Alright, so I am installing everything coming up really soon. I hae routed all of the wiring already so I do not need to do that. However, I still need to route the wiring from my battery to the amps. I have 2 amps and 2 batteries. The maximum I think that one amp will accept is 2 guage. I wanted to go with 0/T but and daisy chain it from one amp to the next, but I am not sure if that would be wise.

1-What is the smallest guage I could go? I am running 2 Optima yellow tops with 850 CCA/ea, and the amps are 600W/2ch and 400W/4ch respectively and they are true RMS.

I do not want to go smaller than 4AWG. Possibly 6AWG at the smallest.

Is it safe to daisy chain? If so, should I go larger guage like 2AWG and then go smaller such as 4AWG to the next?

Thanks!-James

By the way, the smaller amp will only power the front speakers because the KVT819DVD has 4/50W pre-outs with a detached "brain.

unfortunately this is beyond my electrical/audio knowledge level

hopefully someone who knows can chime in

unfortunately this is beyond my electrical/audio knowledge level

hopefully someone who knows can chime in

Sweet, I'll try that ;)

Run the main power wire to the back and use a distribrution block to go from say 0g from the battery to two 4g to the amps. Anywhere that sells car audio should have them.
-Tom-
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q237/lowridah313/p211FBXS024-F.jpg

i will take some pics of my amps so you can see how i have mine ran....

Run the main power wire to the back and use a distribrution block to go from say 0g from the battery to two 4g to the amps. Anywhere that sells car audio should have them.
-Tom-
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q237/lowridah313/p211FBXS024-F.jpg

This is probably the route that I will go. I imagine I can use the same with the grounds right?

im pretty sure....

You do not want to run the negative wire to the amps you will want them directly grounded to the body with the shortest wire possible

Now you will need to connect the negative terminal of your amplifier to the chassis ground of your vehicle. Any metal point on the vehicle should work since they all lead back to the negative terminal of the battery. This negative power wire should be short and of the same diameter as the positive power wire leading to the battery. When connecting the negative power wire to ground, you may need to scrape some paint from the grounding surface. This will ensure better contact between the negative power wire terminal and the vehicle ground. After you have the negative terminal connected to ground, cover the connection with paint, caulk or a similar protective material to prevent rust. CAUTION: If you must drill a hole in the vehicle to connect the chassis ground, make sure you know what you're drilling in to. This is especially important when you are in the area of your vehicle's gas tank. A wrong move here could puncture the tank, cause a spark and set your vehicle on fire with you in it! If you are unsure then consult a professional

But there is a negative on the amps!?? Where do I go from there? Can I run that negative to battery negative?

This negative power wire should be short and of the same diameter as the positive power wire leading to the battery

OK so if I have a zero going to the distro for the+ and 2 4AWG coming out, do I want the ground to be a zero, or a 4? Can I ground my amps on the battery negative?

WIRE GAUGE SELECTION TABLE
Circuit Amperes
Circuit Watts
Wire gauge (for length in feet)
6V
12V
6V
12V
3'
5'
7'
10'
15'
20'
25'
0 to 2.5
0 to 5
15
30
18
18
18
18
18
18
18
3.0
6
18
36
18
18
18
18
18
18
16
3.5
7
21
42
18
18
18
18
18
18
16
4.0
8
24
48
18
18
18
18
18
16
16
5.0
10
30
60
18
18
18
18
16
16
16
5.5
11
33
66
18
18
18
18
16
16
14
6.0
12
36
72
18
18
18
18
16
16
14
7.5
15
45
90
18
18
18
18
14
14
12
9.0
18
54
108
18
18
16
16
14
14
12
10
20
60
120
18
18
16
16
14
12
10
11
22
66
132
18
18
16
16
12
12
10
12
24
72
144
18
18
16
16
12
12
10
15
30
90
180
18
16
16
14
10
10
10
20
40
120
240
18
16
14
12
10
10
8
25
50
150
300
16
14
12
12
10
10
8
50
100
300
600
12
12
10
10
6
6
4
75
150
450
900
10
10
8
8
4
4
2
100
200
600
1200
10
8
8
6
4
4
2

So you have 4 gauge going to the amp so 4 gauge to ground. Do this to the body with a cable as short as possible

I don't think that came out how you wanted it to .

Here look at this website as it may help
http://www.rbeelectronics.com/wtable.htm

According to that site, I could get away with 12AWG.....I could daisy chain that easily.

ANd this doc may help also
http://www.caraudiohelp.com/how_to_install_a_car_amp/how_to_install_a_car_amp.htm

ground it to the body, dont take it back to the battery cause it wont work right....

yes you can get away with that but you have to figure the watage of both amps

Yes you could use 12g from a distro to the amp but i would go with no less than 8g from the distro to the amp. and i would run 4g to the distro

Alright, 8AWG and 4AWG it is.

Jason, why wouldn't it work right? The battery is grounded to the body.

here are some pics of my amps, distro blocs and my cap....

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2918.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2921.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2917.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2919.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2922.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h255/jsongrl/clubX%20stuff/IMG_2920.jpg

hope it gives you some ideas...

Also, make sure that the stock ground wires going from the body to the battery are as big as the power wire you're using. The big one on the battery right now is probably going to the engine, so you gotta make sure the body and engine and battery are all hooked in using a guage big enough to carry the juice. It's probably fine, but in theory it could create a bottleneck of sorts.

you run the negative to the frame not the battery. make sure you install a fuse between the battery hot terminal and the amp on your 0,2 or 4 guage wire whatever you decide.

just use the distro block like i have shown in my pics it has a huse for both wires... also there is a fuse under the hood as well....

My batteries are not under the hood, they are both behind the seats so I am going to go to the body, not the block.

