# Car stereo and 12v Battery Straight up



## swistak92 (Nov 1, 2010)

I know this is more of a computer like forum.. but I still think you guys will be able to help me out 

Basically I wanna make a pretty cool project - A wooden box with 12v battery, car stereo, and 2 car speakers in it... reason for making it, is that every time we go to the beach etc we have no music and this would do the job pretty nice 

So my question is ... can the stereo and hooked up straight to the batteries or is there something else needed, an inverter, fuses or something?

Thanks in advance
P.S Ill make sure to log this too with some pics


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## theonedub (Nov 1, 2010)

Car stereo uses 12v DC, so no inverter needed. You should be able to get away without a fuse from the battery to the stereo as long as there is a fuse in the actual stereo (very slim chance for a short in a small wooden box). 

The issue you will run into is practicality. A full sized car battery is going to give you the longest reserve capacity which means longer music playing between recharges, but they are extremely heavy, then there is the recharge time. If you are going to be running the battery down constantly you will want to get a deep cycle battery which is more expensive too.

Seems like a fun thing to try, but in the end I don't think it will work well. I actually saw something like this on Youtube posted on another forum. The guy had the entire setup on a rolling cart with 2 car batteries, 2 subwoofers, and a couple coaxials. It was a mess.


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## swistak92 (Nov 1, 2010)

Yes the weight is gonna be a bugger ... but I guess Ill manage 
Its gonna be a full size battery ... and i actually happen to have a spare one since I needed one for my car, but in the end I didn't...
Ye the battery is probably gonna wear off pretty quick coz of the recharges, however its only gonna be used when going out... weekends etc so shouldn't die that quickly.

I even thought of adding a solar panel, but that costs a bit and atm Im saving up for 6k series cards

and thanks for all the other info, much appreciated


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## streetfighter 2 (Nov 1, 2010)

theonedub said:


> If you are going to be running the battery down constantly you will want to get a deep cycle battery which is more expensive too.



This.  Car batteries are made for unloading a lot of current quickly, not for continuous light loads.

You can still do it, but please remember to be careful because you're dealing with a car battery.  Take every precaution!

This video about using a car battery in a UPS has lots of info about safe handling (also why car batteries are sub-optimal for your needs):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5H8m1isFy4


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## theonedub (Nov 1, 2010)

It wouldn't be too bad of a build with a couple 5.25 or 6.5 coaxials, the headunit, and the battery. You could probably make it look good with some time. 

The best battery for the job would be a sealed absorbent glass mat (AGM) like the Optima Yellow Top or an Orbital Exide (my personal preference). No gasses expelled, no liquids that can leak, and they withstand constant discharging for car audio. Ive had my Exide AGM for 3 years now and it still solid as a rock.


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## swistak92 (Nov 1, 2010)

I went to pick up the 12v car battery and wow I forget how heavy they are... and it would be simply too heavy with the box and everything in it... so I'm changing my mind and going for another choice... this 12v battery - http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SB2486&keywords=12v+battery&form=KEYWORD

It should power up the radio for few hours before having to recharge and its dirt cheap..sealed too


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## Mussels (Nov 1, 2010)

hell if you wanna get fancy, you should make it with a cord that connects into the 12V connector in a car, so you can recharge it easily on the way there.


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## scaminatrix (Nov 1, 2010)

Mussels said:


> hell if you wanna get fancy, you should make it with a cord that connects into the 12V connector in a car, so you can recharge it easily on the way there.



This. Make a contraption to charge it in the car. Have the lot on wheels. Sorted


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## Beertintedgoggles (Nov 1, 2010)

I've actually already done this but using some of the batteries from a rack mountable APC UPS.  I bought one of the low end Sony head units with the USB ports and a two channel amp inside the box too.  Overall weight about 60 lbs. (about 27 kg)  I don't really play any CD's on it since it has the USB port and since they tend to skip because it hits too hard and low, especially with the speakers and stereo attached to the same wooden face.

I'll post up some pics later if you want any ideas.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 1, 2010)

Get yourself one of these and drag that setup anywhere.


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