you are shorting out your power supply. when set to 115 the power supply has short circuit protection but when on 230V it does not. this means that somewhere inside your amp there is someplace that 12V is running through, and that is touching a ground causing a short circuit. also another problem could be that you are draining too much power from your psu and it can't keep up with your subs so try taking your amp apart and looking inside for anything that looks like it is touching metal and try to seperate it unless it is soldered to it obviously and YES 34A would be tons to run ur 10 inch subs cuz my 2 12"'s are pounding and they take 500W/each so i hope this helped you
 

Unregistered guest
after recent experiments with my own at power supply which is very similar to your own i have noticed that yes you are shorting out your power supply. when set to 115 the power supply has short circuit protection but when on 230V it does not. this means that somewhere inside your amp there is someplace that 12V is running through, and that is touching a ground causing a short circuit. also another problem could be that you are draining too much power from your psu and it can't keep up with your subs so try taking your amp apart and looking inside for anything that looks like it is touching metal and try to seperate it unless it is soldered to it obviously and YES 34A would be tons to run ur 10 inch subs cuz my 2 12"'s are pounding and they take 500W/each so i hope this helped you
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 5
Registered: Mar-05
thanks for gettin back so quickly, i have two amps and both do the same thing so i'm guessin that i'm draining to much from the PSU so i'm gonna buy that 500w 34a PSU and give it a shot, i used to power my subs from a sony home stereo and it sounded "decent" but i think i blew the amp in the stereo cuz recently it died and went into protection mode so now i cant even turn it on, but this way is way better because car amps are meant for car speakers but i'll keep you posted thanks for your help
 

Unregistered guest
Here is how i did it...
1. I got a 12V Converter
2. Got my Subwoofers (Pair Eclipse Titanium 12" 500W)
3. I hook my 12V wire and my Remote wire up to the same output on the 12V Converter then run it off to the amp (You might need two 12V converters if u want more power)
4. Find an attatchment for the RCA jacks to have one plug into the computer and the left and right (red & white) cords going to the amp
5. If you are just hooking subwoofers up dont worry about left and right...
DO NOT BRIDGE 4OHM SPEAKERS INTO A 2 OHM STABLE AMP
YOU WILL FRY THE AMP, if u have too big of an amp powered up to one 12V Converter, ur amp will keep reseting when it gets loud

P.S. alright i have those two subs in my room with my Alpine and two 12V converters and i just used original RCA jacks and i actually hooked a deck up by cutting off the wires and connected the wires on the 12V converter like...
POWER LEAD connected with REMOTE LEAD, and Ground!!!
so i have the 2 Subwoofers in my closet (Eclipse 12" Titanium 500W) and a Rockford Fosgate 10" 400W Subwoofer and Two 12V Converters.....
 

New member
Username: Phrenik

Post Number: 6
Registered: Mar-05
can you put a link to a pic of what the the 12V converters look like? i searched them up on ebay and this is what i got but this doesnt seem like it would work: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58045%26item%3D5764044911 %26
 

Unregistered guest
your computer's power supply is actually a 5V and 12V power converter just to let you know so if you got a at power supply that could replace the converter and no prob about replying so soon.
 

G.Z.
Unregistered guest
Does anyone know how to use an AT computer power supply to power a car amp?
 

Unregistered guest
hi i m student of computer science and i have chosen a project to control electrical devices like room bulbs etc,but i have no idea how to control them through pc.can any one help me plz.
tell me the process to control bulb through pc.ahh remember that i m doing my project in visual basic 6.0.
 

paulphillips21
Unregistered guest
i hav got the psu hook up but not working becoz of the rem o/p that should goto the head unit how can i tun this on ??
thanx
 

New member
Username: Arcadeboy

Post Number: 6
Registered: Apr-05
Hey guys. I have a small issue. The computer power supplies run at +12v but the RMS ratings on AMPS are for 14.4 volts. So matching up a 200 watt amp to a sub that is 200 watts is not right. It is more like matching up a 140 watt amp to a 200 watt sub. Am I correct in this? Does anyone know the full technical details and how to get the true measure? One more thing, will the 12 volt line ever increase to over 12 volts?
 

Silver Member
Username: W00b

Post Number: 109
Registered: Mar-05
actually CJ, the statement that the wattage is less is true, but not as bad as it seems. remember that voltage ratings are sometimes exact, and sometimes rounded. when they are exact, they are 15% over the rounded rating. hence, 12V is actually 13.8V (12 * 1.15 = 13.8).. 13.8 from 14.4 isnt as much of a loss as 12 from 14.4 now is it? =) hope this makes sense
 

New member
Username: Juan2005

Post Number: 1
Registered: May-05
can anyone tell me how can i connet my car amp to my house stereo can any one send me pictures on how too do this at reinaayala@sbcglobal.net
by the way can some one give me a amp more than 100 watts and some subwoffers. please anything that youll dont need or use can u please give it to me or stuff that is broken please!!!! or any dj stuff you can call me at (713)-806-7051 or email me at reinaayala@sbcglobal.net ask for juan
 

Unregistered guest
Hey a quick question for you PSU experts out there how do i turn on a liteon PS-5201-61 without a computer there is now switch? what wire do i hook to what wire?
 

