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Silver Member Username: OlegSanta Monica, CA USA Post Number: 154 Registered: Nov-04 | I was listening to this song that had a period of continuous low bass and all of a sudden there was no sound. Head unit remained on, but when I looked both of my amps had no power. I'm assuming I blew the big fuse that's by the battery? I've had that fuse before I got my audiobahn a2300hct, which's a beast. So I don't think it wasn't meant to handle that kind of current. Now, am I right that it was that fuse? It was too dark to check and I couldn't find a flashlight. I wouldn't know if it was blown even I looked at it anyway. It's AGU style, how do I tell if it's blown? I'll probably need a new one, how big should it be? My amps are 320W RMS and the audiobahn is providing current at 1 ohm, so it's rated @ 2400W RMS. I appreciate all the help! |
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Silver Member Username: OlegSanta Monica, CA USA Post Number: 159 Registered: Nov-04 | Well, fuse has been replaced and the stereo's working. It's an 80A fuse, but I need one that's like 200A! I know the biggest AGU type fuse is 80A and the guys at the store told me to use ANL or something to that effect? What's the difference and how much do they cost? |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 6497 Registered: Dec-03 | you really don't know how to check a fuse? |
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Silver Member Username: OlegSanta Monica, CA USA Post Number: 161 Registered: Nov-04 | Well, actually now i do... Never ever had to look at a fuse before. When my stereo got installed i knew almost nothing about car stereo. So now that i actually got interested in how it works and all that, i researched a lot, and believe it or not, there're not that many sites or threads on what a blown fuse looks like. Sorry to sound ignorant after giving more complicated advice to others. So how about the other questions now that we got the other dilemma out of the way? |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 6523 Registered: Dec-03 | I just had trouble believing that was for real.. I mean when I took drivers ed when I was like 15, they taught us how to chack a fuse, oil level, change a flat tire, etc.. the basics anyone driving a car should know. here's info on fuses that's really good stuff to read up on: http://www.bcae1.com/fuses.htm I think he even has pics of blown fuses of different types to illustrate |
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Gold Member Username: GlasswolfNorthWest, Michigan USA Post Number: 6524 Registered: Dec-03 | if you need to figure amp size, find the current draw of your amplifiers at the output for which they're wired. then add em up. if amp 1 draws 30A, and amp 2 draws 50A, you'd want the main fuse to be 80A. If you use a fused dist. block to each amp, use a 30A and 50A fuse for each amp respectively. that's just an example. current draw should be in the specs for the amp in the manual. |
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Silver Member Username: OlegSanta Monica, CA USA Post Number: 165 Registered: Nov-04 | I read that page and I understand everything. Thanks glass. I know what I need to do: 1. Since my main power wire is 4 GA, i need to run 4GA from the distribution block as well. 2. Replace my 80A AGU fuse with a ~140A ANL fuse. Since I have 4 40A fuses on my amp=160A and another amp that has little power, I need 2GA wiring. Also, what that page didn't explain is how long it'll take for the wire to start burning if a larger than recommended fuse is used. Thanks Glass |
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Silver Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 881 Registered: Nov-04 | Whoa, instead of buying 140A ANL fuse, why don't you try a circuit breaker? They have 100A - 160A at a reasonable price. Sure beats having to buy fuses. A 4 gauge wire will last longer than most fuses. They only way you'll melt that wire is to bypass all fuses. Trust me, you'll know when that wire melts cause you'll see some fire! It's always a good idea to have separate fuses for each amp. Don't combine 30A amp with 160A amp on a 200A fuse. The best tool for checking fuses is a DMM. In fact anyone working with cars should have one. |