AWG = Average Wire Gauge ?

 

AWG = American Wire Gauge

 

Hmmmm, I'm having a go at the moment - like waving a sausage in a bucket, so to speak. Keeps sounding like I'm inside the wheel arch rather than working my way into the passenger footwell. I assume that the wire will just pop through the vairous plastics which my hand can feel as I stuff it up and behind the passenger footwell?

 

I found the easiest way to do this is to push the wire through from the outside.

I used a bradall (sp?) to poke a hole through the thin bit of rubber, leaving the bradall in i then stretched the hole with the bradall and at the same time pushed some wire through, I then pulled the rest through from the inside.

The entry is the very top left of the footwell, you need to be a contortionist to get a hand up to it !!

This gromet goes directly to the footwell, it does not pass through any other compartments. If you move the gromet away from the metal from the outside, you can see into the footwell (the gromet is quite stiff though).

 

Ah! I thought you'd got through the hole shown in your final photo! I decided that hole couldn't lead into the footwell so worked my power cable around the grommet (seems a tight enough seal and I'd prefer not to stick a hole in it). Just been out on the motorway to test the set up - awesome!

 

should have been more clear, I meant the gromet in the bottom picture

the only problem with squeezing round the gromet is that eventually the metal might cur into the power lead.

you got any pics of your install?

 

Hmm, hadn't thought of that problem. However, the 27 amp cable has housing more akin to multi-core thickness rather than the spindley yellow power cable on the back of the HU. I'll have a word with the expert - my Dad! Won't post piccies for fear of performance appraisal from CC!

Just been altering balance between front and rear speakers so that the P42s don't overwhelm. There are so many menu features on the HU, why no clock!

 

Glad your all sorted lads.

Sorry, been away fishing. The correct wire guage must permit low resistance to the bullet on the HU (as Paul states). As long as you fuse this wire and have at least 20A rating, you`ll be sweet as. Go as bulky as you dare. Think of it this way; at least its thicker than the loom whatever guage you choose (be sensible here!) as the stuff in the loom is `bell wire` std; hence not to be used. Good job guys.

PICS PLEASE CRAIG!

 

Following up on why the yellow wire is quite thin:

The yellow wire probably isn't pulling 20 Amps (otherwise the fuse may nuisance blow), but as the wire is quite short it should handle almost 20A anyway. (14 AWG can cope with 20A)
The rated current depends on the allowed temperature rise. The more temperature permitted, the higher the current rating. The insulation type etc also then becomes important.

For a long wire the resistance of the thinner gauge wires would give you a small voltage drop when operating at high current.

In good ICE systems you need to maximise the available voltage at the head unit or amplifier in order to achieve the optimium performance.

If you have voltage drops then the bass can become soggy because the peak current is usually drawn thumping out bass lines and this is when the power wire would start to become quite lossy ( a current flowing through a resistance generates heat and saps power).

Assuming copper wire:
2m of 14AWG gives approx 0.67 volt drop at 20A
2m of 10AWG gives approx 0.27 volt drop at 20A

For every -3AWG you get double the surface area of the conductor and so the dc resistance reduces.

Imagine you have a 4m run into the boot to power an amp that needs just 20A. 14AWG would drop about 1.34V at 20A.
A stiffening capacitor may help in this case but costs more than a thicker power cable would!

So go for the lowest gauge (thickest) wire you can afford/ practically fit (within reason) in order to minimise losses and maintain performance.

Alpine would have chosen the cheapest wire that meets the current/temperature spec.
I'd cut this shorter and fit more of the thicker cable in order to maximise performance.
Every little helps.

 

craig, did you use the standard bullet connector that came with the yellow wire? I am thinking of using an electrical connecting block (useually used for house applications, those things you buy in white strips) as I feel that this will easily take the 27AMP gauge as apposed to stuffing the 27AMP gauge into a small bullet.

With regard the HU setup, I've read the manual a couple of times and there are loads of ways to fine tune the sound. One of the more technical features is the Time Correction. Has anyone worked out the correct setting for the 4 speaker distances in the S?

Have I issed something, or do these H/U's have no security code? (presume the security is the face off)