installing a second battery into car for amp and stereo?

Question

could someone give me some help with the installation of a second battery (to be put in the boot) of my car VN Commodore 1990 model

I wish to connect the main deck(DVD/CD player) front screen monitor, 2 x rear screen monitors and also the amplifier/booster and the amplifier for the speakers ....

Do I have to have a circuit breaker for the second battery and does the battery have to be placed in a battery box when it is located in the boot..?

If anyone could help by either giving me plans or drawings on this

thanks

Answer 1

Well personally adding a second battery is a good idea.... some will tell you not too because of the added strain on the electrical system.... if you have a 100 amp alt it can handle 2 batteries....
after all a semi truck generally has 4 batteries with an average of a 140 amp alt

Yes you will need circuit breakers (I like fuses better because they will pop faster so they are actually safer) at both batteries.


The only time they are good is for when the car is off huh? you should go to a local comp and tell the people there to take out their batteries cuz they don't help.... after you get laughed at for being stupid come back and tell me how it went... thanks

Answer 2

Semi trucks have additional batteries because the extra current is required to start their much larger engines. After the engine is running, the battery bank becomes a load as the alternator takes over the primary power duties.

The ONLY time an additional battery is useful in most car audio systems is when you want to be able to use the audio system with the engine off, and you want to be sure you can start the car later. In this case you'd want to either use a diode-type battery isolator setup or (preferably) a solenoid-based battery isolator that will prevent the starter battery from being drained while the second battery powers the audio system. Once the engine is running, the second battery becomes absolutely useless (and even counter-productive, as the alternator needs to waste power keeping the battery charged).

This link has information about isolators, including wiring diagrams: http://www.bcae1.com/battiso.htm

Hey, Kicker, there's a difference between "competition systems" and "most systems". That said, the reason many people at the "local comp" have a second battery is that they don't know any better. That's about the long and short of it.

From the MECP Advanced Installation Technician Study Guide, published in 2004 by the CEA: "No matter how much you may think that vehicles with aftermarket audio/video systems benefit from an extra battery (or even several of them), it is ultimately the lack of alternator strength in the charging system that leads people to that mistaken conclusion." From the same book: "When the engine is not running, the energy stored in the vehicle battery maintains all of the electrical functions of the vehicle. Once the vehicle is started, however, the alternator takes over and the battery simply becomes another electrical load that consumes energy from the alternator."

From David Navone, published in the Autosound 2000 tech briefs, October/November 1992: "Remember, the output voltage of the alternator must drop to below 13 volts for the battery to be of any use when the engine is running. This means that with the engine on, your stereo system will derive no benefit from additional batteries until you overload the alternator so severely that its output drops below the battery voltage. Believe it or not." Since then, nothing has changed in alternator, battery or amplifier technology that would make that statement untrue. (If you don't know who David Navone is, do some research).

Answer 3

Installing Car Battery

Answer 4

If you wire your batteries in series, your vehicle electrical system will run at 24 volts and everything in it will burn up immediately. DO NOT DO THIS!!! Run them in parallel. That means connecting the two positive battery terminals together. Yes, you do need circuit breakers, one at the front battery and one at the second battery. That way, if the power cable grounds out, both batteries will be protected. You always need to mount batteries securely in case of a collision. The second battery doesn't need to be in a box, but make sure it's bolted down.

Answer 5

Running a second battery is never a good idea as it's just an added strain on the alternator. A cap is only good so far as the audio system isn't trying to pull too much from the electrical system.

If your total system power is more than 1000 watts RMS you will need to:

1. Upgrade the alternator to a high output alternator
2. Upgrade to a heavy duty deep cycle battery
3. Upgrade the "Big 3" - that is to replace the power wire between the battery and alternator and the ground strap.

Failure to do this will result in you replacing them anyway as the alternator will eventually fail.

Here is a guide that will calculate what size alternator and power wires you need http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=6d26c621

You'll need Microsft Excel to use it.

See my site for more info http://spkrbox1.spaces.live.com

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Disconnect the speaker wires on the amplifier, then see if it blows the fuse lower back. If it does not, then you definitely've gotten shorted speaker wiring or a defective speaker. If it does, then there is an inner short interior the amplifier.

Answer 8

wire them in series, not parallel. battery does not need a box, but it would be a good idea to secure it in some manner. a circuit breaker is not necessary, simply add/use fuses on your equipment.