Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: rackoon on February 15, 2006, 01:35:15 pm
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Let me start by stating that I was an electrician 15 years ago in my early 20's. Yet most of this work is pulling wires though color coded holes in half built track homes; theres not a lot to figure out when all 600 houses are wired the same and every thing is color coded with chalk. Basically what I am saying is I understand some electrical theory yet small electronics are my weak point.
Ever since I read in Saints book that some folks have used car amps to power their cab's audio system I knew that's the way I wanted to go. So in my early parts collecting stage of cab building I acquired two 90watt 6x9's, the Oscar recommended potamiter, all necessary wires, and a car 300watt equalizer/amplifier. This isn't anything more than I had in my old Chevy Nova and Matalica's Ride The Lightning always sounded good. No wonder I am freak'en half deaf.
Let me add that I am building a three sided cocktail table and the speakers will be about shin high and I am half deaf from loud, front row, head banging, metal concerts in the 80's.
So I don't think this set up will be over kill, and, if it is, even better. IF ITS TOO LOUD THEN YOUR TOO OLD! What I! I cant hear you! Speak up!
So here is my problem, (besides being long winded) I need to power a 300watt 12v ( its going to suck up 25 Amps at the most) car amp in my cab. This means that I need to go from 110v AC to 12V DC and end up with at least 25 amps.
Options so far:
1. Can I use a 600watt PC power source? Some of them list 28 amps going to the 12v line. (I am weary of this rout because if I add up all the amps one of these things put out on all of its lines together its around 100 amps) this cant be right.
2. Should I buy a converter to go from 110v to 12v, then a inverter to go from AC to DC, then install a resister so I don't smoke my amp.
3. Give up my hopes and dreams a of a killer, rocking, gnarly, ---smurfette---'en, totally boss cab and just fade into meritocracy.
I know one of you guys know how to do this. This forum is full of smart and electronically savy people. Please help!
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I have an amp running off a computer power supply from a pentium computer (you can switch it off from the power button). I think it might be better to run it from an old arcade power supply, but I have not had any problems yet.
Patrick
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You don't NEED 25 amps. Sound is logarithmic, so even if you have a 2.5 amp supply, it will be plenty loud.
I'd go with a pc power supply and call it a day.....
On the amp, short the remote terminal with the positive power terminal. Now just run your gnd wires and power wires from the supply to the amp.
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I replied to your thread over in the audio section...
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This is great. You guys are a big help. I totally appreciate this. Furthermore, I have now read the link to the MAMEWorld amp site and it was a big help.
Although I do have just one more small question.
First what is a remote terminal? Is it for the switch for the on/ off for when it is in a case?
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The remote terminal senses voltage and then turns on the amp...
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My amp doesn't have a remote terminal. I think that is because it is a amp/equalizer and has a power switch on the front. Although, it does list two different ways of grounding the unit. One setup has the speaker grounds and amp ground connected and calls this a common ground and the other has them separate. I was going to hook it all up to the PC power source ground. Hope it doesn't make a difference. I only bring it up because the amp has a big red sticker on it that says grounding to car frame will destroy amp.
Thanks for all the help so far. I plan on buying a PC power source off eBay in the next couple of days and testing this all out. I also hope to get one that has enough amps on the 5v line to hook up the 100 UV LED's that I have.