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Amplifiers
Cap or no Cap?
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<blockquote data-quote="jlaine" data-source="post: 34878" data-attributes="member: 542392"><p>I'm going to skip past all other commentary and lay it out on the table as I see it.</p><p></p><p>Your car runs at what?</p><p></p><p>14.4 Volts.</p><p></p><p>Given the nature of the battery, it's resting voltage is?</p><p></p><p>12.6 Volts.</p><p></p><p>Now if you add a modest system to a vehicle with an 80 ampere alternator and suddenly experience that your alternator is incapable of keeping up, then you are presented with an issue, which we know as light dimming. This happens when the supply required is inadequate, and the vehicle voltage level drops near or to the battery level. It doesn't seem like much, but it IS. That is where the light dimming happens.</p><p></p><p>Adding a capacitor is not a valid fix for this. Your issue is your LACK of 14.4V available power. This is because your alternator is incapable of providing the current that is needed for the demand that is there. If it cannot, you fall back on the battery for the lost amount of energy. The capacitor can eliminate some light dimming, but not eliminate the problem of you are running your alternator at 100%, and will likely prematurely wear it out.</p><p></p><p>I am not a cap hater. I have two 1F capacitors myself. I just gave one away. The second sits on my test bench. They did me NO good, either sonically, or in terms of stabalizing voltage. I first purchased a 180 amp high output alternator to resolve my current supply issues, and never needed the capacitor. I bought it just to see if it was worth it, and it was not.</p><p></p><p>Your amplifiers have an internal reserve bank to supply the output FET's and stabalize any fluxuation. If that internal reserve bank does not work to the level that it hinders the amplifiers performance, then the designer is at fault for not planning it out properly.</p><p></p><p>If your system cannot supply a stable supply of 14.4V, then your system is too large. There is only ONE source of 14.4V power in your car, and that is your alternator. Period. No questions asked. A capacitor is not a supplier, it is a storage facilitator, and a pretty poor one for that matter. Remember, if it doesn't PRODUCE power, and it is in the power path, it is a load.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jlaine, post: 34878, member: 542392"] I'm going to skip past all other commentary and lay it out on the table as I see it. Your car runs at what? 14.4 Volts. Given the nature of the battery, it's resting voltage is? 12.6 Volts. Now if you add a modest system to a vehicle with an 80 ampere alternator and suddenly experience that your alternator is incapable of keeping up, then you are presented with an issue, which we know as light dimming. This happens when the supply required is inadequate, and the vehicle voltage level drops near or to the battery level. It doesn't seem like much, but it IS. That is where the light dimming happens. Adding a capacitor is not a valid fix for this. Your issue is your LACK of 14.4V available power. This is because your alternator is incapable of providing the current that is needed for the demand that is there. If it cannot, you fall back on the battery for the lost amount of energy. The capacitor can eliminate some light dimming, but not eliminate the problem of you are running your alternator at 100%, and will likely prematurely wear it out. I am not a cap hater. I have two 1F capacitors myself. I just gave one away. The second sits on my test bench. They did me NO good, either sonically, or in terms of stabalizing voltage. I first purchased a 180 amp high output alternator to resolve my current supply issues, and never needed the capacitor. I bought it just to see if it was worth it, and it was not. Your amplifiers have an internal reserve bank to supply the output FET's and stabalize any fluxuation. If that internal reserve bank does not work to the level that it hinders the amplifiers performance, then the designer is at fault for not planning it out properly. If your system cannot supply a stable supply of 14.4V, then your system is too large. There is only ONE source of 14.4V power in your car, and that is your alternator. Period. No questions asked. A capacitor is not a supplier, it is a storage facilitator, and a pretty poor one for that matter. Remember, if it doesn't PRODUCE power, and it is in the power path, it is a load. [/QUOTE]
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