Capaciter question

[05fronty 5,000+ posts]

lol at some comments

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

A stock alternator is not going to be able to supply 2kwrms you will need a battery lol to suggest otherwise is madness. Batteries are a drain on the alternator, batteries lose power when it is being used to supply it to your amplifier or other electrical needs of your vehicle. Batteries can only hold so much power the alternator is seeing them as a load yes to supply voltage to and you may loose a few amps....but you will gain amps that are available for your amplifier especially when the draw from your amplifier exceeds the ability of your alternator, which in this particular situation, it will.
Also not once did I say capacitors are worthless in general...just for his application with the amount of current being drawn from the amplifier and the amount of capacitors needed to keep the voltage in balance during the times when his system will actually need it are extremely impractical.

I was referring to the 14.4->12.6 voltage drop and you're talking about 12.6->??? voltage drop.

A lot of people complain about dimming lights and think a fancy battery will work some voodoo to fix that when it doesn't. You're still going to drop from 14v to whatever voltage the battery is and you're lights will dim when that happens.

If you're having a voltage drop that's asinine, such as drawing so much current the car shuts off, then ya - you need an extra battery and/or more of them. This is a much bigger problem than seeing your map lights dim to the bass line.

 

[i2ain2thunder 10+ year member]

Like I said your headlights may dim from 14.5 volts to 12.7 12.6 whatever, and i've seen the difference lol the difference is easy turn your car on and look at the brightness, then turn it off and look at the brightness. Bet you will hardly see one at all, most people complaining of dimming headlights have serious issues...not assinine, they just drop to around 12 or 11 volts which starts to become very noticeable. I agree that adding batteries will not completely get rid of dimming but it will make it like I said good enough, the best as we all know would be to add a high output alternator that can keep voltage higher around 14/13 volts. But like I said without one the most practical solution is to add batteries to keep voltage as close to 12.7 as possible. I'd be willing to bet all my money in my bank account that adding a battery will aid in a dimming lights issue where the alternator ability is exceeded by the electrical demand of the audio system, not only that but I would be willing to bet that it would not in any way make the dimming issue worse like you are suggesting.

I guess I don't even get your point, are you trying to say adding a capacitor is a better solution than adding a battery?

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

I was referring to the 14.4->12.6 voltage drop and you're talking about 12.6->??? voltage drop.
A lot of people complain about dimming lights and think a fancy battery will work some voodoo to fix that when it doesn't. You're still going to drop from 14v to whatever voltage the battery is and you're lights will dim when that happens.

If you're having a voltage drop that's asinine, such as drawing so much current the car shuts off, then ya - you need an extra battery and/or more of them. This is a much bigger problem than seeing your map lights dim to the bass line.

so what you're saying, is that the majority of light dim you see, is from around 12.5-13 volts? (which is the resting voltage on most batts).... if so, that is the DUMBEST thing i've ever heard... you realize that the majority of vehicles will sit at around 12.5-13 when ideling, right... the big problem you run into with dimming, is when you dip into the 11's... and that is the point at which batteries are helpful. yes, mis matching your batteries and alt (like say running 4 or 5 100 ah batts off a 120 amp alt) can run into problems, but no one is suggesting that here.

you obviously do not even understand the simple principle behind a batteries AH rating, and what that has to do with high current draw situations.

And yes, i will say it, capacitors are COMPLETELY worthless in 99% of installs... and are never practical for voltage drop. yes, you could line up a TON of caps to help with voltage drop, but a single 1 or 2 farad cap will do nothing to assist... you can say it will all you want... but show me proof.

and to answer what you said about why amps have caps on their boards... most of those will deal in current that is measured in mili amps... so to compare that to a very high current system... apples and oranges... completely different.

