• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How to setup HEAD UNIT+AMP+SUB+CAR DOOR SPKERS IN HOUSE

B

BAD311

Member
Hello all,

I recently purchased a lot of car electronics that I plan to sell at a flea market.

I need to test all of the equipment to insure it all works.

How do I create a setup to test the RECEIVER + AMP + SUB + OTHER SPEAKERS?

Right now I test the RECEIVERS with a 12v lawnmower battery. It's perfect. However, since I started buying amps, subs, etc... I need to also test those.

How do I wire up a system in the home that is affordable and allows me to connect everything up as if it was in a car?

I have wiring kits and a test board where I can quickly swap out speakers, subs, amps, head units, just need to wire it all correctly before I throw anything on there and blow something up, costing me $$$.

I'd like the setup to run on constant power from my 110v socket, so I imagine I'll need a 110v to 12v converter that then connects to the car battery... and.... yea...

Help plz? 🙂 Thanks all!
 
Hi, you should be able to do this very simply with a 12V DC power supply. Usually they are just a standard 110V AC input and 12V DC output. Just pay attention to the AMP rating of the supply. I have no idea how much you will be drawing but it will work for most setups unless you are hammering on your subwoofers. For testing purposes I would go this route, for constant use..... thats a different story. Good Luck. Dave
 
There arent too many 12V DC supplies that will give you the 50+ amps that you need to test a car stereo system with a high power amp. You need to hook that stuff up to a car battery. There is no way around it.

Disclaimer: All advice given on this thread is done under the assumption that these car stereo parts were all obtained through legal and lawful means. :sneaky:
 
Last edited:
Astron will sell you what you need. A car battery is great but not so much fun in the house, what with all the hydrogen generating going on. Plus they'll go flat fairly quick, and your typical 3/5/10 amp charger won't keep it up.

http://www.astroncorp.com/dcdc.html

You need to have at minimum a couple of baffle boards set up to mount speakers in.

What level of testing are you looking to perform? Ideally you have a lab mic setup to test freq response of drivers, and/or a spectrum analyzer to do response testing on amps. I suspect however you are just looking for "does it turn on"?
 
You need to go with a deep cycle battery and a charger. The battery will cost you the most, expect to pay $150+ for the battery. With that setup you charge the battery overnight then you can do your testing . If you want more capacity just add more batteries. Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged and charged over and over unlike car batteries. Using a car battery in place of a deep cycle battery will result in the car battery plates shorting making the battery useless.

Look for descriptions like SLA - sealed lead acid or marine, solar storage, trolling motor, batteries.
 
i agree, an SLA or AGM battery and a 20a charger. youd be surprised how long you can run say 500w or so worth of gear on a good battery thats being charged while youre using it.
 
Go to a junk yard and get a good alternator with a built in voltage regulator. Mount it to some kind of base opposite a 110v electric motor, something off an air compressor should work just fine, Harbor Freight sells some electric motors for ~$100, if you can find one used it will be much less. Connect the pulley on the motor to the pulley on the alternator with a belt. Connect the alternator to the battery, connect your equipment to the battery, be sure to use a fuse, a blade switch might be handy as well. When you want to test gear, turn on the electric motor, which will turn the alternator and keep the battery from going dead during testing. This is much less efficient than a power supply but it's got more moving parts so it will look a lot cooler.
 
Nice, thanks guys. Yes, to answer the questions, all I care about is "DOES IT TURN ON?" and next "DOES IT HAVE SOUND COMING FROM IT?" and next "DOES THE SPEAKER RATTLE WHEN TURNED UP?"

So I'll a head unit that is connected to regular 4-6" speakers to insure it works properly, then a amp connected up to test subwoofers.

The 12v batt works perfect for testing headunits but is not enough power for amp+sub+speakers.

I'll also hit up the flea market this weekend and see what some of those folks do.
 
If you only want to go with an AC -> DC supply they do exist. You need to figure out how many amps you need though before going any further whether battery or power supply. One option is buying a pc power supply that has a single 12V rail with enough current for your needs. Putting a toggle switch on the green+black wire in the ATX connector will allow the supply to turn off and on.

You should be able to find an ATX supply good for about 50-60A for a reasonable cost. Some supplies might require a small load on the 5V to power on , if it does you can plug in any 5V device to fill that need, old hard drive for instance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top