alright i have a 1988 f150. im pretty sure the battery puts out 12 vdc but im not 100%.
if an amplifier's rms value is 1000 watts rms @ 2ohms measured at 14.4 volts, how much would that be for 12 volts? would it be 833watts rms? i am not exactly sure of the formula used to determine this. can anyone help?
Your truck will run at 12 volts when not running. It will run 13.8-14.4 volts when running above idle. Get a DMM and check your currents what I just posted should be what you come up with. Good Luck
12 volts is the battery voltage, which is with the engine off, or with the car at idle below about 900RPM. above idle, the alternator's charging voltage will be about 13.8 to 14.4VDC. That's what you'll get when driving the truck.
oh, also note the RMS power output rating for an amp is at full output, or full volume. unless you have the volume turned up to 100%, you'll never reach the actual output rating of the amp (say, 500 watts for example) and every audible doubling of the volume means you're using ten times the power to reach that level. This being the case, power ratings of amplifiers tend to be less important when you're worrying over 5 or 10 watts of power either way. Most peoples' normal (loud) listening elvels still never exceed a couple hundred watts, regardless of their amp ratings. Also, remember RMS is just an average. the actual power demands fluctuate by up to ten times the RMS at any given moment.. constantly. don't worry so much about the power ratings. if you really want to know the difference in output between 12V and 14V though, take the 12V rating, and divide the wattage by 12. then take that total and multiply by 14.4 that's your output at 14.4 volts.. give or take. now remember this only applies for an unregulated power supply.