One thing found on many installations by consumers is poor choice of power cable, ground wire and fuses. So, I decided to dedicate a post on feeding the current to your stereo system. The first step of this process is knowing how much current (amps) your stereo will draw. You should be able to find this in the manual or on the web. However, these may not be available on the road so you can either add the fuses or take the total power output and divide by 12. For instance, if you are using a JL audio 500/1 your math should look like this: 500/12= 41.667. For this situation you will want to use a 50 amp fuse. You might be thinking, "why not a 40 amp fuse?" Throughout the install there are hard connections which can drop both the current and the voltage. You will want to give your amp a little extra juice to help compensate. As a rule of thumb, every splice in the wire reduces the voltage by .5 volts.
The second step is to choose the best wire size. Here is the tricky part. If your power cable is aluminum or tinned (coated in solder) you will need to use a larger size cable to help compensate since tinning reduces voltage anywheres from .5 volts to 1 volt depending on length.
Wire Gauge
The second step is to choose the best wire size. Here is the tricky part. If your power cable is aluminum or tinned (coated in solder) you will need to use a larger size cable to help compensate since tinning reduces voltage anywheres from .5 volts to 1 volt depending on length.
Wire Gauge
This chart reflects the recomended sizes set forth by IASCA.
Now that you know your power cable requirments, it is time to get your power cable. Keep in mind that your power wire is suppose to be the same size as the positive wire. This is due to the fact that the current actually comes through the ground cable and returns to the battery in the positive cable. So the requirements are the same for the ground cable. Also, be sure to keep your ground wire to no more than four feet in length. This will help with engine noise and contributes neat install.
Now that you know your power cable requirments, it is time to get your power cable. Keep in mind that your power wire is suppose to be the same size as the positive wire. This is due to the fact that the current actually comes through the ground cable and returns to the battery in the positive cable. So the requirements are the same for the ground cable. Also, be sure to keep your ground wire to no more than four feet in length. This will help with engine noise and contributes neat install.
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