doggworld1233

my cap stays on when the car is off. isnt the cap supposed to turn off?

i have the cap wired to a new ground and the pos is connected to the bat and then to the amp so the cap is in line. a fuse holder was also used 12 in from battery.

justin

perseverance

u mean the voltage indicator? if so.. it stays on for a while til it's recharged.

suspendedHatch

That's not inline, that's in parallel, which is the correct way to wire it.

You know a cap stores energy, right? It's always on in the same way that a battery is always on.

ProjectTib

your cap should eventually shut off once the car is off... check the ground wire comin off you capacitor and make sure it is good.

CarbonizedDX

With the one my buddy got in the wal-mart kit it's got a voltage sensor display turn on, meaning when the voltage changes it turns the display on to "inform" what the voltage is.

nsxxtreme

Capacitor is always "on"

The voltage display may turn "on" and "off"

jz98ctr

some caps simply wait for a preset time after there are no voltage changes for a while to turn off their display...but the cap itself is never off as long as it's hooked up.

mykoe817

a cap typically holds a charge when u start your car. So when you switch your car off, it'll stay on till it drains itself and shuts off. Right when you start your car again - being that its a capacitor, it will charge up immediately faster then your battery. its for rapid release of power to your system when it hits hard and requires more power then what your battery can unload - helping rid of dimming headlights and etc.

g'luk

fcm

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mykoe817 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">a cap typically holds a charge when u start your car. So when you switch your car off, it'll stay on till it drains itself and shuts off. Right when you start your car again - being that its a capacitor, it will charge up immediately faster then your battery. its for rapid release of power to your system when it hits hard and requires more power then what your battery can unload - helping rid of dimming headlights and etc.

g'luk</TD></TR></TABLE> In a word, NOT!

nsxxtreme

A capacitor is always charged unless you diconnect it. All capacitors "leak" there charge, meaning over time they will loose their charge.

The amount of time depends on the material that was used to make the capacitor.

As long as they are hooked up in parallel with the battery and there is no disconnect circuitry they will always be charged and always cause a drain on the battery.

mykoe817

I'm sorry but that is how my capacitor was hooked up.

yes it runs along with the battery and there is a remote cable that is connected to ignition. The cable triggers the cap to turn on and receive a charge from the car's battery. When i turn the key off - the capacitor releases it's charge (leaking). How it does this is by 1. It's display showing the voltage, 2. Flashing LEDS.

Remote cable normally comes off of your headunit remote cable, typically Blue.

When your car is running the display on the cap normally shows 14Volts - 12Volts

A capacitor adds power to your system when needed, when battery alone isn't enough and requires constant charge from your alternator. The cap relieves the battery from many drain and charges by providing power when needed.

Fcm: it would be great if you provided help instead of doin

Also fyi, a Capacitor charges quicker and drains quicker then a battery kinda like the Yellow Top batteries.

B18C_EJ8

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> The cable triggers the cap to turn on and receive a charge from the car's battery.</TD></TR></TABLE>

No it doesn't. As stated above by numerous individuals, the cap does not turn on and off.

The remote wire merely turns the display portion on and off.



<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Fcm: it would be great if you provided help instead of doin </TD></TR></TABLE>

You're barking up the wrong tree, noob. FCM has provided more help around here than anyone.

FCM is constantly correcting people like you that spew misinformation like diarreah....

mykoe817

if the wire only turns on the displays, then why would my display stay lit and the voltage on the display drops slowly .1 at a time till its under 12v and shuts off?

mykoe817

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/ca...n.htm

similar to what i ment except i had a remote wire.

fyi: i dont mean it turning off as in shutting off fully. to the general view of a person if the display is off, its off. so yes you are correct with the fact that the cap is always on, but it does not keep draining battery. I guess other capacitors unlike mine has a chip that detects the voltage. if the cap itself has a voltage of 12 and so does the battery, everything is at a standstill since not one or the other is draining any battery, being that its hooked up inline with the battery it will always contain the same amount of charge.

i aint barking up anyone's tree. and i dont see a correction. so if i stand corrected then i stand corrected. but as of now i dont see a correction.

regal1975

the display might stay on because many voltage meters have a built in self check that will cut off below a certain voltage.. the problem you should be looking at is why your voltage is dropping..

mykoe817

the voltage drops on the cap because it leaks it out when it hits 12v like ur car battery it shuts down since its even voltage and the cap is inline.

regal1975

car batteries are not 12v.... they are comprised of 6 2.1v cells.. and thus a car battery which is at 12v is a drained battery....as would a capacitor at 12v be...

mykoe817

so its approx 12v? 6x2.1=12.6v [corrected]

nearly everything in a car runs off of 12v, light bulbs, head unit, alarm, amps and any other electronic devices.

I'm sure u were referring to:

http://www.autobatteries.com/basics/voltage1.asp

"The standard automotive battery in today's vehicles is 12 volts. Each battery has six cells with 2.1 volts. A car battery is considered fully charged at 12.6 volts."

I'm not here to pick a fight and it seems this has become a "flame on mykoe" thread, if nothing of what you say is relevant to doggworld1233's post, how is it helping out a fellow HT member.

doggworld1233, make sure all connections are made similar to the link i posted above. The cap will stay on till the voltage matches that of the battery and "turn off." unless theres a fluctuation in voltage in your battery, your cap will remain off. If the battery is being used (ex. you opening door and dome light turns on) your cap will then hold the same charge as your battery - whatever that is.

When you start your car, the display might jump up to 14v and fluctuate around there - that is because your alternator is on and is sending charge to your battery, the cap will pick up the alternator's charge being that it is inline to the battery.

this thread has gone off course, please dont take anything on here personal.

regal1975

nope, 6x2.1=12.6

and i was referring to personal knowledge...


they are listed as 12v devices, but most car electronics are good up to 15.9v approx, as many of these devices use 16v rated capacitors. This becomes a problem when running a 14 or 16v electrical system, in which case a seperate charging system or isolated system must be used.

in the case of amplifiers, many high output models are designed using 20v capacitors to allow for 16v electrical systems, most of which charge at ~21v and operate at 17.9v (18v is the legal limit for most competition leagues). This allows for additional power and decreased amperage needs...

mykoe817

so in general how is that relevant to what the thread is about?

not everyone understands everything to the technical point, this is a general forum so i am speaking generally. is this becoming a personal thing and derailing the thread off its course?

i will leave the thread at that since i do not want to stir up any problems.

regal1975

nice edit btw..

nothing personal here, just didnt want people getting confused by unintentional incorrect info.. a capacitor is fully charged when the car is off.. it will be as such every time you shut your car off unless you discharge it by way of shorting the terminals or properly discharging it...

mykoe817

nothing personal here either. thanks for the correction.

imadigitalgod

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mykoe817 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so its approx 12v? 6x2.1=12.6v [corrected]

nearly everything in a car runs off of 12v, light bulbs, head unit, alarm, amps and any other electronic devices.
</TD></TR></TABLE>


nothing personal either but its actually a range of what things run off of. its roughly 12volts(technically 12.6) but when the car is running its at a higher voltage because of the alternator so 12v-14.4v

mykoe817

yeah i remember a voltage meter i had said normal running voltage is between 13 - 14.4 and with engine off it should b between 12 and 13.

regal1975

to charge a battery you need a difference of voltage which is higher.. think of electricity as water.. for you to fill up a bucket (battery) the bucket you are pouring from(alternator) has to be higher than the bucket you are pouring into... the voltage you are charging with has to be higher than the voltage you are trying to achieve...

typical alternators charge between 13.8 and 14.6ish...