Phoenix Gold Phorum

Aight,
Got my hands on an MPS-2500 for the equivilant of $50!

I've come to understand that I haven't just aquired an amp, but a kick ass amp. And not even just a kick ace amp, but a legacy. One that is almost indestructible, high powered, long lasting, and more often repaired as needed rather than chucked in the trash like so many of the new low end trash amps that are being sold. Thank you!
I've almost always dealt with non competition equipment, and although I won't be competing, I am still deaing with a serious amplifier that operates and requires a different thought process from that cheapchit I usually have installed. I think I might be in over my head, so here are a few Q's, if you please.

1)It needs new caps (as per instructions in my other/1st post/thread, Thank you very much!), and I was advised to get Digikey# 493-1543-ND. These caps are 5600uf, whereas the unit has 2200uf currently installed. What's the performance difference?

This amp is classified (as per it's "user manual") to be 2x50wrms@4ohms..... Wow, it wasn't just a cheater amp, but a REALLY BIG CHEATER! That's like me saying my wang is 17" long. i don't think so. I was told, after several informative minutes with tech support, to basically treat this amp as 1000wrms (2x500w@2ohms, or 1x1000w@1ohm). That's 83+ amps @12v.
2A)what size power wire should I be running?
NOTE: After hooking up this amp to 2 12's or 15's in my astro, my 45wx4 head unit will probably not be pushing my door xplod's hard enough to keep up with said subs. I'll probably need another 400wrms amp for those, so
2B)now what size power wire?
3)I'm assuming I will need to wire up a cap for it? 1 or 2 farad?
4)Yeah,stock 90 chevy astro alternator. Should I be worried (or upgrade)?
5)I have a few other electrical devices running in there, like a laptop with lind dc/dc power supply (5Amps) and possibly a small inverter (500w). Are they at risk of getting fkd up if something goes wrong? Let's assume I have wired the amps in correctly; my question is more about power surges in the system, etc.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks in advance ya'll!

fuck the caps, they are not worth the time/money. Make sure you have as big a batt as you can fit and then just upgrade yer big 3 wires.

Run as thick a wire as you can afford, you will not downgrade later and wish you had ran a smaller wire but you might consider upgrading. 1/0 ran to a dist block will feed anything you want.

big 3? I'm assuming you mean + - and spkr?

I was also concerned bout the laptop power supply. I have a cf-29 Toughbook mounted in my van. In these days and times, I might be wrong, but most people don't have anything more sensitive than a cell phone charger plugged in, with the exception of Carputer owners, who also invest in all the pretty bells and whistles (like shiny caps with digital readouts and pretty light up thingies) that inadvertently end up protecting said electronics. I was curious if I should be concerned about under powering the Lind laptop power supply, and choking out the magic blue smoke, or toasting this sweet ass amp by not getting enough juice out of the van's electrical system.

Thoughts?

big three are your stock power wires from the batt-chassis, chassit to block and from the alt to the battery. The stock wires are normally no bigger then an 8 awg so if you run anything thicker for your amps, those wires become the choke point for the electrical system and the weak link in the chain.

ahhh, a though that hadn't occurred to me. Thank you....

Got the subs in on monday, started the box today.

I plan on trying them out 2ohm stereo and 1ch@1ohm to see how it sounds. If I run it bridged, do I have to select mono on the stereo/mono switch? What purpose does that switch serve (other than the obvious stereo or mono input)? I know when you switch it to mono, it only uses the L input. I only ask, as I'm unfamiliar with how PG amps are set up. all the other amps I've used just combine the signals when you are running bridged (I'm pretty sure).

Thanks again!