Dual battery powering stereo?

[plurpimpin]

I’m setting up a ford e250 van to be used as a motocross van. I am installing a dual battery setup with yellow tops and a surepower 1314. I understand how to set the battery system itself up. I plan to run all my accessories including the stereo off the auxiliary battery (especially when I’m parked at races).

I’m going to connect my amp and the head unit’s constant power wire to the aux battery but my question lies with the switched power wire for the head unit. I would like to be able to run the stereo when parked at the track without the keys in the ignition of the van but I also want to retain the standard key off stereo off setup for driving around town. My idea is to just use a single throw double pole switch to change between having the head unit’s switched power wire connected directly to the aux battery (to use without the keys when parked) and the car’s stereo switched power wire (so it will function as normal driving around town).

I know this should work, my only concern lies with the switch. Can I just use a regular switch or could that harm the stereo? My concern is whether or not switching between the two would harm the head unit. I figure I'll need some kind of fuse on the connections to the switch. If this would be a problem does anyone have an idea of a better way to switch between the two sources or a particular type of switch I should use?

 

[ntsqd]

Wire the key-on power wire to you aux battery and get used to the fact that the radio won't turn off when you turn the key off. I did and do this, it's not a big deal.

The problem with the switch idea is that unless you are exceptionally anal eventually you'll forget to flip the switch. Then you may as well have not bothered with the extra wiring for the switch. I doubt that you can hurt the radio by switching it's power.

 

[refried]

I’m going to connect my amp and the head unit’s constant power wire to the aux battery but my question lies with the switched power wire for the head unit. I would like to be able to run the stereo when parked at the track without the keys in the ignition of the van but I also want to retain the standard key off stereo off setup for driving around town. My idea is to just use a single throw double pole switch to change between having the head unit’s switched power wire connected directly to the aux battery (to use without the keys when parked) and the car’s stereo switched power wire (so it will function as normal driving around town).

I know this should work, my only concern lies with the switch. Can I just use a regular switch or could that harm the stereo? My concern is whether or not switching between the two would harm the head unit. I figure I'll need some kind of fuse on the connections to the switch. If this would be a problem does anyone have an idea of a better way to switch between the two sources or a particular type of switch I should use?

This is how I have my van wired, the Ign. wire to the stereo dosen't care if it's getting power from the engine battery or the acc. batteries and flipping the switch is just like turning off the ignition. When I'm parked I'll use the acc. batteries to power the stereo and when I start the van I switch back to the engine battery so the display will go out when I turn off the ignition.

 

[plurpimpin]

This is how I have my van wired, the Ign. wire to the stereo dosen't care if it's getting power from the engine battery or the acc. batteries and flipping the switch is just like turning off the ignition. When I'm parked I'll use the acc. batteries to power the stereo and when I start the van I switch back to the engine battery so the display will go out when I turn off the ignition.

Cool, glad to know it works. Did you wire the switch straight to the battery and power wire or did you wire in an inline fuse?

 

[refried]

I have a fuse on the acc. battery side at the power source and I'm using the fuse in the vans fuse box on the ign. side of the switch (I'm using the plug for the radio for power). there's also a fuse on the radios wire harness.