Custom alternator voltage

[lothar863]

I am having a custom alternator built for my truck and I have a question.

The higher the voltage the more I can get out of my audio setup but I also don't want to fry anything in the truck.

I was thinking of having the alternator set ay 15.5v but I am worried the old electronics in the truck would have an issue with that.

has anyone ran a high output higher voltage setup and if so what happened?

 

[WebMonkey]

13.8v/stock alternator is the only way to go.

if you need more voltage or to make sure you get the voltage you want, use a buck converter to output the voltage you want.

i use one for my amateur radio system.
it likes 13.8v (rather than exact 12v from the regulated block) for max output and so the buck/regulator/booster, keep the ~12v from the truck system at a constant 13.8v at the radio system distribution block.

very common item for mobile hf, high power radio setups.

that's what i would do rather than having an oddball alternator that will feed your regulator, or a regulator that feeds a higher than expected voltage to everything else.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Web has the best idea. Essentially run that circuit at the requested voltage and have everything else at its intended range.

 

[Snoots]

Most ALL alts are 13.8v output unless you have a 24v system.

What you need are AMPS.

 

[lothar863]

I need volts not just amps.
The higher the voltage i feed to the amps the high the watts rms i will get to my speakers.
I had the alternator in that was set at 14.8 and the truck seemed ok with it. But i am wanting to get a bit more out.

Kicker gives their power rating at 14.4 volts
RMS Power [Watts]
@ 14.4V, 4Ω stereo, ≤ 1% THD+N: 50 x 4
@ 14.4V, 2Ω stereo, ≤ 1% THD+N: 100 x 4
@ 14.4V, 4Ω bridged mono, ≤ 1% THD+N: 200 x 2
Sub Channel RMS Power [Watts]
@ 14.4V, 4Ω mono, ≤ 1.5% THD+N: 200 x 1
@ 14.4V, 2Ω mono, ≤ 1.5% THD+N: 400 x 1
@ 14.4V, 1Ω mono, ≤ 1% THD+N: +/- 10%

feed it more in the way of voltage the more you will get back out of it
The amp will go into protect if the voltage spikes to 16v

I have never seen a converter used to step up the voltage for mid-high end audio systems so I dont have any experience with that. Would it handle a load like that without introducing noise?

Before I sent the alternator back to get reworked I had it at 14.8v and 225amp output the battery, ground, starter, and alternator wiring had been upgraded to 4 awg wire.

 

[WebMonkey]

Most ALL alts are 13.8v output unless you have a 24v system.

What you need are AMPS.

absolutely.

70 or so amps powering a truck is fine until you add something that wants 30 amps all to itself.

that said, there really is a voltage curve for mosfets.

totally separate from amperage requirements.

so 15v@10a could be the sweet spot as opposed to 12v@10a etc.

the op may just need the amperage but i wanted to 'validate' their question.

 

[C10MixMaster]

I am having a custom alternator built for my truck and I have a question.

The higher the voltage the more I can get out of my audio setup but I also don't want to fry anything in the truck.

I was thinking of having the alternator set ay 15.5v but I am worried the old electronics in the truck would have an issue with that.

has anyone ran a high output higher voltage setup and if so what happened?

Your truck will run on 15.5. But you will shorten the life of things like your ignition control module, light bulbs and battery. pushing 15.5 volts into your battery in the middle of the summer will be real hard on it. I think going to a higher Amperage alternator is your best bet.

 

[Crispy]

At the shop I used to work at we would run 15v alternators, dual alternator setups, multiple batteries, etc. This was for high dollar custom jobs that basically took a Tahoe or Suburban (or similar) and made it a 2 seater. Unless you are building for SPL and want a bed full of speakers, spend your money elsewhere.

If you're looking to run a 200WRMS amp as shown above you dont need anything special unless you have a 60 amp alternator currently and want to stop dimming lights when the bass hits. Your current output should be between 13.5 and 14.5v. You have a lot of room voltage-wise with the stock system.

150-200 amp alternator will do the trick for most audio builds with room to spare.

 

[lothar863]

At the shop I used to work at we would run 15v alternators, dual alternator setups, multiple batteries, etc. This was for high dollar custom jobs that basically took a Tahoe or Suburban (or similar) and made it a 2 seater. Unless you are building for SPL and want a bed full of speakers, spend your money elsewhere.

If you're looking to run a 200WRMS amp as shown above you dont need anything special unless you have a 60 amp alternator currently and want to stop dimming lights when the bass hits. Your current output should be between 13.5 and 14.5v. You have a lot of room voltage-wise with the stock system.

