I have noticed at moderate to high volume on my system that my lights dim. At high volume with large bass hits they dim very badly. I know that I can upgrade my ground and power wires in the engine compartment but I don't see how this could be enough to cope with this kind of dimming.

Will a capacitor help? If so, what do you look for when purchasing a cap?

I really would like to avoid upgrading my alternator but if I have to is there somewhere I can get one cheaper than mr. alternator?

My amp is a Soundstream D'Artagnan5.1.

Thanks.

 

Your altenator is not producing enough juice to run your car and your stereo.
Remember, altenators were developed for the car to run everything on and in your car... the manufacture does not plan for people to add big systems, therefor the alt can not handle the extra load.
Two options
1) Spend $100 go to an altenator shop and get your alt upgraded.
2) Go buy a CAP (.5 Farads per 500W) and place it before each sub
(unless you are only pushing less than 1000W total, then get a 1Farad cap and place it before the distribution block (only if the longest wire from the distribution block to the amp is less than 15 inches.)




[Modified by Lildrgn, 8:52 AM 2/27/2003]

 

even so, check your ground wires

if they're even slightly old, then replace them. i'm referring to the neg post to chassis primary ground wire.

as suggested, cap or bigger alternator



[Modified by DOHCDX, 2:52 PM 2/27/2003]

 

Will getting the alternator rewound affect longevity? I read somewhere that high output alternators would burn out faster on a daily driver.

 

When alternators are rewound they just upgrade the coil and the regulator sometimes. They do not usually upgrade the rest of the alternators components to handle the new power. They also put more drag on your motor, but this will go for any higher output alternator. It's usually best to buy one of the $400 MrAlternators alts., because they've been designed to support whatever they put out.

Edit: MrAlternator is just an example. Stinger, Ohio, etc... whatever works


[Modified by t0p_sh0tta, 10:34 AM 2/27/2003]

 

that or Ohio Generators' alternators. they are another high output well known company

 

Yeah I fear I may need to go that route. It seems like all those alternators probably put out way more amperage than I need and I don't know if it is worth the extra drag on the engine. That amp only provides 800W RMS but it is a class A/B so it makes it a little more strenuous than a class D.

As far as caps go who makes a good cap? How do I know a good cap from a bad cap? What is a good ESR value?


[Modified by 1BlackHatch, 3:48 PM 2/27/2003]

 

Adding a cap to your system now will only add to the dimming. It's just one more thing that the alternator must charge.

 

So do you really think that I need 135A? What if I just got the stock alternator wound to 90A or so? Where is a good mid point between longevity and output?

I'm not trying to be difficult this is just a dilemna to me.

 

uhhh.. no..



[Modified by Lildrgn, 10:45 AM 2/27/2003]

 

Why not?


[Modified by t0p_sh0tta, 1:53 PM 2/27/2003]

 

If he had the problem of "as soon as I turn my stereo on, the lights dim..." then a cap would not help...
But since its only when his system is cranked and when the "bass" hits.. then this is just because their is a temporary power drain on the alt, and it can not keep up. A Cap, temporarily provides the added power that the (in this case) bass amp requires to push the speakers at the higher volume.

Also, the cap does not interfere with the system while it is recharging. and when you first put the cap in the car, its been charged to a "usability mode".

Search and learn.. or go take an electronics course

http://www.caraudioanswers.com/article.php?sid=122

 

I have never heard of usability mode before. I guess charged was to difficult to understand.

Interesting caps now come with some kind of chargeing card. I imagine it was because people were having a difficult time chargeing with a resistor.

Made me smile

 

yeah.... i thought it was funny too..

 

Probably too many burnt fingers.

 

what the capacitor does is level off the current draw. in other words, it smooths out the peaks and valleys so your lights don't dim more when the bass hits; the cap will store current when little is necessary and release extra current when the speaker load demands it. this also improves the performance of the speaker by filtering out voltage spikes based on acceleration and other factors.

 

How in the hell did you get a hatch for $100? I'm in need of a new car.

 

Do do you have to charge a CAP every time you remove and install it? I just took one out of my car I just got rid of and am wondering if I have to charge it again when I install it in my other car.

 

Apparently, yes because you are supposed to discharge it every time you uninstall it, so it would only make sense to charge it every time.

 

my sister's boyfriend had it. it's junk, it's the lowest base model hatch of the first production year for the 4g, it burns oil, it needs a muffler and shocks and was hit in the back so the right rear needs to have a control arm replaced, not to mention the body damage.

i'm gonna fix that arm, throw on a muffler, and sell it for more than i paid for it as soon as i can find a nice 4g SI hatch to replace it