Davetaylor
New Member
This is a question for HIFI and anyone else who wants to weigh in. The short story....I'm upgrading the stereo in my '88 230CC. I've purchased most of the components..MB Quart WM1-head unit, 400W Pyle 4ch amp, 200W Pyle 2ch amp, 2, 8" Clarion subs, 6, 5&1/4" Polk coax speakers, MB Quart wired remote....If you are scratching your head over the equipment choices, I'm doing this on a tight budget.....Was given the head unit (used), picked up an amp and 2 subs for fifty bucks locally and trying to make most of the rest work in the existing holes except for two of the 5" speakers and subs.
I've installed the Head Unit where the old Sony am/fm cassette was in the cabin in order to "reuse" the hole. I need some help in the wiring department. In doing much research I've come across some contradictions in how and where to install some things. Some recommend installing the amps close to the battery making shorter runs of thicker gage cable and fusing. But that would require long runs of RCA cables and poses issues with ventilation. I want to mount the amps under the helm right next to the Head Unit.
Here are some assumptions:
Amp draw for 400W max amp: 400/14.4=27.8 amps
Amp draw for 200W max amp: 200/14.4=13.9 amps
Amp draw for HU. 45W/chX4 max: 180/14.4=12.5 amps
Distance from helm to battery: approx 14 feet
Planning on using 4 gage tinned marine wire for both power & ground
Here are some questions:
1. I would like to install a fuse block in the area with the amps and HU. I'm thinking 4 gage power (14 feet) from the battery to a fuse block and then 8 gage to each of the amps. I could also run an 8 gage to the HU or run the HU power and ground to the "factory" fuse block where the old Sony is wired into.
2. Many recommend grounding the HU and the amps directly to the negative battery terminal (due to noise). Could I mount a distribution block with a 4 gage wire to the battery and run 8 gage grounds to the HU and each amp?
3. Many recommend an in line fuse of the power wire within 18" of the battery. That would mean an inline fuse on the 4gage, fuses for each component at the fuse block and the HU and each amp has their own blade fuse on the unit themselves. Is that overkill? If in line fuse is recommended, what size, 80 amp?
4. The old Sony had a black wire for power and a Red wire for power and a ground wire. The New MB Quart has a Red wire for Power, a yellow wire (memory power), blue wire (amp power) and a ground. Most recommend the Yellow wire connect(fused) to the live side of the battery switch to save memory functions, but I'm not so sure I need that feature. Planning on mostly listening to CD's and Ipod. Not sure if I should splice the MB Quart's red wire to the wire going to the old Sony's black wire or red wire.
5. If I install a fuse block (power) and a distribution block (ground), should I install them with some extra spaces for future electronics like a GPS/Fishfinder? There are still a couple of spaces on the Factory fuse block that the Sony is connected to now. (that panel has power on one side and ground on the other)
6. There are 4 original 6" speakers (old, cardboard Audiovox). It looks like the original speaker wire was 18gage. I have to run new speaker wire for the two additional speakers and the two subs. My estimate for the wire, due to the long run is 12gage wire. I plan on using marine duplex wire. Should I go through the trouble of re-wiring the four original speaker holes as well? It's very tempting to just mount the new Polks in the existing holes and plug them in.
I'm sure there's more, but I'm down to the ordering wire stage. Marine wire is crazy expensive and I want to do it right the first time. Thanks for all/any help.
I've installed the Head Unit where the old Sony am/fm cassette was in the cabin in order to "reuse" the hole. I need some help in the wiring department. In doing much research I've come across some contradictions in how and where to install some things. Some recommend installing the amps close to the battery making shorter runs of thicker gage cable and fusing. But that would require long runs of RCA cables and poses issues with ventilation. I want to mount the amps under the helm right next to the Head Unit.
Here are some assumptions:
Amp draw for 400W max amp: 400/14.4=27.8 amps
Amp draw for 200W max amp: 200/14.4=13.9 amps
Amp draw for HU. 45W/chX4 max: 180/14.4=12.5 amps
Distance from helm to battery: approx 14 feet
Planning on using 4 gage tinned marine wire for both power & ground
Here are some questions:
1. I would like to install a fuse block in the area with the amps and HU. I'm thinking 4 gage power (14 feet) from the battery to a fuse block and then 8 gage to each of the amps. I could also run an 8 gage to the HU or run the HU power and ground to the "factory" fuse block where the old Sony is wired into.
2. Many recommend grounding the HU and the amps directly to the negative battery terminal (due to noise). Could I mount a distribution block with a 4 gage wire to the battery and run 8 gage grounds to the HU and each amp?
3. Many recommend an in line fuse of the power wire within 18" of the battery. That would mean an inline fuse on the 4gage, fuses for each component at the fuse block and the HU and each amp has their own blade fuse on the unit themselves. Is that overkill? If in line fuse is recommended, what size, 80 amp?
4. The old Sony had a black wire for power and a Red wire for power and a ground wire. The New MB Quart has a Red wire for Power, a yellow wire (memory power), blue wire (amp power) and a ground. Most recommend the Yellow wire connect(fused) to the live side of the battery switch to save memory functions, but I'm not so sure I need that feature. Planning on mostly listening to CD's and Ipod. Not sure if I should splice the MB Quart's red wire to the wire going to the old Sony's black wire or red wire.
5. If I install a fuse block (power) and a distribution block (ground), should I install them with some extra spaces for future electronics like a GPS/Fishfinder? There are still a couple of spaces on the Factory fuse block that the Sony is connected to now. (that panel has power on one side and ground on the other)
6. There are 4 original 6" speakers (old, cardboard Audiovox). It looks like the original speaker wire was 18gage. I have to run new speaker wire for the two additional speakers and the two subs. My estimate for the wire, due to the long run is 12gage wire. I plan on using marine duplex wire. Should I go through the trouble of re-wiring the four original speaker holes as well? It's very tempting to just mount the new Polks in the existing holes and plug them in.
I'm sure there's more, but I'm down to the ordering wire stage. Marine wire is crazy expensive and I want to do it right the first time. Thanks for all/any help.
