radioflyer97
07-14-2008, 06:52 AM
Radioflyer97's How-To Post #14: Rolling Stereo Conversion
For those of you who work on their car a lot, music helps fill the void between cursing at stubborn hardware, lost tools and the neighbors barking dog. I just move into a new house and there’s so much stuff in the garage in boxes that there’s no room to mount a good stereo. That’s okay, I’ve got a 1000W system in my car. There’s only 2 problems:
- At any decent volume, my system will run down my battery to zero in less than half an hour.
- I don’t like breathing Carbon monoxide.
Here’s how you can convert your car into a rolling boom box using AC power.
Chapter one: The power switch (for all generations)
Especially on later cars, having the ignition on pressurizes the fuel system and turns on all sorts of gizmos. There is a way to turn on your radio without everything else.
You’ll need
- 1 or 2 polarized diodes for 12v systems (available at radio shack)
- a switch of your choice.
- 18-16 gauge wire
- solder/electrical tape or crimps depending on your style
a) Find a wire with constant power and tap off of it. You should be able to find this in your fuse box.
b) Run this wire to a switch. (make sure the switch is turned off)
c) Find your head unit’s turn on lead/ignition lead wire. Cut this wire and install the diode inline with the wire like you would a fuse. Make sure the wire line is facing the head unit side of the power wire. (don’t crimp/solder yet)
d) Splice the radio’s ignition lead wire with the wire from the switch you just connected. Now you can solder or crimp
e) Turn on the switch, Your radio (and amps if you have them) should turn on and the stereo should play without the rest of your car running.
Chapter II: power converter installation
This installation is C5 specific because of the AC outlet only. This unit is universal and it’s up to you where you mount it and the AC plug. I chose to use the IOTA DLS 55 with IQ 4 intellacharger. This unit supports 55 amps of continuous power at 13.4 volts. (737 watts of continuous power) for those of you with HUGE systems, there is a DLS 75 and DLS 90 capable of supporting 1005 and 1206 watts respectively. The units are fan cooled and have auto shutdown if there’s a problem.
There is a power and ground wire as well as an AC power wire for this unit. The wiring is very simple. It’s currently installed direct to the battery using gm side post extension terminals. I will be installing a battery cutoff switch for safety reasons, but it’s had no problems so far running by itself.
Since I swapped out my intake to a Vararam, I had enough room to install it on the radiator shroud.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/powerinverter-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/battery.jpg
The AC plug is mounted behind the front plate cover. The prongs are mounted through a sheet of 1/8” Lexan and it’s held in place with an aluminum bracket around the AC wire behind the Lexan. A 4awg rubber grommet was used to prevent damage to the wire.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/ACoutlet.jpg
The front plate is mounted on custom hinges. This is not necessary but looks cool. The bracket in the front plate is held in place with 8 inches of 3M heavy duty mounting tape. Velcro is currently securing the plate to the car, but I will be installing a cabinet latch for a more secure setup.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/hinge-1.jpg
This is also a good mod for street meets, car shows and any other place you want tunes but don't want to waste gas.
For those of you who work on their car a lot, music helps fill the void between cursing at stubborn hardware, lost tools and the neighbors barking dog. I just move into a new house and there’s so much stuff in the garage in boxes that there’s no room to mount a good stereo. That’s okay, I’ve got a 1000W system in my car. There’s only 2 problems:
- At any decent volume, my system will run down my battery to zero in less than half an hour.
- I don’t like breathing Carbon monoxide.
Here’s how you can convert your car into a rolling boom box using AC power.
Chapter one: The power switch (for all generations)
Especially on later cars, having the ignition on pressurizes the fuel system and turns on all sorts of gizmos. There is a way to turn on your radio without everything else.
You’ll need
- 1 or 2 polarized diodes for 12v systems (available at radio shack)
- a switch of your choice.
- 18-16 gauge wire
- solder/electrical tape or crimps depending on your style
a) Find a wire with constant power and tap off of it. You should be able to find this in your fuse box.
b) Run this wire to a switch. (make sure the switch is turned off)
c) Find your head unit’s turn on lead/ignition lead wire. Cut this wire and install the diode inline with the wire like you would a fuse. Make sure the wire line is facing the head unit side of the power wire. (don’t crimp/solder yet)
d) Splice the radio’s ignition lead wire with the wire from the switch you just connected. Now you can solder or crimp
e) Turn on the switch, Your radio (and amps if you have them) should turn on and the stereo should play without the rest of your car running.
Chapter II: power converter installation
This installation is C5 specific because of the AC outlet only. This unit is universal and it’s up to you where you mount it and the AC plug. I chose to use the IOTA DLS 55 with IQ 4 intellacharger. This unit supports 55 amps of continuous power at 13.4 volts. (737 watts of continuous power) for those of you with HUGE systems, there is a DLS 75 and DLS 90 capable of supporting 1005 and 1206 watts respectively. The units are fan cooled and have auto shutdown if there’s a problem.
There is a power and ground wire as well as an AC power wire for this unit. The wiring is very simple. It’s currently installed direct to the battery using gm side post extension terminals. I will be installing a battery cutoff switch for safety reasons, but it’s had no problems so far running by itself.
Since I swapped out my intake to a Vararam, I had enough room to install it on the radiator shroud.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/powerinverter-1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/battery.jpg
The AC plug is mounted behind the front plate cover. The prongs are mounted through a sheet of 1/8” Lexan and it’s held in place with an aluminum bracket around the AC wire behind the Lexan. A 4awg rubber grommet was used to prevent damage to the wire.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/ACoutlet.jpg
The front plate is mounted on custom hinges. This is not necessary but looks cool. The bracket in the front plate is held in place with 8 inches of 3M heavy duty mounting tape. Velcro is currently securing the plate to the car, but I will be installing a cabinet latch for a more secure setup.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c200/radioflyer1986/hinge-1.jpg
This is also a good mod for street meets, car shows and any other place you want tunes but don't want to waste gas.