Capacitor with mono amp and a computer..

**Buttlice** · 08-19-2012, 02:31 AM

I have a capacitor that is hooked up to my amplifier using a 4 awg wire for power and ground. Would i be able to run an 8awg wire from the capacitor's positive lead to my car PC to power it or will i still have to run a new cable for power and ground? I will be using the M2-ATX-HV 140W PSU for this build.

I read on the FAQ that it said to not use the accessory wire but in the tutorial videos on the blog it shows the accessory wire being spliced from the amp and computer. So splicing the accessory wire to the subwoofer mono amp and the PC is ok to do then?

**malcom2073** · 08-19-2012, 08:48 AM

Anytime you do a reduction in wire size, you should re-fuse. So if you want to run a power lead from the capacitor + to your carputer, then you need to put in a fuse of the proper size for the wire you are installing. 40A would be more than enough for a 8AWG wire, just install that within 12" of where the 8AWG wire connects to the capacitor.

It won't hurt anything to run the carpc off the same wire as the amplifier, however if you are pulling enough power with your subwoofer that there is a significant voltage drop across the 4AWG wire (That would be a LOT of power), then it will negatively affect your carputer. Otherwise you should be fine.

Also, if you find yourself needing a capacitor, do yourself a favor and upgrade your car's wiring (Google big-3 upgrade), and perhaps think about a higher output alternator. Fix it right, or don't fix it at all

**Buttlice** · 08-19-2012, 10:42 AM

Awesome. This will save me a lot of money then and less wires being run through the car! The subwoofer and amp is an almost identical match but i will run some bass tests and watch the voltage on the capacitor and see how much it drops. Its been a year or two since i've done it but i dont think it dropped very low at all even with a long bass test.

I have to change out my alternator so once i do that i will most likely do the big 3 upgrade as well with my left over 4awg wire.

Thanks for the help! Cant wait to get this started!