SAG3
5,000+ posts
________
new one
the 10 farad cap may not be the solution to your problems, but to SAG3, I dunno if you wrote that longwinded rant or not, but I have a few issues with the explanation. I actually design electromechanical systems for a living, and have a bit of experience with the application of capacitors to help a power source meet high draw transient demands.
Whoever wrote that, does not quite understand the electrical dynamics of a capacitor. The Whole purpose of a cap in any electronic system is to resist changes in voltage. It does this by supplying or absorbing energy whenever there is an energy demand that causes the voltage to want to drop. 1 farad means that the capacitor will supply 1amp when the voltage tries to change by 1volt per second.
In a high demand car audio application, let's say you have your instant "thump" because you're listening to something with a very transient bassline. Let's say your power demand goes from 100W to 2000W in around 10ms (probably faster, but let's be generous). Now, I don't really care how good your install is, even 2GA wire will lose a lot of voltage over a 15 or 20 foot run at 200A. So let's be really really optimistic and say you are only losing 2volts in that 10ms transient. so, 2v/.01s = 200v/s, or 200A your capacitor will shell out to meet that instantaneous demand.
what a cap will NOT help is if you are constantly drawing more power than your alternator can put out - all it does is "smooth out" the peak in your power demand that cause headlight dimming, and the amp cutting out. So like I said, it may not help your specific problem, but it is not a stupid idea by any means.
To address your comments that a battery IS a capacitor, well, yeah, it is, but a battery has a long response time, because it relies on chemical reactions to produce it's voltage, whereas a cap simply stores up electrons and can pulse them out almost instantaneously when the demand is there. That, coupled with the fact that usually your battery is at the other end of a long wire lead that may have voltage drops gives the Cap a big advantage for addressing those power peaks. If your comments were accurate, Electronics wouldn't use capacitors anywhere and they would never have been invented.
Whoever wrote that, does not quite understand the electrical dynamics of a capacitor. The Whole purpose of a cap in any electronic system is to resist changes in voltage. It does this by supplying or absorbing energy whenever there is an energy demand that causes the voltage to want to drop. 1 farad means that the capacitor will supply 1amp when the voltage tries to change by 1volt per second.
In a high demand car audio application, let's say you have your instant "thump" because you're listening to something with a very transient bassline. Let's say your power demand goes from 100W to 2000W in around 10ms (probably faster, but let's be generous). Now, I don't really care how good your install is, even 2GA wire will lose a lot of voltage over a 15 or 20 foot run at 200A. So let's be really really optimistic and say you are only losing 2volts in that 10ms transient. so, 2v/.01s = 200v/s, or 200A your capacitor will shell out to meet that instantaneous demand.
what a cap will NOT help is if you are constantly drawing more power than your alternator can put out - all it does is "smooth out" the peak in your power demand that cause headlight dimming, and the amp cutting out. So like I said, it may not help your specific problem, but it is not a stupid idea by any means.
To address your comments that a battery IS a capacitor, well, yeah, it is, but a battery has a long response time, because it relies on chemical reactions to produce it's voltage, whereas a cap simply stores up electrons and can pulse them out almost instantaneously when the demand is there. That, coupled with the fact that usually your battery is at the other end of a long wire lead that may have voltage drops gives the Cap a big advantage for addressing those power peaks. If your comments were accurate, Electronics wouldn't use capacitors anywhere and they would never have been invented.
SAG3
5,000+ posts
________
**** no i didnt write that
Prowler573
5,000+ posts
R.I.P. Gossamer!!
If he has a reputable and capable alternator reqinder available to him I would say you're exactly wrong, Sage.
Some advantages for having an alternator rewound locally:
1) Almost always considerably cheaper than buying a new HO unit.
2) No concerns over whether or not the alternator will fit your bracket correctly as it is in the same case.
3) Should there ever be a need for warranty work he downtime is immensely shorter considering there is no shipping to have to pay for and/or wait on.
SAG3
5,000+ posts
________
Thanks for the information, John.
Prowler573
5,000+ posts
R.I.P. Gossamer!!
In the interest of keeping with the spirit of the "First Attempt - General Help Wanted" thread....
You spelled J-o-n wrong //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif
And you're welcome //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif
SAG3
5,000+ posts
________
i ****en knew it, lil jon.
Activity
No one is currently typing a reply...
Similar threads
- Locked
Completed
Small cap needed 1.5-2 farad
- Started by Kyle87
- Car Audio Wanted
About this thread
