Power ?!?!?!?

Whatsupat29 · 01-10-2007, 05:14 PM

Good evening all, i am currently planning my CarPC project and have a few queries hoping there will be someone with the answers i need, firstly my basic setup will include my pc unit, tft indash touchscreen and amp, all needing 12v power. Now my question, do i need to route separate wires all running from the battery to each, i did not imagine this to be needed but was unsure, i do not do much on the electronic side and do not want to do a bodge job of it. I want to customise a iso adapter so i can wire my amp upto the existing speaker car wire, also use things like the ground wire, antenna (if needed), the ignition wire and the 12v supply. Is that pheasible idea, can i use the existing speaker wires or do they need upgrading, and will the 12v power supply be suitable for adapting to run the in dash LCD. If my idea is sound this will save me alot of trouble, as for my power supply situation there is times to experiment and THIS JUST AINT ONE!!!!
I really appreciate any help on this matter, i have looked around the forum but cannot find a direct answer to my question

2k1Toaster · 01-10-2007, 05:23 PM

You can either run seperate smaller guage wires all from the battery to individual components or a thick wire from the battery to what is called a distribution block (basically a convenient way to splice the wire into multiple leads) and then to individual components from there.

Not sure what you mean about speaker wire though. THe actual wire running from the HU to speakers needs to now go from amp to speakers. And then the PC's sound goes to the amp. So in the end it is PC --> AMP --> SPEAKERS. So you will probably need to extend those wires to the trunk where the amp will most likely be.

You don't have to use exisitng ground wires. I would use the existing grounding points (such as the bolts that have already been stripped), but with thicker wire. Whatever size wire is coming off the battery, should also be going back into the chassis. So if you run a 4awg wire to a distro block, and 2 8awg wires from there to the amp and pc, you need somewhere a total of 4awg wire to the chassis. So either 8awg from each one to the grounding point or 2 8awg wires to a distro block and then a 4awg wire to the chassis.

It is still a mystery whether or not grounding things to the same spot or different spots is better. Nobody knows. Most people are pretty adiment about one way or the other and claim the other is wrong, but it is about equal for both sides. I ran mine seperate, and it works fine. I think it all depends on the install. Try 1 way. If it is no good, try the other way. If it is still no good, you did something wrong.