Can I put a radio in my truck?

What’s available that is 24 Volt?

Do you have a work truck or other 24 Volt vehicle that needs an upgrade? We have come across many scenarios in the industry where a traditional 12 Volt accessory will not work.

Now first we have to understand what Volts are and why some vehicles are 12 volts, and why some are 24 volts. It has become a standard practise that almost all passenger vehicles make use of a “12 Volt” battery and charging system. Now, we use the term “12 Volt” loosely because is is commonly referred to as that, in actual fact vehicle charging systems fluctuate between around 11.5 volts right up to 14.5 volts, and many different things influence this. If you have brand new battery and have just been for a nice long drive and your charging system in your car is fully operational, it may be right near the top of the spectrum at around 14+ Volts, but if your car has an old battery which is almost due for replacement and has been sitting in the garage for 2 weeks while you take the train to work, then it is very likely to be the opposite end of the scale down near 11 Volts or worse, a flat battery (ie 0 volts!).

So why are 24 Volt accessories a thing if all cars are “12 Volt”? Well, some vehicle are designed with more than just hauling around a couple of passengers and some groceries. Some vehicle carry very large and unique louds and require an electrical system to help cater for that. These systems are commonly referred to as “24 Volt” again which range from around 20 Volts and some vehicles even reach as high as 36 Volts! On most 24 Volt vehicles, there is normally more than battery linked together to increase the voltage. These systems are generally reserved for trucks, tractors, earth moving equipment etc. More batteries mean more power, pretty simple right? Well it does get a little more complicated than that, but we aren’t going to dive to far into physics today, we are more interested in helping people with 24 volt vehicle get accessories to make the operation of their vehicle more enjoyable.

The very next thing we often get asked is, why can’t I use a ‘normal’ 12 volt item in my 24 volt vehicle? Well put simply, they will smoke, crackle, hiss and ultimately come to the end of their life! The tolerance of 12 Volt accessories will generally allow up to around 15 Volts maximum, which anything over that will make the internal components fail, in a sometimes spectacular fashion! So it's best to get the right part for the job!   

At SSV we have a huge range of possibilities for your 24 Volt vehicle ranging from radios, navigation systems, rear cameras, dash camera, alarms, central locking and much more. So dedicated 24 Volt items are available for you. So let have a quick check out of what's available. To begin with, let's take a peak of the robust 24 Volt range of VDO radios. There several in the line up and you can choose to have CD player, but if you a conscience of dust entering the CD slot, then you can have a mechless unit (which means no dust attracting CD slot). Either of these bad boys also comes with optional bluetooth handsfree and audio streaming too! 4 different units available here:

The VDO TR722U-BU Mechless radio tuner with USB - available here

The VDO TR723UB-BU Mechless radio tuner with USB and Bluetooth - available here

The VDO CD726U-BU CD Player with radio tuner and USB - available here

The VDO CDD728UB-BU CD Player with radio, USB and Bluetooth - available here

These units will only operate under 24 volt scenarios, Anything below will not damage them, but they won't power up. So if you were to install them in a 12 Volt application, they won’t turn on. We also have products we refer to here as ‘multivolt’ which will basically allow them to be powered from anything around 11 volts, right up to around 36 volts. Here is just one of those products that are unique enough to cover all bases. Introducing the RV70PK from DNA Audio. Not only is this product rugged and built specifically with heavy duty vehicle in mind. The screen offers easy access push buttons for changing sources or screen brightness and contrast, support for up to 3 cameras and  it even comes with a sun shade to ensure that you will not be affected by glare. The Camera that comes in this kit is tough as nails and will withstand the harsh environment that is at the back of a truck, fully waterproof and also have night vision LED’s to help you see in the dark. Check them out here

Ok, so lets run another scenario, so maybe you already own a 12 volt item, or you just have your heart set on a specific 12 volt device and nothing else will do, and that you want to install it into your 24 volt system. Well we can still help you out at SSV by offering you a 24 Volt to 12 Volt reducer! That's right, we can provide a small black box that you can put into your 24 volts vehicle and get 12 volts out the other end. These items are great, and help you out in a bind by offering you flexibility. There are a handful of these devices on the market, but we have found ourselves using this one over and over again as it’s never let us down and it's a great price. Keep in mind that the limiting factor in this scenario is the current draw or amperage limitation. With most devices like this being restricted to providing nothing more than 10 amps of current, which prevents it from running more than one device usually. So please keep that in mind, or come in a see us at SSV for more information.

The 24v/12v reducers are available available here

If your not sure what voltage your vehicle is, your best best is to come down and we can check your vehicle and even perform a voltage test to check and make sure you get the right product to suit your needs.

Well, there you have it, now you know what can get your 24 volt vehicle up and going with some cool new items!