150-200 amp alternator will do the trick for most audio builds with room to spare.

Looking at 2 800w rms amps + the headunit
I don't think i need a dual alternator just wanting to get the most out of the amps and speakers inside their stable range
I am looking at adding a second battery my main question is has anyone ran a higher voltage for awhile and blown out the TBI ecu
I am planing on going to newer electronics in the future that wouldn't have issues with higher voltage but I am not sure how the older stuff will take it.

 

[Snoots]

I need volts not just amps.
The higher the voltage i feed to the amps the high the watts rms i will get to my speakers.
I had the alternator in that was set at 14.8 and the truck seemed ok with it. But i am wanting to get a bit more out.

Kicker gives their power rating at 14.4 volts
RMS Power [Watts]
@ 14.4V, 4Ω stereo, ≤ 1% THD+N: 50 x 4
@ 14.4V, 2Ω stereo, ≤ 1% THD+N: 100 x 4
@ 14.4V, 4Ω bridged mono, ≤ 1% THD+N: 200 x 2
Sub Channel RMS Power [Watts]
@ 14.4V, 4Ω mono, ≤ 1.5% THD+N: 200 x 1
@ 14.4V, 2Ω mono, ≤ 1.5% THD+N: 400 x 1
@ 14.4V, 1Ω mono, ≤ 1% THD+N: +/- 10%

feed it more in the way of voltage the more you will get back out of it
The amp will go into protect if the voltage spikes to 16v

I have never seen a converter used to step up the voltage for mid-high end audio systems so I dont have any experience with that. Would it handle a load like that without introducing noise?

Before I sent the alternator back to get reworked I had it at 14.8v and 225amp output the battery, ground, starter, and alternator wiring had been upgraded to 4 awg wire.

I don't know who fed you that line of **** but they have no clue as to what the ef they're talking about.

 

[Crispy]

Looking at 2 800w rms amps + the headunit
I don't think i need a dual alternator just wanting to get the most out of the amps and speakers inside their stable range
I am looking at adding a second battery my main question is has anyone ran a higher voltage for awhile and blown out the TBI ecu
I am planing on going to newer electronics in the future that wouldn't have issues with higher voltage but I am not sure how the older stuff will take it.

No experience on TBI's but the GMT800s can take it. PCM take its all day but other random stuff stop working. Displays, gauges, switches, etc. It may be the over-volting or it could be the ridiculous shaking going on in the vehicles due to the bass.

 

[WebMonkey]

I have never seen a converter used to step up the voltage for mid-high end audio systems so I dont have any experience with that. Would it handle a load like that without introducing noise?

Before I sent the alternator back to get reworked I had it at 14.8v and 225amp output the battery, ground, starter, and alternator wiring had been upgraded to 4 awg wire.

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015564

that's what i use to feed an HF mobile rig requiring 20amps and a vhf/uhf rig needing another 7amps.

hf radio is super sensitive to noise so yes, there are products that will NOT introduce noise into your audio system.

good luck!

 

[WebMonkey]

I don't know who fed you that line of **** but they have no clue as to what the ef they're talking about.

i'm not an electrician by trade so i most certainly am NOT saying i know everything.

i am an amateur extra class license holder from when you had to demonstrate theory in detail.

mosfet driven 'stuff' reacts in a curve to voltage.
(tube driven amplifier stages do also but luckily were aren't talking about grounded grid vs grounded cathode)


most of my ham radio gear operates from 11v to 16v.
the output of the 'final' amplifier stages 'curves' from say 4w to 7w total across the voltage input range.

on higher power radios such as my HF rig, it can vary as much as 50w output power.

the radio operates fine at 11v but only makes full power at 13.8v.

so, that's where all this higher voltage makes more power talk is coming from.

it is specific to these applications and only 'true' when the required amperage is also present.

as i posted above, my ham radio setup requires almost 30amps all by itself on key down.

 

[Matt69olds]

Before spending a dime on anything, measure the voltage at the battery stud on the alternator. If it’s more than a couple tenths power than at the alternator, fix the wiring.

Is your upgraded alternator one that is capable of remote voltage sensing? If it’s based on a CS130 case I’m pretty sure one of the 4 pins in the connectors is used to remote sensing of system voltage. If so, connect that terminal to the power cable near your amp.

 

[Snoots]

I'm not trying to bust your bubble or anything but I don't want you to burn up the vehicles electronics or wiring harness or the truck.
Like @Matt69olds said, with a remote sensing CS130 (or even a CS144) you should be able to get what you need.