15.3 VDC system for amplifier - install notes to come
Hi guys,
I will be doing a full writeup on my sub and amp install and Hanshow speaker upgrade in my SR+ M3 - lots of bits of info have maybe been missed in other write-ups (no one is perfect and some things have obviously changed between models and years (and likely country of build I suspect)).
Having said that, one thing that I didn't account for is that the LV power system is 15+ VDC, not 12. Now I realize even 12V systems are usually above this and why you see amplifier dyno testing above 14V but my measured voltage at the LV point (under the back right seat) is 15.3V.
I measured 15.3 VDC at my amplifier input and my Pioneer amp is rated 10.8 to 15.1. It's a 500W monoblock amp powering a 500W ported subwoofer. I had an issue with the sub and don't want to continue without addressing this concern. It's only 0.2V above specification, but I don't know if it routinely goes above 15.3 when driving around.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? I called a local stereo shop and tried to be respectful of their time by not just asking for free advice.
They didnt seem overly knowledgeable about Teslas, but said its not crazy to think the LV goes above this measured rating. I asked if I needed a 15VDC to 12VDC converter , but we both agreed that a 500W converter would be expensive. I asked about 500W resistors to drop the voltage but we both agreed that would be hot and not ideal. Their suggestion was to maybe use a diode which would drop the voltage 0.4 to 0.7 depending on type. I kind of like this idea but don't want to rush into this too much - I feel this must come up but I haven't found much conversation online.
I could get into more details on this topic but I'm short for time. For now, I only want to ask if this has come up before for anyone else. I believe only newer Teslas have 15 VDC systems and this usually isn't a problem. But I think for my amp, it might be an issue.
Hi guys,
I will be doing a full writeup on my sub and amp install and Hanshow speaker upgrade in my SR+ M3 - lots of bits of info have maybe been missed in other write-ups (no one is perfect and some things have obviously changed between models and years (and likely country of build I suspect)).
Having said that, one thing that I didn't account for is that the LV power system is 15+ VDC, not 12. Now I realize even 12V systems are usually above this and why you see amplifier dyno testing above 14V but my measured voltage at the LV point (under the back right seat) is 15.3V.
I measured 15.3 VDC at my amplifier input and my Pioneer amp is rated 10.8 to 15.1. It's a 500W monoblock amp powering a 500W ported subwoofer. I had an issue with the sub and don't want to continue without addressing this concern. It's only 0.2V above specification, but I don't know if it routinely goes above 15.3 when driving around.
Has anyone else encountered this issue? I called a local stereo shop and tried to be respectful of their time by not just asking for free advice.
They didnt seem overly knowledgeable about Teslas, but said its not crazy to think the LV goes above this measured rating. I asked if I needed a 15VDC to 12VDC converter , but we both agreed that a 500W converter would be expensive. I asked about 500W resistors to drop the voltage but we both agreed that would be hot and not ideal. Their suggestion was to maybe use a diode which would drop the voltage 0.4 to 0.7 depending on type. I kind of like this idea but don't want to rush into this too much - I feel this must come up but I haven't found much conversation online.
I could get into more details on this topic but I'm short for time. For now, I only want to ask if this has come up before for anyone else. I believe only newer Teslas have 15 VDC systems and this usually isn't a problem. But I think for my amp, it might be an issue.