Unregistered guest
on the circuit board in the power supply it has a lable PS ON and there are 2 grey wires that come from that do i do something with those?

thanx email me @ admin@darkshot.darktech.org
 

Unregistered guest
hey paulphillips21 i did the exact samething in my room and had the same problem, you can do one of 3 things(there's probably more i can't think of), use and aligator clip to connect the + terminal (12V or 12.6V in a car that isn't running) and connect the other end to the REM terminal, second is to open the amp and solder a small wire from the + to the REM that takes a little more skill still extremely easy though and looks soo much better then the aligator clips and does the exact same as them, the third is to actually run a head unit on the power supply too but this brings up the problem that when you turn off the power supply the memory erases. So i'd suggest one of the first 2 for it to be as cheap as possible, and if ur anything like me i get pissed right off when i have to redo stuff i already did because you will have to do that all the time with the third option, i did the first but that was cuz i was too lazy to resolder that REM wire AGAIN which i've done about 20 times so i hope i helped the problem, sorry about talking so much.
 

Unregistered guest
nvm mind about my posts about a psu i got it but thx anyways
 

New member
Username: Panther2121

Illinois US

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jun-05
okay i have a 400 watt 4 ch amp with 2 20 amp fuses what would be a good PSU to use, any recommendations
 

ammo
Unregistered guest
i have an 400w atx poer supply and a 400w amp. the supply turns on but the amp doesn't.
the amp has 11.84 volts going in to it is this enogh?
 

Anonymous
 
i have a 300 watt CRAIG AUDIO amp and i want to know how to hook it up to my subs that are connected to my pc already--------------thanx
 

Anonymous
 
how would i connect a car deck in my house?
 

mondeo head unit
Unregistered guest
I have a standard car head unit ( 6000 rds cd player) i want to connect a car sub to it. the only problem is that the headunit doesnt have any rca connecters. i need another way of connecting the amp to the head unit - Any ideas?
 

Unregistered guest
how can i hook up my amp to my surround sound in my bed room. i have no idea where i would get a ground from. please email me
 

Unregistered guest
Hi:
I was wondering if I can connect a pair of pioneer to the woofer of my creative inspire 2500 2.1, is the amp there can work good? Thaks to all
See ya
 

Unregistered guest
I was wondering if it is possible for me to hook up 4 speakers to my computer without using a amp?

email me back the answer at adam_work69@hotmail.com
 

beefmaster
Unregistered guest
hi, can i connect a 180w amp to 2 atx psu wired in paralell rated at 20amp each on 12v?

<!--><div><embed></embed></div>Video provided by VideoCodes4U
 

Bronze Member
Username: Ww_dagger

Vancouver, WA USA

Post Number: 18
Registered: Sep-05
OK, do you want a real live, picture proven, working example of what to do?

https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/car-audio/168117.html

/GG
 

Anonymous
 
I want to connect my 500w xplod amp to a compac desktop ? first is it possible, seconde what do i do with the "romote Wire" ??? and what is it for ??
 

bro. rey
Unregistered guest
i got a crunch usa drive series amp. ( v200watts).
i am the sond guy for my church. we have a crown 1000watt amp and two 15" monitors.however, we are renting a hall for services and setting up and breaking down can be tiring. so i have my two 10" punchs with the amp above mounted to it. how can i set it up to our sound system. the mixing board it will get set up to is a 12 channel soundcraft. help please.
 

Unregistered guest
ok here's the thing... right now i got this exact thing set up in my room, i have 2 AT power supplies putting out 16 amps. Those are connected by parralel to my amp on both positive and ground or negative. now for the remote wire... i'm only gunna say this one more time. bridge 12V from the positive to the rem/remote wire... that's all there is to it. Now NO!!! the 11.8V doesn't matter because it will never get exactly 12V, for instance in a car battery(not charging) there is 12.6V, 2.1 per cell 6 cells, but when charging the voltage jumps to between 13 and 15V. so the slight difference is not going to matter. so you should have no problem with that input.
 

Unregistered guest
ok here's the thing... right now i got this exact thing set up in my room, i have 2 AT power supplies putting out 16 amps each. Those are connected by parralel to my amp on both positive and ground or negative. now for the remote wire... i'm only gunna say this one more time. bridge 12V from the positive to the rem/remote wire... that's all there is to it. Now NO!!! the 11.8V doesn't matter because it will never get exactly 12V, for instance in a car battery(not charging) there is 12.6V, 2.1 per cell 6 cells, but when charging the voltage jumps to between 13 and 15V. so the slight difference is not going to matter. so you should have no problem with that input.
 

Unregistered guest
Can any one help me i know already what cable to use for the BATT+ and the GND i dont know wich cable to use for the REM the cables i got on my pc are these Black=GND,Yellow=+12V 10A,RED=5V 25A,purple=3.3V 13A,brown=5v 0.8A,Orange=P.G and Grey=PS-ON please email me or post it on this forum Thanks
 

Unregistered guest
sorry i forgot to say iv got a 180W amp
 

Acidzero
Unregistered guest
Hello im trying to hook 2 8" 400 watt total RMS power along with to low level Radio speakers to my computer bu i have a few questions will a 230 watt power supply be enough? im also planing on buying a 400 watt amp, i have to make sure that the amp is also 4 OHMS correct, because the subs are then i need to know how to hook the power supply to the amp correctly please sorry if this has been posted before
 

Unregistered guest
hey fryguy you seem pretty smart please email i need to chat. URGENT. my secondary email address is Guardboothboy@yahoo.com plz email me
« Previous Thread Next Thread »



Main Forums

Today's Posts

Forum Help

Follow Us