Stereo wiring help

Ok guys I need some help with my stereo wiring first here is everything I got

alpine pdx 4.150
wetsound pro 60's
clarion eqs746
Distribution block (fused pos. and neg. in one)
stock 6.5 kicker speakers

so my question is where do I have to fuse everything and what sizes are required. I am gonna have 0 gauge off the battery to the distribution block do I need an inline fuse between the battery and the dist. block ? and what size if I do. Then I have 8 gauge off the dist. block to the amp( only a foot away) do I need an inline fuse inbetween there? or is the fused block accomplishing the need there? My other question is for the EQ. I will also hook up 8 gauge to it from the dist. block, does it need an inline fuse? also the remote wire do I hook it from the deck to the Eq than have one from the Eq to the amp? Or just headunit to the amp?

I know you guys will help out thanks

You should only need one fuse in the power cable. I'm not too sure on the amperage, in my car I used 50s but it might be a different story in a boat install, I haven't done one before. No idea on your EQ question though, I've never used one.

ok so I should only need the one that is already in the distribution block?

^^^^ NO, you need to have your circuit protection located at the battery to kill power through that 15' of 0ga you are about to lay in.

I would trade the fused dist block for a 2nd non-fused block like you already have.

Add the sum of the Amps' fuses up, that is your potential current flow that you need to allow for (example= if the amp has 2 20amp fuses, you need a 40amp fuse @ the battery)

The battery is actually only about 2 feet away from the amp under the passenger storage area. And the distribution block is both a negative unfused and a positive fused in one but I can put an inline fuse at the battery before the dist block. its not gonna hurt

^^^ Ok, you should be good with the fused dist block if you keep the run of 0ga as short as possible.

Next ???, is that battery tied to the boats charging system? If so, you need some protection on that circuit at the source. $.02

Yes I will only have one battery for a bit till I get a second and combiner.

Alpine PDX 4.150 RMS output of 600 watts.

Divide 600watts/12v = 50 amps of current.
The lower the voltage is the more ampere draw

Please correct me if I'm wrong though.

Bobby, In theroy that is correct (based on ohms law) , but in real world conditions that amp will not pull close to 50 amps ( even at 12v) even at high volumes. I'd honestly be surprised to see it pull 25 amps. I've been running 4 of the PDX amps for the last 14 months. I have a stock 90 amp alt and I can listen at 3/4 volume and my votlage never drops below 14.0 when the boat is running.

That's with 1-12 l7, and 2 w6 10's.

The alpine PDX are class d full range ammps. One of the major reason I decided to go with them. B/c fo their effeciency it's amzing how much longer you can play yrou stero with the boat off.

Wetsounds new line of amps employ a similar ( I think even better---class H) technology.

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't we fusing to protect the battery and the wire? The amps are protected by their own internal fuses only. A 2' run of 0 gauge for just the one PDX 4.150 seems like overkill but if you went strictly by the charts then you would need a 325a inline fuse at the battery and then a 50a fuse at the distribution block to protect the 8 gauge to the amp. With just the 1 PDX amp, you could get away with just 4 gauge to the battery and a 125a inline fuse. Whenever you change wire sizes you should definitely fuse the smaller wire. The thing to remember is that using too small of a fuse is ok - the worst thing that will happen is that your fuse will blow due to being undersized but no damage will occur.

I realize it is probably overkill but it makes it so that if I ever expand the system I dont need to rewire I can just easily hook in to the distributuion block for a quick install.

hey I just found this which is pretty sweet I don't know how accurate it is but should help

http://www.bcae1.com/images/swfs/systemdesignassistant.swf

Joe,

How are you figuring a 325A fuse when using 0ga and one amp, and then a 125A fuse when using the same amp and 4ga wire?

The amp, or load as you will, determines the cable size and fuse size. Neither of them have any bearing on the other.

0ga would be overkill for one amp, but it leaves room for expansion without a total re-wire.

I believe he is saying that is the maximum amperage a 0 gauge wire can handle (and 50amp for 8 gauge)... He was suggesting that inline fuses are there to protect the wire, while the amps are protected by their own fuses.

The load and the wire length determine the wire size and the size of the wire determines the INLINE fuse size. In this case though since the OP is initially only going with 1 amp he could fuse it with a smaller fuse and then change it out as more load is added. The fuse is there to protect the battery from a fault coming across that piece of wire.

Ok so what inline fuse size should I use and what distribution block fuse size? for 0 gauge and lets say for 4 gauge as well since I probably wont have another amp for a while

does 80 for inline and 40 for distribution block sound good?

Jordan,

If it were me, this is what I would do: I like to use Marine rated manual-reset circuit breakers, so I would use one, right off the battery, that is properly rated for the load of the current amp you are using. Because your power runs are so short, I would use 2 non-fused dist blocks. When you do upgrade, all you would have to do is wire in the 2nd amp from the blocks to the amp, and swap out the breaker to cover the additional load of the new amp.

Do you have the amp right now? If so, what is the sum of the amp's fuses plugged in the side of the amp? That is the size fuse/breaker you need.

"the size of the wire determines the INLINE fuse size"

Sniff, sniff.....is that smoke I smell? J/K. Sorry to disagree, but load and load only determine the circuit protection.

You are correct, load and length will dictate wire size.

Yes the amplifier has 2 30a fuses so 60, so you are saying that a 60a breaker or inline fuse would be proper. Also I already have the distribution block so I dont wanna scrap it and get 2 unfused ones. Can't I just put a 60 in there as well then it will basically do the same thing as you are describing just without the new blocks. Then I just need to get a new circuit breaker when I get the next amp

If it's a 2 fuse fused dist block, then you will just need to add the 2nd fuse of proper size later when you add a 2nd amp. If it's a single fuse fused breaker, then use a 60A now, then upgrade later with 2nd amp.

Just make the 0ga no longer then needed, and you will be fine.

ok thanks

"Sniff, sniff.....is that smoke I smell? J/K. Sorry to disagree, but load and load only determine the circuit protection."

Where would the smoke be coming from? Fusing according to wire size prevents more than the rated amount of amps from going across that wire - that's all. And don't forget that if you change wire size (like @ a distribution block) smaller fuses should be in the block to protect that smaller wire.

Back to your original question Jordan, consider the size of the wire downstream from either a inline fuse or circuitbreaker and fuse according to that - it's that simple. Of course, you could always use that as a max fuse size and put in a smaller one (say 125a for now) and re-calculate it later once you add another amp.

so how about I go 4 gauge from the battery to the block( about 2 feet) with an 100a inline fuse down to a 60a in the block with 8ga coming out. Does this sound good?

Fusing for more then the load is not only over-kill, but not wise IMO.

so keep them both at 60 than, and I will be safe