Building a new system...have some questions

yes, he changed his name. lol

ive always been taught that the capacitor should be isolated for the subwoofer amp only. thus using it as a power distribution block for BOTH amps would be the wrong way of wiring it in. im not saying you CANT do it… im saying theoretically, that you shouldnt. the capacitor is like you said, a temporary stored source of power for when there is extra strain on the vehicles electrical system. you arent really going to get “strain” from an interior amp… a quality power distro block, a 1-2 farad cap, a quality GROUND distro block and separate wiring is how it SHOULD be done…PROPERLY.

joey, you dont have a clue what you’re talking about in the audio section… go elsewhere and brag about how fast your civic is going to be this year or something.

A cap at any point in the electrical system of the vehicle will do the same. It only matters if you’re building a rediculous sound quality competition car, which I will not even get into because its way over everybodys head here.

Yeah I’m just trying to build something found in high-end luxury cars. Not something that will raise your hair and rattle your brain to the point of having a migraine or something that’ll make my mirrors fall off. I want clean, clear, but with some oomph.

Hey! Not everyone! Ive never used a cap, If you’re drawing more current then your charging system can supply, a cap is just a band aid

.

+1

More like a band aid for a cut that needs 100 stiches, lol

Also, im willing to bet the powered infinity sub is nothing close to what you would find in a “high-end luxury” car. For the money I would have went with a small 5 channel and a nice single 12

:facepalm

sigh

okay, i wont be bashing any of the suggestions, because I don’t do that. Ilya, talk to me on AIM, I’ll explain this mess to ya and straighten it out, okay?

Wow…its a simple install guys, lol.

Do it all at once, don’t be doing this in stages.

Run a 4ga down one side of the car to a distro block. Run either a 4ga or 8ga (depending on wattage) to each amp from that block. Run the ground from each amp to another distro block. Run a 4ga from that block to a grounding point in the back of your car. (seat belt bolt with any car paint around it removed works well) Run your RCAs and your remote wire from the receiver down the middle and to the amps. Also run the 9-wire down the middle (or the other side of the car if you are that anal) from the amp and into your stock harness. No need to take the doors apart other than to install the speakers.

youre, right. it IS a simple install, but to those who know how to do it. Ilya jus seems to lack the experience, thats all. its not a problem, we all started out that way. now when you say “run 4ga down one side…” it can be simple enough to you, but you still have to tell him whats a good way to run it without bending it or pinching it too much. you still need to tell him to put on ring terminals and what not, sometimes small tips, like bring a “pokey” or what one is, ya know? in general cars are all the same, but each has its quirks and some are not so good for running a wire in one spot, so you may need to relocate and whatnot.

My post wasn’t a stab at Ilya, more like a stab at the others getting worked up (aka Travis).

But you are right, it is simple to us but maybe not others.

Let me go into some other details, some of which vot has already touched on.

For the main power wire, you will need to use a ring terminal at the battery end of it. If you want an easier and cleaner install, there are distro blocks that go on your battery posts that you can buy. When running the main power wire try to avoid kinking it and make sure you don’t get any cuts in the plastic sheathing. The easiest way to run it is to totally disassemble the interior of the car. If you don’t want to do that use your hands to feed it thru the firewall and under the carpet. You can tape a coat hanger to it to pull it thru tight spots. Make sure the distro block you are running this wire to is secured to something. You do not want the live power block flying around the trunk. All other power wire connections should not need any ring terminals. Most amps and distro blocks take the the raw wire.

When connecting your main ground wire to the chassis make sure you have a good connection. To make sure you have an ideal connection you should use a ring terminal on the wire, make sure any paint or anything is stripped off the area the ring terminal will be touching, and that you put a washer between the ring terminal and the bolt head. from bottom to top the order of things should be bare metal, ring terminal, washer, bolt.

When running your RCAs, 9-wire, and remote wire down the middle of the car, zip tie them into a bundle first. This makes it easier to install. (If you have the whole interior apart. If you don’t run all the wires separately, then zip tie them where you can.) Also only run one remote wire. Run it to one amp, then use a ‘jumper’ wire to run it to the other amp. This is ok to do because the remote wire simple sends a ‘turn-on’ signal which is pretty low power.

There are several ways to tap your 9-wire into your speaker harness. T-Taps, crimped connectors, and soldering. Don’t use T-Taps. They are easy to install and require no cutting of wire but do not give a very good connection. If you do not plan on removing or changing anything, take the time to properly solder and wrap/tape the connections. If you want it to only be semi-permanent you can use the crimp connectors.

ah, see :slight_smile:
there u go, details.

A luxury car won’t rattle your brains out through your ears holes. This 10" does just enough. Anything more would be overkill.

Anyway…I might not be going through with this as the car has been on AutoTrader for a while and there is a prospective buyer looking at it.

It’s a simple install which I am more than capable of doing. I had one question and one question only. How to connect the speakers.

That’s it. I probably don’t even need a cap or a DB. I was PLANNING on running two 4ga power wires from the battery…a db/cap would just help me run one. That’s all. This system won’t be drawing that much.

I don’t know how this got into such a huge deal. It’s no big deal.

let me know if u need help, man

You have a cap and distro block confused. You do not need nor do you want a Capacitor. What a capacitor does is store energy for when you need it. It is a band aid for when you need a higher output alternator. With a system like the one you want you will NEVER be drawing enough power to start pushing the alternator. I had a 750watt system in my old Escort that you could FEEL from down the road, and even on that I did not need a Cap. Escorts have puny 120amp alternators. If you want the blue, get a distro block with a voltage read on it or something.

And to connect the speakers, use 9-wire and then cut the stock plug (the one that connects to the speaker itself) and crimp on some connectors.

I read it, almost asked the question but noticed that you did before me. I’m not sure why people don’t think you can use a cap as a dist block. I never thought people would argue this point???

How do you isolate a capacitor to one amp that is being powered by the vehicles common electrical system?

(and yes, I know it could be done in a competition vehicle-talking daily drivers here)

One big Mo-fuggin Diode! :rofl