What type of cable do i use

jarule9uk · 04-09-2008, 10:37 AM

Can some one please help me, what type of wire do i use to connect my
M2-ATX power supply to the car battery, as i can only find speaker wire at all the stores i have looked at. Will 10 or 8 AWG Audio wire be ok for the installation

thanks

Machinehead · 04-09-2008, 11:44 AM

As long as it's insulated 8 gauge wire, you should be fine. You may be able to get away with 10 gauge but I'd go with 8 for safety.

Edit: Don't forget to put an in-line fuse in place.

NotYou · 04-09-2008, 11:55 PM

I wouldn't use speaker wire. The volts/amperage going across this wire to speakers are VERY little, compared to what a power wire would carry. Additionally, most speaker wire is not rated for high temperatures, so there's a higher chance of the insulation melting in the heat of your engine.

Use the stuff that's designed for powering devices in the car. Use at least 12gauge, if not 10 gauge for the m2-atx.

What type of store are you looking at... Home Depot? Try any local car audio store, BestBuy, Circuit City, PartsExpress, Fry's... or the bazillian and a half e-bay stores for car audio items (just to name a few)

jarule9uk · 04-10-2008, 09:29 AM

im from the uk been looking but cant find anything the only wires they have are wire which are rated in AMPs from 15 to 27 amps for cars

Machinehead · 04-10-2008, 09:54 AM

The M2-ATX power supply has a 15 amp fuse on it, so 15 amp rated wire will be sufficient.

As long as you don't hook anything else up to that wire of course.

NotYou · 04-10-2008, 09:59 AM

Ahh.. sorry, you didn't have you profile filled out so it didn't indicate where you are.

Try Maplin... or the UK version of ebay.

You could use the wire you find, provided you are not using it to connect to anything but the carputer stuff.

-zip- · 04-10-2008, 10:05 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Machinehead

As long as it's insulated 8 gauge wire, you should be fine. You may be able to get away with 10 gauge but I'd go with 8 for safety.

Edit: Don't forget to put an in-line fuse in place.

Get a nice fat pipe of wire. Less resistance , and dont forget a good solid ground and ground your computer case as well.

jarule9uk · 04-10-2008, 11:09 AM

well i have bought some 17 amp cable from halfoard as the shop assistant reccomended i do not use audio cable for it they are about 16 gauge thick same thickness as the cables that come with the M2-ATX power supply

jarule9uk · 04-10-2008, 11:10 AM

What about something like this i found this on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWA:IT&ih=004

DarquePervert · 04-10-2008, 12:50 PM

That would work well.

NotYou · 04-10-2008, 11:07 PM

Something seams fishy with that listing....

- It's listed as "SUB-ZERO 5M 2 X 8 GAUGE POWER CABLE", yet in the description it says "HIGH DEFINITION OFC STEREO SPEAKER CABLE FOR OPTIMUM SIGNAL TRANSFER" [emphasis mine]

- It's listed a "2x8 gauge".. which I would take to mean 2 8guage cables in a zipcord arrangement (a.k.a. side by side and you can pull them apart). I have never seen car power cable like that, let alone 8gauge zip cord.

- Why would you need 2x 8 gauge power cable? Okay, well I guess if your using 2 amplifiers, but that's not really the best way to run power cable for that situation.

- I don't see no 2x 8gauge cable there in the picture.. just a single cable

- They use this funky metric measurement thing for its length.... okay, I'm just kidding on that one

The picture/description/title doesn't match up, so I wouldn't be sure what your getting there. It may be a case of a lazy e-bay seller, but then again.

You're on the right track, but if it was me I would look at another seller to be honest.

~~~~~~~~~~~
And on a side note... just what the h#ll is "High Definition Speaker Cable"? That's one of the funniest things I've read in a while.

NotYou · 04-10-2008, 11:44 PM

Ok something to help you out a little more if still needed... found the equivilant section on UK ebay for car audio installation stuff.

http://motors.listings.ebay.co.uk/In...istingItemList

Take a look in that section for wire and/or "amp wiring kits". There's quite a few, and for the m2-atx I would recommend 12 or 10 gauge cable. Remember that a lower number means a thicker cable -- so 10 gauge is actually thicker then 12 gauge.

It's kinda funny seeing these listings using AWG to describe the wire size, since it's the "American Wire Gauge". Most often outside the US countries/people like to make sure to use metric to spite us Americans =)

jarule9uk · 04-13-2008, 11:31 AM

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...ssPageName=:IT

what about this

NotYou · 04-15-2008, 08:49 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by jarule9uk

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...ssPageName=:IT

what about this

That looks to be fine. It also appears to be what we call "zipcord", in that the red and black wires are joined like twins. You can pull apart the red from the black as needed.

IF that's the case, then you'll want to rip apart the wire the whole length, so that you have seperate red and black wires. The red wire will connect to the battery, an inline fuse, and the 12v input of the m2-atx. The black wire will connect to the ground on the m2-atx, and then to the chassis of the car. The black wire should be as short as possible.

Honestly, though.. I would recommend buying something like this or better yet this. The reason is that not only do you the wire, but you also get the terminals, battery connector, inline fuses, and wire for the turnon signal (plus more). Will be cheaper in the longrun (unless, of course, you already have all that).

If you need more help in wiring let me know. You can also search google for instructions on wiring and amplifier -- just substitue the m2-atx for the amplifier.