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Installing in car entertainment..any pointers?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Archenemy, Feb 5, 2017.

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  1. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Hi people...i intend to get fix up a basic sound system in my gen 4 prius..ie a monoblock amp with a subwoofer..a 4 channel amp to power some component speakers..

    Any concerns? Is the electrical system any different from normal cars? My worry is the monoblock amp which may suck up too much power from the electrical system from the car...

    Hybrid cars aren't popular in this part of the world so im afraid that the audio shops aren't experienced enough to handle hybrid vehicles.

    Any tips for me?

    Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 Archenemy, Feb 5, 2017
  2. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    #2 RCO, Feb 5, 2017
  3. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Thank you!
     
    #3 Archenemy, Feb 5, 2017
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  4. Elektroingenieur

    Elektroingenieur Senior Member

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    The low-voltage electrical system on the Prius differs from other modern cars mainly in that the auxiliary (12 volt) battery is charged by a DC-DC converter powered from the hybrid vehicle battery, not by an alternator connected to the engine.

    I would still suggest being careful about how much electrical load you add. In their training course T623, Electrical Circuit Diagnosis, Toyota writes, “The circuits protected by a single fuse are designed so that normal current does not exceed 70% of the fuse’s rating.” I would suggest keeping the sum of existing and new loads on any circuit below this value, though without access to Toyota’s design information needed for a full electrical load analysis, there are, of course, no guarantees of trouble-free operation.

    In some markets, Toyota sells the Prius with an optional sound system with a separate amplifier, for which there is a dedicated, 10-ampere AMP fuse, separate from the 15-ampere RADIO fuse for the head unit. See pages 3 and 4 of this wiring diagram:

    http://www.toyota-tech.eu/td3ewd/EN/EM3211E.V.1_v1/ewd/contents/system/pdf/AS-SEP.pdf

    Compare the version with a built-in amplifier:

    http://www.toyota-tech.eu/td3ewd/EN/EM3211E.V.1_v1/ewd/contents/system/pdf/AS-BUI.pdf

    (These diagrams are for European models; your car may differ.)

    In the U.S., the separate amplifier is a six-channel JBL unit, installed under the driver’s seat. My car didn’t come with this, but interestingly, it does have the AMP fuse. I don’t know how much, if any, of the wiring for the separate amplifier is provided in cars that didn’t originally have it.
     
    #4 Elektroingenieur, Feb 5, 2017
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  5. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Wow that is a really detailed explanation..but im not that technically inclined...

    What i understand is that we cant place a heavy electrical load on the vehicle...

    But what is considered heavy? How many watts? How many amps? My apologies..im really an idiot when it comes to such things..
     
    #5 Archenemy, Feb 6, 2017
  6. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Be careful. Electrical watts consumed by an amplifier is totally different than the rated audio output in watts.
    They should be related but marketing got in the way :(
     
    #6 Prodigyplace, Feb 6, 2017
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  7. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    That is easy to figure out how many Kw of power you want on amplifiers......
    This is not impossible....how much are you thinking to dish out.....Anything is possible with .....it doesn't matter what type of is it
     
    #7 Samprocat, Feb 6, 2017
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  8. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Noted. does the spec sheets of the amplifier manufacturers state the watts consumed?

    I only know that they show output in watts..
     
    #8 Archenemy, Feb 7, 2017
  9. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Please assist in layman terms..thanks!

    Budget is around US$1000 for monoblock+subwoofer and US$1000 for 4 channe amp+components.
     
    #9 Archenemy, Feb 7, 2017
  10. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    This water is way too deep for me, so I'm going to dry of and have a nice cup of hot tea. I wish you all the best in your quest for superior sound system.
     
    #10 RCO, Feb 7, 2017
  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    For power consumed from a direct current system such as a car you can multiply the voltage (I would use 14) by the current consumed in amps.
    14 volts X 2 amps = 28 watts.
     
    #11 Prodigyplace, Feb 7, 2017
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  12. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    For alternating current used in a home the calculation is much more complex.
     
    #12 Prodigyplace, Feb 7, 2017
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  13. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Why 14 instead of 12?

    You are assuming that the amp is 2 amp? Or is it 2 amplifiers at 1 amp each?

    So 28 watts is safe?
     
    #13 Archenemy, Feb 7, 2017
  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Although the battery voltage is nominally 12V, I believe the inverter actually boosts it to 14.4V. Using 14 allows the for a little safety margin from 12V and is closer to the real world voltage.
     
    #14 Prodigyplace, Feb 7, 2017
  15. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    You will need to invest on battery bank new wiring and capacitors......this cars don't like spikes in current draw for amplifier......
    You will need more in this than what you are just thinking for one mentioned....so your budget is not adequately peaced together......
    If you want to do it right ......
     
    #15 Samprocat, Feb 7, 2017
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  16. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    I wish i can help more.....
    With your budget this is not good place to start with.....
     
    #16 Samprocat, Feb 7, 2017
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  17. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    I have existing capacitor for my monoblock..can bring over to my new car..

    Is it recommended that i get another capacitor for the 4 channel?
     
    #17 Archenemy, Feb 7, 2017
  18. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    I hope the frequency response of your amp isn't to high, you could pick up converter noise. The Prius is a rolling EMI generator.
     
    #18 goldfinger, Feb 10, 2017
  19. Archenemy

    Archenemy Junior Member

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    Is there anyway to prevent this?
     
    #19 Archenemy, Feb 10, 2017
  20. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Yes. The obvious one of sticking with the original fitting.
     
    #20 RCO, Feb 11, 2017
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