Thread: m4-atx quick question

Originally Posted by Bobby_80s

ive posted this question twice already. and its not showing up in the forums.

That's because your first few posts are moderated. It's a spam prevention method. Please don't take it personally.

ok thanks for the heads up.


now does anyone have any quick answers to my questions about the m4-atx power supply?

come on mp3car.com guys, guru's

this should be easy answers. i jsut want to double check here before i might ruin something in my car.

Originally Posted by Bobby_80s

ive posted this question twice already. and its not showing up in the forums.


im new to mp3car and i dont know if there is a waiting period before what you post is shown but wow its been hours and id really like to get this started and hopefully get some answers/help


so anyways i have a m4-atx power supply.

does it get wired directly to the battery? 12v and ground

do i put an inline fuse on the 12v wire and ignition or just 12v? and what size fuse/value.

can my 1986 trans am v8 stock car battery handle powering the pc? i dont want to instal a separate battery

please help these r simple questions. im new to car pc's

thanks

Just put a fuse on the 12v wire. No need for the ignition. Use 6 gauge or less with 15 amp fuse and you will be fine. That will fuse you up to 12 volts X 15 amps = 180 watts. If you need larger, use 4 gauge wire and a 20 amp fuse for 240 watts.

It's not a question of your battery, it is a question of your alternator. If you aren't running anything completely outrageous and you don't have a trillion watts of amp power in the car, you'll be fine. What is your audio setup?

its stock alternator

i have a basic audio system i upgraded all four speakers but cheap replacements from walmart

same with a cheap 50 dollar cd player to replace the cassette player.

no amp or subwoofer dont want one

im putting in a regular desktop computer in the car, the smaller car made ones i purchased were too slow and coudlnt be upgraded

i need around 250-280 watts according to the indoors powersupply specs

thats why i bought the m4 atx cuz it can handle up to 280 watts(300peak)

so still think i'll be ok?

and directly off the battery is safe correct?

and how do i know if im sucking too much power and need a better alternator?

any thoughts?

Call or go to a parts store and they'll tell you how many amps your alt. is rated for. MY rule is take no more than 20% of that # for ACC. Also know that MY M4 draws power even when off and will kill my battery after 4 or 5 days of not driving.
Mine is wired direct to the pos term. and grd to frame. 25 amp fuse at the batt.
If you're wondering about enough power turn on all your gadgets and see if you headlights are dim. That is the easiest way.

yea ive heard the stupid thing stll draws power even when off.

i'm going to put a kill switch to ground for teh computer

and flip the switch once the computer and car are off

i don't need to have a dead battery just cuz i dont drive that much for a few days

and i'll ask the parts store thanks

During my exam period I didn't drive my car for 2 weeks and the car started fine. The M4 is supposed to draw around 0.5mA when in the "Hardoff" state. I.e. All the power rails are off. But putting in a decent inline switch cant hurt! Although I would probably use a relay on the power line to the M4 and a switch to control that relay.