cooper841
Maryland
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I would like to put in a stereo system in my luggage compartment. Would like to use the wiring in the light without loosing the function of the light inside the compartment. Any suggestions? Need to know the color for the hotwire.
Dana & Julie Cooper
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Dick A
Spokane Valley
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Moved from General RV'ing forum.
Check out the RV.Net Blogs at: blog.rv.net
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bluestek
San Francisco East Bay
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You can NOT do this! It will put 12 volts to the speaker and send the same 12 volts back to the output of the stereo! You need to run a stereo wire from the "line output" of your stereo device to the compartment. (Be sure it is shielded wire, NOT speaker wire) Then you can use 12 volt speakers (or a inverter to make it 120) then hook to the 12 volt lights to get power. You must remember that "speaker" and "line level" ( preamp out ) are two different things! It is also possible to blow up your radio amp buy hooking too many speakers to it. The load (Impedence) can get to low for the amp and it will burn all the speakers hooked to it!
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vikx
Washington State
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Usually, the ground wire is white. BUT: you must check with a tester to find out. Never trust color of a wire to determine what it does. If you're putting a whole separate stereo system in the luggage compartment, it should work as long as it does not draw too many amps. The wiring to the light is probably 15 amps with more than one light on that circuit, so keep the stereo small and simple. Good luck. VK
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chi6488
florida
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First questio I have is what type of stereo?? 12 volts dc or ac 120 volts?? From there you can splice either way. If it is 120 volts, I would like in a home use proper gauge wire and also a junction box where you connect to the original wires.
If 12 volts then you will need a 12 volt hot wire to the stereo.
As said before, you need a meter to test current.
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cooper841
Maryland
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Thanks. I just ran new wire from house battery to system put inline fuse in . done deal.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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I am not sure if you are trying to use the wire for the lights to drive the speakers or if you are trying to install an entire system. In either case. Don't
First: Don't install the stereo system in the storage area.. Unless you are camped with people who like the same kind of music you do.. It won't make you popular, at least not in a good way
2nd the light wires are not heavy enough to power a decent sounds system, Drop a proper power line to it
If you are wanting to just use it to drive the speakers. Well, the lights use one wire for power and a 2nd for ground.. You could, in theory, "Piggy back" one audio channel on this wire but.. what to do about the 2nd.. But piggybacking audio on a DC wire takes some rather heavy (Pounds wise) components or results in lots of distortion.. Easier to just run new wires,, WAY easier, and less expensive as well.
Now. if your plan is to use "Wireless" speakers (The kind that "use your house wiring to let you put speakers in another room w/o running new wires" That should work.. but they need 120vac, and thus again you are going to have to run new 120-volt wires so.. once again.. Why concern yourself with the 12 volt system at all?
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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Bob Landry
Austin, texas
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Why would you assume he's trying to power stereo speakers with 12VDC. The Op said nothing of the sort. Sounds like he's installing a garden variety automotive type 12V stereo, but I'm just guessing and so are all of you because no one bothered to ask. He does state later that he ran a wire with a fuse from the battery to power it, which gives away the fact it is a 12V rig, and the suggestions still keep rolling in.. Amazing..
Also, VIKX.. White is never ground. 12VDC ground is either black, brown, or yellow, and in an AC circuit, white is always neutral, no exceptions, unless an armchair electrician used whatever was in th tool box. In that case he knew so little, he should have hired someone to do the job. To assume it is ground and wire it accordingly will at best fry a piece of equipment, at worst cause a fire or personal injury
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bananadanna
Cambridge, MA
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cooper841 wrote:Thanks. I just ran new wire from house battery to system put inline fuse in . done deal.
OK, just satisfy our curiosity.
How many amps (or watts) do the existing light and the new stereo consume?
What is the fuse rating?
What is the gauge of the wire supplying the power?
Inquiring minds want to know if the fuse you put in will blow before the supply wire catches fire. (Normally we'd expect that circuit to be fused back at the supply panel---but what kind of fun is that?)
Dan
02 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 long tall home brew conversion
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