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what capacitor and from where?

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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 02:47 PM
  #1  
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Default what capacitor and from where?

what capacitor should i get for my system, amp is a pioneer 760W , subs are 2 12' momo that hit like a ma ******...

does anyone have one for sale?
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Old Mar 19, 2005 | 07:37 PM
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (Bone Stock)

IMO caps are pretty much useless. If you find yourself thinking that you need a cap then save your money and get an upgraded alternator. It will be better in the long run.
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 02:08 AM
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (Auex)

NOT TRUE....
i am asumming that you only have 1 amp (the pioneer 760w)you only need a 1 farad cap imo caps are all alike that being said dont go buy the most cheapest cap get something that will last like a stinger or something you dont need a digital cap just a regular one trust me the cap will bring more potential to yur system because it doesnt have to travel all the way through the power wire the juice is all ready there so it slaps alot harder well worth the investment..
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 04:20 AM
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (Bone Stock)

2-1 farad
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Old Mar 20, 2005 | 07:27 AM
  #5  
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (Bone Stock)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bone Stock &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what capacitor should i get for my system, amp is a pioneer 760W , subs are 2 12' momo that hit like a ma ******...

does anyone have one for sale?
</TD></TR></TABLE> I will agree and disagree with Auex
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Auex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IMO caps are pretty much useless. If you find yourself thinking that you need a cap then save your money and get an upgraded alternator. It will be better in the long run.</TD></TR></TABLE> I disagree that caps are usless, I think a cap will help any system, but I do agree the upgrading the alt. is the best way to go, adding a cap will not add any more power, only an alt. can do that.
I will also disagree, somewhat, with95 civickid....
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 95civickid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">NOT TRUE....
i am asumming that you only have 1 amp (the pioneer 760w)you only need a 1 farad cap imo caps are all alike that being said dont go buy the most cheapest cap get something that will last like a stinger or something you dont need a digital cap just a regular one trust me the cap will bring more potential to yur system because it doesnt have to travel all the way through the power wire the juice is all ready there so it slaps alot harder well worth the investment..</TD></TR></TABLE> Caps are NOT "all alike", there are caps that will work and there are caps that are useless for car audio, :digital caps" are just caps that they have added a digital readout to. 94
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Old Mar 21, 2005 | 04:20 PM
  #6  
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where?

IMO, caps are not a worthwhile investment.

They will lower the system voltage slightly, in essence acting as just another load for the alternator to charge. The available capacitance is drained almost instantly; After analyzing graphs of system voltage with and without caps, I noticed very a very minute buffer effect from the CAP acting to smooth spikes ---&gt; But the total area under the curve is lowered.

I'd say that if the alternator is strong enough, and the system grounding is done well ---&gt; That will lead to a stable voltage on its own.

I have not really looked at the effects of a CAP on a system with an incredibly stressed alternator (headlights dimming to low visibility, system cuts out, etc.) ---&gt; IMO, if a CAP is used in this case, it's a band-aid for a much more serious issue. I don't know if it even helps in this case...does it? Blah...don't even care...
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Old Mar 21, 2005 | 06:13 PM
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (archmage)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by archmage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IMO, caps are not a worthwhile investment.

They will lower the system voltage slightly, in essence acting as just another load for the alternator to charge. The available capacitance is drained almost instantly; After analyzing graphs of system voltage with and without caps, I noticed very a very minute buffer effect from the CAP acting to smooth spikes ---&gt; But the total area under the curve is lowered.

I'd say that if the alternator is strong enough, and the system grounding is done well ---&gt; That will lead to a stable voltage on its own.

I have not really looked at the effects of a CAP on a system with an incredibly stressed alternator (headlights dimming to low visibility, system cuts out, etc.) ---&gt; IMO, if a CAP is used in this case, it's a band-aid for a much more serious issue. I don't know if it even helps in this case...does it? Blah...don't even care...</TD></TR></TABLE>
Your close, system voltage should not drop at all by adding a cap. I wont go into the entire cap debate because I have done it a lot on this forum and it gets tiring.

The cap should charge to the charging system voltage. As a cap charges the load to charge it decreases. Once fully charged the cap draws no current. Try it yourself charge a cap up then connect a DVM in series to measure current. Only do this once charged as the current spikes to charge the cap could damage the DVM, also dont discharge it when doing this. Or better yet use a smaller cap to try it out.

Your lights will still dim if you just upgrade your alternator. The electronics in the alternator are slow to respond to quick current changes. So there will be a voltage drop until the electronics have enought time to respond to the change in voltage and adjust the output to correct the problem. I'm sure some aftermarket alternators are better then stock when it comes to responce time but not better then a well manufactured cap.

I really don't think you would "hear" the difference but thats subjective. LOL there I go again I'm done.......
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Old Mar 21, 2005 | 06:27 PM
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (nsxxtreme)

Hmm...I recall seeing testing wherein caps caused a measurable though minute voltage drop.

Perhaps that test setup was flawed then as I myself can think of no reason it'd drop more voltage than what it would given the internal resistance of the cap (which is insignificant).

I also noticed that with a higher output alternator ---&gt; Dimming was lessened significantly. Perhaps this aftermarket alt was just 'faster' than stock.
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Old Mar 21, 2005 | 06:58 PM
  #9  
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (archmage)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by archmage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hmm...I recall seeing testing wherein caps caused a measurable though minute voltage drop. Perhaps that test setup was flawed then as I myself can think of no reason it'd drop more voltage than what it would given the internal resistance of the cap (which is insignificant).</TD></TR></TABLE>

insignificant becomes a question of at what current level. A low ESR multiplied by a high current draw still results in a measureable voltage drop. At DC with no load the cap will cause no voltage drop. The other down side is that ESR specs given are taken at some frequency, this information is not always given. So ESR measured at 60Hz will be different then ESR measured at 100kHz. I would stick with name brands like stinger when shopping for caps.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by archmage &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I also noticed that with a higher output alternator ---&gt; Dimming was lessened significantly. Perhaps this aftermarket alt was just 'faster' than stock.</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you noticed a change the yes it's likely.

A higher ouput alternator is not always ouputing more current. It will put out the same output as a stock alternator does unless more is demanded from it. It still has to respond to this change in current. It has to correct any error on the output voltage, the time it takes for it to see and make corrections is the response time.
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Old Mar 21, 2005 | 09:02 PM
  #10  
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Default Re: what capacitor and from where? (nsxxtreme)

Lightning Audio caps appear to be decent but I haven't used one so I Don't know.
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