Running car subwoofer with computer PSU

[NnelK]

Hello,

I need some help with buying a PSU for my subwoofer. I want to buy a car subwoofer to home. Those made for home subwoofers price and power rate is so bad that i want to buy a car subwoofer.

The subwoofer what i want to buy is Vibe Slick Slr 12 Active. Here is a link for it. It's a 400W RMS subwoofer what has 1200W peak power. I have found out that its electrical resistance is 4Ω. It has a integrated amplifier.

The PSU (of a computer) is a Inter-Tech SL500. Here is a link for it. Ofcourse, i'm running this PSU only for the subwoofer!

So is this PSU good enough to run this subwoofer? I know it's not the best PSU for it but i want to keep the price of this as low as possible.

I really hope that somebody answers to this. I would be very greatful!

 

[VincentP]

Part of what you pay for with a home theatre sub is a reliable built in power supply and amplifier.
The PC power supply your have listed is rated at 360W on the +12V rail.
If your sub was 70% efficient, it would have to be pulling 571W from that +12V rail.
I think your power supply will fail.

 

[NnelK]

What PSU should i buy then? It would be good if thats as cheap as possible.

 

[VincentP]

What PSU should i buy then? It would be good if thats as cheap as possible.

I'm suggesting you buy an active sub-woofer that was designed for use with a home theatre system and plugs into mains power.
To get a PC power supply working you would have to rig it run to start with by wiring certain pins together on the 24-pin connector. Then you would need a unit with a high enough current rating, I would think probably a decent 650W supply (active PFC, +12V rating over 600W).

 

[ethancox64]

This is how I do it.

To get 12v DC with enough current as the amplifier's fuse (which is what you need BTW) you must either get a high current battery charger like this: http/www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0012EI1G8/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me= which is more expensive OR you could get a power supply (Which is what I got) like this: http/www.align-trex.co.uk/power-supply-13-8v-20a-auto-pro-peak-o-ip2000.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwrpGuBRCkqeXpn-rt5hsSJAC9rxrPb4OM0Iru31r1mTI_G8W1VFrVrsh2rxLnP8zj6zw1ThoCPGTw_wcB which is cheaper but may be less reliable. (These both go into the plug socket on your wall)
To get the amplifier to start as if the head unit/car is starting, you must connect the remote to the +12v via a small wire.
To get the sound input, I used the low power RCA input on the amplifier. First, I got this adaptor: http/www.amazon.co.uk/3-5mm-Stereo-Socket-Phono-Plugs/dp/B0009N1MV4/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1439057355&sr=8-10&keywords=rca to get a 3.5mm input. Then, you just get a 3.5mm jack to jack and plug your phone in (or anything with a 3.5mm output). But now we have a problem as this way we are only getting bass. Which is where this comes in: http/www.amazon.co.uk/Wired--up-Plated-3-5mm-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B001D87Y48/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1439057434&sr=8-9&keywords=3.5mm+splitter . This will go into your phone (or anything with a 3.5mm output) and will allow you to connect to the subwoofer AND a stereo. Again, by 3.5mm jack to jack.
That's pretty much it except for that you have to adjust the gain on the amplifier for the input otherwise it will distort.

 

[sora]

Part of what you pay for with a home theatre sub is a reliable built in power supply and amplifier.
The PC power supply your have listed is rated at 360W on the +12V rail.
If your sub was 70% efficient, it would have to be pulling 571W from that +12V rail.
I think your power supply will fail.

Run it at 50% power than. There is nothing wrong with hooking up a subwoofer to your computer's power supply.

 

[gngemone]

good info,thanks for your sharing