how could i get my volts up to about 15or16. my amp is rated at 14.7 and i would like more power.

 

conventional wisdom says that the more volts you give your amplifier the more power it makes. I try to send mine anywhere from 13.8 to 14.4. you are talkin about 15 or 16, is that safe? my amps are rated at max power at 14.4 volts, as are many other amps, therefore i would have to reccomend not allowing your charging system to release 15 or 16 volts of power just because i dont know what that would do to your amp. (im not 100% sure on that tho) you could ask your local stereo shop if it is safe cuz i really am not sure.

to answer the post, a 147 amp alt is very very powerful. hows your battery and the battery terminals. possibly buying a good die hard battery or adding a optima yellow top as a battery just for your stereo would bring it up pretty high.

daniel

 

You would need some sort of voltage step up device, like a Jacobs Accuvolt.

Amps are designed for a certain voltage. Go over the specified voltage and weird things may happen, like a dead amp with a voided warranty Shoot for about 14.5v and be happy.

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I think the voltage regulator in the alternator will prohibit you from exceeding 14.5 volts. Also, excessive voltage may damage other electrical components of your car.

What you want is more amperage. Remember Watts (what you want) = amps x volts. You DON'T want to increase the volts, but you may wish to increase the amperage if your system draws a lot of watts.

 

I agree with the above. Do not put more than 15 or so to the main electrical system in your car. Funny things start to happen to computers when you feed them too much voltage. (trust me, I've seen the results)

Anyway, your car should normally run about 13.5 or so anyway. You should technically be running a higher voltage than your battery is capable of providing to facilitate charging. Some aftermarket alternators will increase output as you increase RPM. That's why you see so many people trying to rev their engines during SPL events.

Usually if you see an amplifier that has a 12 volt rating as well as a 14.4 volt rating, that means that it is either an unregulated or poorly regulated power supply. The more voltage you feed it, the more power you will get out, but there is DEFINATELY a limit before you start to cause damage.

My advice, stay in the 14.4 or less range or risk having to rip out the amp and send it in for repairs.

Carl
CarAudio Resources
http://www.caraudioresources.net

 

If you do want to experiment with higher charging system voltages, it is easy to boost the output voltage of an alternator, if it has an external voltage sense wire. A diode has a fairly constant voltage drop over quit a variation in current, so inserting a diode (1N4001, 1N4002, or 1N4003) in line with the regulator sense wire will boost the output voltage by approximately 0.7 volts, per diode inserted, until the field coil reaches its maximum saturation capability at a given load current. The diodes are available from Radio Shack. The voltage sense wire is usually the samll red wire connected through the plug on the alternator - it usually connects to either the lage lug on the alternaotr, or the large lug on the starter solenoid. Install the diode with the cathode (banded end) toward the alternator.

Tim