Fonzie Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Found one that's got multiple plugs & a USB port for recharging recently. Thought it'd be great for the kids & all their gadgets when we're on the road or vacations.... laptops, GPS, iPods, travel DVD player, etc Thought about picking up a 2nd one for the other cig lighter/accessory plug, but then got to wondering..... Can you run too many gadgets off your car battery, that it would actually drain your battery even while the vehicle is running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidgetTodd Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 The plugin ones no the hard wired ones yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawlins87 Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 The plug in ones will just blow the fuse. Hard wire one in and it will stress the alternator. Cars and suvs were designed to be as cost efficient as possible so as little amperage from alternator as possible. I would say up to 500-600 Watts would be alright, anything after that you would need to upgrade your alternator. I've experienced this in car audio competitions, we I've ran 2000+ wattage. My next system will be 4000rms, so on top of the factory alternator I need a second 300 amp and 6 group 31 dry cells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted March 22, 2010 Report Share Posted March 22, 2010 Install an ammeter? Then there are no questions about loads on the alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 I want a usb powerstrip hardwired into my car, so it is flushmount with the dash...anyone ever hear of doing that?i cant use the cig plug because my shifter woiuld hit it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gump Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 Nope, but it sounds cool. Radio shack should be able to hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 Plus one for blowing a fuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheech Posted March 23, 2010 Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 The plug in ones will just blow the fuse. Hard wire one in and it will stress the alternator. Cars and suvs were designed to be as cost efficient as possible so as little amperage from alternator as possible. I would say up to 500-600 Watts would be alright, anything after that you would need to upgrade your alternator. I've experienced this in car audio competitions, we I've ran 2000+ wattage. My next system will be 4000rms, so on top of the factory alternator I need a second 300 amp and 6 group 31 dry cells.This is why if you ever have to hard wire something directly to the battery you put an inline fuse (you can find automotive ones at any autoparts store, they take standard car fuses) as close to the battery as you can, and that's the first thing you do. As you're wiring, if you accidentally short you just blow the fuse instead of shorting across the terminals. Plus, you can change the fuses to account for different amp loads depending on what your alternator capacity is or what you're attempting to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonzie Posted March 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2010 The plugin ones no the hard wired ones yes.Plus one for blowing a fuse.Yeah.... This is just the kind that plugs in the cig lighterJust somethin' about the extra plug or 2 & the USB port from our old one, got me to thinkin'/worryin' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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