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How do I hook up a second car battery?

How do i hook up my system to a second battery instead of my car battery?

  • i just bought a secondary battery for my system (2 12s, 500 watt amp, cap, 4 speakers, 600 watt amp, headunit). i see the wire that is connected to the positive side of the battery but im not sure what goes to the negative side. is it the ground? any info or links to website would help. i really dont want to pay a shop $60 just to move a few wires. thanks.

  • Answer:

    There are 2 ways to increase the battery capacity to meet up with the additional electricity needed for your sound system. 1. Replace your original battery with a bigger capacity rating. Look at the Ah (stands for Ampere-Hour) rating on the casing of your battery. The bigger the Ah the better. However, bigger the Ah, the bigger is the battery. You may need to enlarge the battery bracket to accommodate the new battery. 2. Install a second battery in parallel with the original battery. Take note, the batteries should be as close to the alternator the better as long charging cable resulted in voltage drop and thus affect the charging to the batteries. The cable must able to transmit the charging current safely - make sure it is the right cable size used. The negative terminal of your 2nd battery should connected to the car body, as almost all cars are body-earthed. Lastly, don;t forget your poor alternator! You may want to upgrade too if you found your batteries weakened quickly - your alternator is unable to charge up your batteries. Please note: For a good sound system, ensure you have a good voltage stabilize unit and radio interference suppression circuits too.

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The - Ground goes to a body part of the car that is Ground, look at the Black Wire from the battery,it most likely goes to the Frame or Engine Block. That is Ground. To run a second battery is kinda easy, put it in the trunk on the opposite side of the car that the one in front is, for weight distribution, ground it to the frame, run the + Hot cable to the Alternator/Gen or run it in series with the other battery. Most all this can be viewed on Boat Sites. http://www.foreandaftmarine.com/BATTERYSWITCHDIAGRAM.htm http://www.alberg30.org/maintenance/Electrical/WhitbyWiringDiagram.jpg That Alberg has a 2 battery setup.

FörtyTwö

I'm guessing you want to do this to make sure you don't run down the one to start the car. All you need to do is hook "+" to alt. and sound system components, "-" to the body or frame. One really important thing everyone else is overlooking is a battery isolator. This will allow you to charge the auxilary batt. when engine is running but not discharge the main (starting) battery with the sound system. You can get one of these from any place that sells RV equipment or order it. JCWhitney sells them. Keep in mind that if you put the battery in the trunk you will need a very long charging wire from the alt. I would suggest 8 or 6 ga. wire. I have done all this in my car and it works well. (1080 watts total in sys.) You will also need a 1 farad cap. to supply the sys. with the needed power for the hard strike of the subs. You didn't say what size you had. 1 farad per 1000 watts. Just make sure all the stereo components are on the aux. battery only.

wzzrd

The only way to go with this one is to use a battery isolater. This way you will not run down the main battery and the secondary battery will be recharged as you drive. I do not recommend installing the secondary battery in the trunk unless you use a sealed battery with a hose leading out of the trunk to vent the gases coming from the battery when charging. You don't want that rotten egg smell in your car.

parkmistyred

Just be aware that second battery robs power from the alternator that could otherwise go to your amps. Your better off getting a bigger alternator.

sparky3489

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