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Stereo run time and starting


Steve B.

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I was just reading the topic about big stereo's below. Didn't want to de-rail that thread.

Wondering how long you run your stereo's before you start worrying about battery power. So many variable involved I know. I've got 2 group 24's, 9 speakers, 2- 700 watt amps. Usually use the I pod to feed the head unit.

I've had no issues, but I've only ran the stereo off the battery's maybe an hour at 3/4 volume before a re-start.

Steve B.

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Hm, I never thought about the realities of DC vs. AC. Interesting. I do run 4- ohm speakers each on it's own 4- ohm amp channel. Two 6 channel amps,  with 9 speakers total. Each on it's own single amp channel speaker output, and the sub is bridged on two amp output channels. So, ha 9 speakers using 10 amp speaker outputs.

I didn't install the system, but whoever did, did a darn good job. 4- gauge thru large circuit breakers, then 4 gauge again to amp inputs. Ground return is the same, with nice distribution blocks. 

I have NO facts to back this up, but I have a feeling I could run it maybe 2 hours while still maintaining safe starting. 

Steve B.

 

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5 amps, 14 speakers, 2 group 27 deep cycle batteries and I have ran 4+ hours with stereo pinned and still no problem starting. I do have a 3rd starting battery but have never needed to use it. 

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My system has 3 batteries, 3 amps, 4 rev 10's, 8 wetsounds cabin speakers, 12 inch sub, and occasionally the sound cuts out.  I usually run it on switch 2 when just sitting, but I can't seem to figure out why it does this.  It's hella annoying too when you hear the system cut out.  I'm due for a new starter battery, I just wonder if this is all related.  My system came installed by a pro shop (chucktronics), so I'm assuming they knew what they were doing.  Thoughts?  

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45 minutes ago, saxton15 said:

My system has 3 batteries, 3 amps, 4 rev 10's, 8 wetsounds cabin speakers, 12 inch sub, and occasionally the sound cuts out.  I usually run it on switch 2 when just sitting, but I can't seem to figure out why it does this.  It's hella annoying too when you hear the system cut out.  I'm due for a new starter battery, I just wonder if this is all related.  My system came installed by a pro shop (chucktronics), so I'm assuming they knew what they were doing.  Thoughts?  

when is acts up, are you seeing any of the amp power off? Knowing what the battery voltage is at the amp, when it happens, would be a good start. 

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37 minutes ago, saxton15 said:

My system has 3 batteries, 3 amps, 4 rev 10's, 8 wetsounds cabin speakers, 12 inch sub, and occasionally the sound cuts out.  I usually run it on switch 2 when just sitting, but I can't seem to figure out why it does this.  It's hella annoying too when you hear the system cut out.  I'm due for a new starter battery, I just wonder if this is all related.  My system came installed by a pro shop (chucktronics), so I'm assuming they knew what they were doing.  Thoughts?  

It's very unlikely that all amplifiers will reach a low voltage turn-Off threshold at the exact same time. So if the entire system is losing audio simultaneously then there is probably a low voltage threshold being reached upstream by a source component that is common to the entire system, and either shutting down or shutting off its remote turn-On output.

A great way to find out the true cause is with a multimeter. And with a variety of probes and clips you can measure voltage across the terminals at any point in the system....from battery to a remote turn On/Off output.

For better battery performance, for better battery longevity, for better audio performance, and for less strain on your electronics, you should maintain a battery voltage of no less than 12.0 volts.    

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Originally, I thought it was my amps cutting out (protect mode).  So I started leaving the hatch open to let fresh air run through, but the same problem happened.  The stereo would cut out, tower first, then pop back on, cut out again, until I turned it down.  At this point the draw on the stereo was clearly less, leading me to believe it wasn't the amps.  My batteries are all about 5 years old, in the winter they stay in the boat in storage.  Could they all be due for a change? 

When the boat is off, the volts are running about 12.0 and then 11-ish.  Now, this is with the stereo at a conservative 10-15 volume indicator.  If I turn it up to 30, it will not last longer than an hour.  It puzzles me since my buddy runs an enormous system in his offshore boat and can keep it running at full pin for hours without a hitch.  He has 4 batteries. 

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Disregarding the momentary dips caused by the music, when you discharge a consumer-grade deep-cycle battery below 12.0 volts you are dramatically reducing the battery's productive life. At 11.5 volts for example, consider that you are cutting the battery life expectancy in half or more. This degradation rate continues to accelerate as you discharge lower.

So your batteries may be toast.

There's three ways to test a battery. One) A load tester. Two) An electronic conductance tester (does not require a fully charged battery to test). And Three) A standard multimeter if you have the time and access to measure how well and how long a fully charged battery can hold a good charge level.       

