Upgrading rv stereo to a car stereo
How can it be done correctly. I want to upgrade to an audio/video system that can accommodate an amp and high end speakers without causing a fire or destroying the inverter box. Any and all help and p...
Forum Discussion
Ahhh - my dream project. All of my friends are shocked that I haven't gone there yet with my Allegro.
With 12V power in the coach, you can go as crazy as you'd like. I'd forget about the dash mount (if that's where it is) and place the head unit somewhere central in the living space. I plan to do this in my '84 Allegro - there are lots of spots where I could hack a hole and install a modern, touch screen head unit. I have a cabinet/table combo that would be perfect as a sub cabinet. Mids and highs are easy to place so long as you can get wire to them.
But you're going to want to add amps and subs, at which point the amperage draw grows well beyond what your converter is designed to supply. I installed a 1,500 watt system (125 amps) in my limo. To do it right, you need to run some pretty fat cables directly from the batteries (I used 0-gauge with 2- or 4-gauge for short runs after the distribution blocks), circuit protection and a converter that will handle the load. Maybe a dedicated converter and dedicated 12V cabling?
I had 3 screens in the limo - a big screen mounted on the partition, one in the passenger side of the dash for my GF to watch and a 3rd smaller one mounted near an ice chest. Video distribution is not difficult. In an RV you can hide lots of A/V stuff in cabinets. In the limo I was constrained to the partition wall to mount amps, distribution blocks and wiring. The RV should be a lot easier....once I get to it.
With 12V power in the coach, you can go as crazy as you'd like. I'd forget about the dash mount (if that's where it is) and place the head unit somewhere central in the living space. I plan to do this in my '84 Allegro - there are lots of spots where I could hack a hole and install a modern, touch screen head unit. I have a cabinet/table combo that would be perfect as a sub cabinet. Mids and highs are easy to place so long as you can get wire to them.
But you're going to want to add amps and subs, at which point the amperage draw grows well beyond what your converter is designed to supply. I installed a 1,500 watt system (125 amps) in my limo. To do it right, you need to run some pretty fat cables directly from the batteries (I used 0-gauge with 2- or 4-gauge for short runs after the distribution blocks), circuit protection and a converter that will handle the load. Maybe a dedicated converter and dedicated 12V cabling?
I had 3 screens in the limo - a big screen mounted on the partition, one in the passenger side of the dash for my GF to watch and a 3rd smaller one mounted near an ice chest. Video distribution is not difficult. In an RV you can hide lots of A/V stuff in cabinets. In the limo I was constrained to the partition wall to mount amps, distribution blocks and wiring. The RV should be a lot easier....once I get to it.