I am running 2 OT wire for my entire starting and charging system. I think I am going to go with 2 and 4 for my amps. I have enough of it arouund. Altogether I have probably $500 worth of wire in my rig right now.

As far as the inline fuse, what amperage should I get?

This needs to be based on the amount of current you are pulling. Your local stereo shop should be able to direct you to the correct size fuse needed. This is important since you want this to fail rather than your amps and rather than starting a fire in your car because the wire gets grounded somehow. Trust me when i was younger i did this and your car is never the same after the power wires catch fire.

I have a 500amp fuse, I think I should be good. A winch doesn't even pull 400amps continuous.

It may just be me but that sounds way over kill if you are just running the amps off the power cable. I would guess you need more like 50 or 100 amp fuse. Look at the fuses in your amp and add them all up how many amps is that?

I am always way overkill if you have not noticed. I will buy a couple of 100 amp fuses.

Well going overkill on a fuse is actually a bad thing. If you want to find some decent fuses for your application, you can look at these from allelectronics.com http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/FHP-80/250/FUSEHOLDER_FOR_AGU_FUSE_.html
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category/245150/AGU.html
I've used them, they're pretty hard to beat for the price.

Well going overkill on a fuse is actually a bad thing.

Exactly. The whole point of a fuse is for it to blow before your equipment does.

right, I am fully aware of this, I was referring to the 2 OT wire, which turns out to be 2AWG according to the friend who is hookin it up for free. That 500 amp fuse was for the charging system (shouldn't have even mentioned that)

I am going to go 2 and 4 I have decided with the distro

And I am going for 100 amp fuse for the in-line.

My question was, can I daisy chain, but I was just forgetting about the stereo componentry.

I am having a hard time finding a distro block and fuse to be honest. I am just going to the wrong places I am sure.

Sounds like you are on the right path now!

Ok, so I am on the last leg of the install before I mount it all up. there is this little plug coming out of the brain. It says relay 1 and relay 2. There are no relays attached. I am wondering if this is even necessary because a lot of this stuff is not necessary I have noticed.

Thanks!-James

well you didnt explain what brain your talking about sounds like an alarm if your talking about a relay from the brain since the brain would send the signal and the relay would actually be doing all the work. So please explain further

The head unit that I am installing is a Kenwood KVT 819DVD and it is so complicatied that there is a separate "brain". It is a hideaway unit. It is a 4 pin plug with 2 wires. It says that one The wires say relay 1 and relay 2. the diagram says to relay box and that is it. I am wondering if this is some extra unneccessary stuff or no

After looking at the manual it seems that this headunit is capeable of turning on and off a tv/dvd ect.

if you want i work as an installer at circuit city i can post pics of my install if youd like. my suggestion would be to run thw power wire from the battery then get a distributor block your goin to have to get somthing serious has to be a 0/2 gauge to usually four 4/8 gauge openings with fuses in between. that is the safest way and yes you want to run two seperat grounds of the same gauge as the power wire and as short as possible right to the chassis. running 2 gauge in my opinion is a good choice then branch off into 4 gauge and you got a safe bet there. might i ask what kind of equipment your actually running

P.S. make sure your run a remote wire with the power wire and rcas on teh opposite side of the car as teh power wire. when you get the remote back there just simply split it into both of the amps via a wire nut or somthing

as for finding a distro block we sell them at circuit city haha

he dont have to run the wires all that far... the brain is next to the amps... as to the relay james i think it would be like prev posted it is used to turn on/off a seprate tv/dvd.... good luck

Hmmmm, Well, as far as the distro block, I am going with the 0-4 and they do not have them at the local CC either way, I think it would be a rip off.

They wanted to sell me 2 RCA's at 3' each for $25 a piece so I went down the street and got non flashy stuff that works just the same and was just black for $2 a piece. I can't stand how they make a killing off the flashy stuff so for now on I am looking for the stuff that counts.

So, the unit I have IS a DVD player with monitor.

I do not want a separate TV as of yet although I have considered one in the future.

Ahhhhhh!!!! Found out what they were. Those are so that I could hook up touchscreen controls for new accessories.....

Awesome!!!!!

That was actually the selling point on this very stereo for me. I hook a wire to the relay and I can turn on the lights for for my roof rack using my touch screen. Sweet! I am glad that I called because I was about to ditch it.

wow so you can operate your driving lights and what not with the radio... that is sweet.....

yeah circuit city makes a killing off of those things they are good quality but for what you needed i see your point haha im still offering my service if anyone has any questions on car audio or needs a wire diagram i have a ton of resources to get it just hit me up

Yep! I can control all of that crap from the touchscreen.

Alright, so I DO need your help still. How exactly do you hook it up to the relay? Just tap into the +?

im going to have to research that unit a little bit more and hit u up with some info i took a quick look at it the other day and its a serious unit ill check my sources and get back to you

Alright, well I have most of the other stuff taken care of, and I want to hook up the relays soon. Here is what I am working with.

To hook up a relay (either kind) for a remote turn on, make the
following connections:

*Pin 30*
+12 Volts (Battery +)

*Pin 87*
Amplifiers' remote turn-on terminal

*Pin 86*
Head unit remote turn-on lead

*Pin 85*
Ground
________________________________________________

Alright, my question is...Pin 30, does that run off of CONSTANT power? or switched? I could run either and it is not a problem, but I do not know which one to run.

Should I use Single pole double throw? Or Single pole single throw?

The above description is to run the amplifiers. I already have those hooked up so do not worry about those as far as pin 87.
__________________________________________________ ______________

Here is my question, if I got a SPST relay, should I hook it up like this?:

*Pin 30*
+12 Volts (Battery +)
-should I run this to switched power or constant?

*Pin 87*
accessory

*Pin 86*
Head unit relay 1 wire

*Pin 85*
Ground