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13 minutes ago, David said:

There's three ways to test a battery. One) A load tester.

Just make sure the battery is fully charged first. If ti wont reach full charge, its your first clue. 

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21 minutes ago, MLA said:

Just make sure the battery is fully charged first. If ti wont reach full charge, its your first clue. 

I have a pro marine battery charger as well. I've left it plugged in all night, the next day the batteries seem fine.  But, running the stereo loudly tends to produce the same thing.  I'll run a test on each to make sure.

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1 hour ago, saxton15 said:

I have a pro marine battery charger as well. I've left it plugged in all night, the next day the batteries seem fine.  But, running the stereo loudly tends to produce the same thing.  I'll run a test on each to make sure.

After the charger is removed the battery(s) may show a false voltage of well over 13 volts. But that is a temporary surface charge that will soon dissipate over several hours. Then you have a more accurate charge level of maybe 12.7 volts on a new and fully charged flooded battery, or just a bit more with an AGM, or perhaps 12.5 volt on a battery that has been through several seasons. But if it can't achieve 12.5 volts initially or it can't maintain very close to that level (within a 10th or so) over the course of several days in isolation then you almost certainly have a battery in need of replacement.

Also, a bad battery can initial show a decent voltage level after an overnight charging. But when you place a serious load on a bad battery it usually craters quickly, which kind of sounds like your situation.   

From the moment a battery is new, and as it is repeatedly cycled through discharge/charge, then the Amp/Hour capacity is in decline. It's wearing out with usage just like a tire.      

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Saxton, are you by chance using an Mp4 player or something, using the  headphone output?  Mine will do that. Using the headphone out, and built in volume control, if turned up too loud for too long. I think in my case, there is too much load against the output trying to drive a line input to the head unit at higher levels. I turn the level down for a sec, and the output will come back.

Steve B.

 

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I use a direct iphone connection to the USB.  It runs through the RF head unit.  Plugged the boat in on Friday night and left it charging all night.  Spent the afternoon at the cove and ran the stereo between 25-30 volume for about 3 hours without issue with perko switched to "2".  The volts read 12.4 and eventually ran down to 12 before I noticed the cabin speakers cutting out, or the tower intermittently cutting.  Now, given my clear need for some new batteries, I thought it was a decent day.  One odd thing, my wife figured it was a good idea to play with the perko and switched the stereo to 1+2.  This move caused the stereo to flicker and cut in and out.  I switched it right back to 2 and things were fine.  The volts at 1+2 were in the 11 range.  End of the day the boat started without issue.  

So 3 new batteries is what I'm looking at, and.....maybe a 4th!

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It's your batteries most likely. One is cycled and draining the the other prematurely or both are cycled... Seen it and fixed this issue too many times.. The Revs are the most sensitive part of your system, you will notice issues with them before anything else... 

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6 hours ago, saxton15 said:

One odd thing, my wife figured it was a good idea to play with the perko and switched the stereo to 1+2.  This move caused the stereo to flicker and cut in and out.  I switched it right back to 2 and things were fine.  The volts at 1+2 were in the 11 range

This would indicate that #1 was low. Bringing it online with #2 brought #2 down but also bringing #1 up to a combined 11 range as read on the gauge. 

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On August 26, 2016 at 10:29 AM, saxton15 said:

My system has 3 batteries, 3 amps, 4 rev 10's, 8 wetsounds cabin speakers, 12 inch sub, and occasionally the sound cuts out.  I usually run it on switch 2 when just sitting, but I can't seem to figure out why it does this.  It's hella annoying too when you hear the system cut out.  I'm due for a new starter battery, I just wonder if this is all related.  My system came installed by a pro shop (chucktronics), so I'm assuming they knew what they were doing.  Thoughts?  

I have the same system setup however, from my #2 on the switch (which powers amp board) I have a class 31 and a class 24 XS Power battery run in parallel. $600+ in batteries yes however, I get 8+ hrs of play time before it needs a charge and of course, running the boat on 1/2 yields an even longer play time. I strongly suggest this setup...

http://4xspower.com/shop/xp-series-batteries/xp3000/

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Looks like I'm going this way....Thanks for the input!

26 minutes ago, NCSurfing said:

I have the same system setup however, from my #2 on the switch (which powers amp board) I have a class 31 and a class 24 XS Power battery run in parallel. $600+ in batteries yes however, I get 8+ hrs of play time before it needs a charge and of course, running the boat on 1/2 yields an even longer play time. I strongly suggest this setup...

http://4xspower.com/shop/xp-series-batteries/xp3000/

 

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