misc wiring questions

**nsmoller** · 02-08-2005, 12:16 AM

i am in final planning processes here!!! yaaaaaaaay

ok i have the dssc but i think thats irrelevant, and i could ask chris for help but i think its simple enough question plus it might help someone else if i ask here so enough delay...

1. Wire guages...
i am running 4awg to trunk and distribution block. What guage from there to 2 amps? I have to match the guage for ground right?

2. "Tapping in"
so i am running from the dssc's 1 potential input a wire that has to go to remote lines on 2 amps. How do i tap in, do i get those wire tap ins, do i just strip and splice/solder on? do i put 1 from dssc to remote then the other from remote to remote?

3. i am powering a usb hub and a xenarc... the dssc gets 12v constant... i was gonna run a wire to both devices and power them... same question - do i run 2 wires? how do i do a wire to a usb hub if it uses those ac adapters??? can i just get a blank one from ratshack and ground it inside the dash to something metal?

thanks!

**mushin** · 02-08-2005, 03:16 AM

1. You could stick to 4awg, or go to a smaller wire provided that it can carry the current for the amps. If you go to a smaller wire though, you (should) insert fuses that match the capacity of the smaller wires (unless the whole shebang is fused at the battery at a level safe for the smaller wires.) Ground wire doesn't need to match the power wire (it's perfectly fine to be larger, for instance), but generally it's good practice.

2. Splice/solder works. Jamming two ends of the wires in together, provided they fit properly, also works. Electrically speaking, a Y is no different than a T. Just make sure there's a solid connection.

3. Are you planning on drawing the 12V from the battery or the PSU? The battery's power is unregulated; I don't know if the xenarcs are rated for the voltage range, but I wouldn't feed it into the USB bus. If you use 12V from the PSU, ground using the PSU's ground, not the car's, as they may be different. Aside from that, similar to above. It's generally better to run only one wire over any real distance, and split it at the end. Most AC adapters use standard jacks, so picking one up at RadioShack (or hacking one off an old unused adapter) should be easy. And, make sure your hub really takes 12V - I believe the USB power line is 5V, and it would make more sense if that's what the hub took. Mine takes 5V anyway.

**nsmoller** · 02-08-2005, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by mushin

3. Are you planning on drawing the 12V from the battery or the PSU? The battery's power is unregulated;

I guess that is my question...

If wire comes off battery to a dist block then to amps and stuff, do i need a power regulator for all that, or just for the computer, xenarc, hub?

the dssc is a shutdown controller, but does it regulate power for my setup? the dssc will power an inverter, the computer will plug into the inverter?

so psu's have a 12v and a 5v line? which is which....

also ground of the psu's ground? so the psu is grounded already? or do i have to run 2 wires up to the front, one for power, one for ground?

**mushin** · 02-09-2005, 01:52 AM

You're asking very basic questions. Everyone starts out a newb, so I'm not berating you, but I suggest reading up on some basic car electronics tutorials. I suggest http://www.bcae1.com/ for starters. Google is also your friend. Once you get the basics down, your questions should be easy to answer. If you still have specific lingering questions at that point, I or somebody else would be happy to answer them. Good luck.