Hondaguy1993

would my civic be ok if i put an alternator that pushes 200amps

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Considering I used to run a 300a with my old audio hardware...yeah, you'll be fine at 200. Are you doing this for a specific reason, though?

Hondaguy1993

yea well i was thinking if mabey my alternator pushed more amps it be easier to install a gaming console via power inverter to a smaill 14'' lcd flip down monitor i have in the cealing of the car that way my battery charges faster than i can drain it ive done reaserch on this but ive only found that it be draining my battery quick since a ps3 slim eats about 250-300w im some what confused how this can work cuz ive seen other cars with xbox and 25'' screens and it looks like it works

Former User

Please use punctuation.

slowcivic2k

An alternator cannot provide instantaneous power, it responds to changes in load, using an ELD or similar. A large battery is a must to maintain and provide proper voltage levels. Large capacitors can help smooth out browning events that will occur when powering on devices. This will help provide more instant power, and prevent the charging system from cycling between 20 and oh, lets say 200 amps.

You should probably do some more research, you are definitely not the first person to install a huge load into a car.

TomCat39

Another trick that can be done if you don't want to go through the hassle of modifying in a bigger battery is to run a second battery in parallel. This maintains the 12 volt requirements of the car while increasing the current (amperage) capabilities.

Sometimes it's easier to add more batteries in a secondary location than it is to modify your existing battery to something larger or half of a dozen of the other tricks people have done over the years to run high current draw setups.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

An extra parallel battery is nothing more than a big capacitor. Capacitors are bandages for a gaping head wound. OP is doing it the 100% correct way by installing a larger alternator, which is awesome. Try not to derail him, guys.

ferio-ichi3

Op, what gaming system? If next gen, pay for mobile hotspot and play online

I had 2 15 inch kicker subs with a 1000w amp and a 800w amp, plus a ps2 all on the stock battery. Could play for an hour or so with medium-high volumes before the car would turn over slowly lol. That was with a parasitic drain. But yes OP. Do the big 3. Bigger battery, better alternator, and upgrade your wires(tranny to ground/valve cover to ground/alternator to fusebox).

slowcivic2k

A capacitor is an instantaneous current device. A battery can never do this with the same speed because the reaction is chemical. While there are similarities, do not confuse the two. A larger inductive device (alternator) will require a larger capacitive device (capacitor) in order for the load to appear resistive (or linear of you want) to the car's load detector. A larger battery will provide more standby power, which is the biggest reason for installing more of them, or larger ones.

supak111

Yea more amps is fine. The way it works is the charging circuit only lets how much you use pass from alternator to battery/wiring harness. Alternator doesn't push 200amp all the time (thats max), if you are using 75amps it uses 80amps from the alternator (slightly more cuz nothing is 100% efficient not even AC). But if you are using only 5 amps total with all electronics turned off in you car, circuit gets maybe 6 7 amps.
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tony_2018

This is definitely an interesting topic...keep it going.

I was, at one point, thinking of putting a carputer in. But since we're not getting Android double din with the latest 4.2 OS I changed plans.

nateasham

out of curiosity where you geting the 200 amp alt from? i was aiming for 200 amps for my bass comp civic but best i could find is a semi local company that custom makes em but 170 is the highest i could get from him. (which should still be enough for me and my system which i ran off of stock alternator and battery last season)

one last thing to keep in mind is at what rpm is your new alternator putting out peak power. when i talked with the custom guys i had options of peak output at 2k rpm or 6k rpm. if your ever going to bass comps get it under 2k rpm (that is the maximum rev allowed in most comps) if not competing at all get peak output as close to the rpm range you are in the most for best charging ability. And a deep cycle battery if you plan on running the system with the car off. such as a optima yellow top if its year round car. or blue top if it is summer only car.

NotARaCist

iTrader: (1)

Ohio Generator used to make amazing alternators. That's where I got mine from. It would be worth putting in a call to them, and see if they can still do it.

underrated

iTrader: (3)

Check out Mechman also. He has a few for Hondas.