 

[i2ain2thunder 10+ year member]

Around what wattage should I consider using a capacitor? In the very near future I am planning on purchasing a 2400w amp(1200rms) and I'm just wondering if I am going to need a capacitor or not.

idk i think successful troll is successful

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

idk i think successful troll is successful

its a pretty old thread bro... check the date on the OP

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

And yes, i will say it, capacitors are COMPLETELY worthless in 99% of installs... and are never practical for voltage drop.

Capacitors are worth it in most cars; especially if you use old school amps.

Ever hit the power window button and notice your lights dim briefly? A cap fixes issues like that b/c while an alternator or battery will be able to supply the current requirements, they cannot do it nearly as quickly as a capacitor. Furthermore, some amps (like the old school ones) do not like dirty power and a cap will act like a noise filter. But the best reason to use a cap is to smooth out the power going into the power supply. Those tiny bursts in the bassline is where a cap will help any system.

If you're SPL'ing your way to work or listen to music with long drawn-out bass notes; a cap will make no difference. If you're voltage drops to

There's a lot of mis-information on how caps work and what problems they solve. They're not miracle makers and will not give fulfill the promises made by commissioned salesmen. But they do have a use and purpose for many systems both big and small. Want proof? Search over @ DIYMA.

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Capacitors are worth it in most cars; especially if you use old school amps.
Ever hit the power window button and notice your lights dim briefly? A cap fixes issues like that b/c while an alternator or battery will be able to supply the current requirements, they cannot do it nearly as quickly as a capacitor. Furthermore, some amps (like the old school ones) do not like dirty power and a cap will act like a noise filter. But the best reason to use a cap is to smooth out the power going into the power supply. Those tiny bursts in the bassline is where a cap will help any system.

If you're SPL'ing your way to work or listen to music with long drawn-out bass notes; a cap will make no difference. If you're voltage drops to

There's a lot of mis-information on how caps work and what problems they solve. They're not miracle makers and will not give fulfill the promises made by commissioned salesmen. But they do have a use and purpose for many systems both big and small. Want proof? Search over @ DIYMA.

I think you need to see my earlier post...

A good read: Capacitor Info

 

[ChevyRidinLow]

I'm. Pretty sure he is just trolling

 

[05trailblazer 10+ year member]

^ i wish.. hes telling the truf

 

[mast240 10+ year member]

Capacitors are worth it in most cars; especially if you use old school amps.
Ever hit the power window button and notice your lights dim briefly? A cap fixes issues like that b/c while an alternator or battery will be able to supply the current requirements, they cannot do it nearly as quickly as a capacitor. Furthermore, some amps (like the old school ones) do not like dirty power and a cap will act like a noise filter. But the best reason to use a cap is to smooth out the power going into the power supply. Those tiny bursts in the bassline is where a cap will help any system.

If you're SPL'ing your way to work or listen to music with long drawn-out bass notes; a cap will make no difference. If you're voltage drops to

There's a lot of mis-information on how caps work and what problems they solve. They're not miracle makers and will not give fulfill the promises made by commissioned salesmen. But they do have a use and purpose for many systems both big and small. Want proof? Search over @ DIYMA.

yes, a cap is useful for a "dirty" power supply... but thats about it... it will not help in anyway with voltage drop. you can spin it anyway you want... unless you are running a batcap, or a whole deck of caps, a single one will not supply enough current to assist in voltage drop.

and you say that batteries and alts cannot supply energy fast enough? i'm sorry, but did the speed of electricity change in the last few hours??? i'm sorry bro, but your arguments on this are completely wrong.

 

[double 07 10+ year member]

I prefer to use car audio batteries over a CAP any day of the week!!!!! I am sure caps have their place but it's not going to be in my car..

 

[BnGRacing 10+ year member]

and you say that batteries and alts cannot supply energy fast enough? i'm sorry, but did the speed of electricity change in the last few hours??? i'm sorry bro, but your arguments on this are completely wrong.

Batteries are slow to discharge and slow to charge. It's why the lights may dim when you roll up your power window.

It has nothing to do with energy potential or the speed of electricity. It has everything to do with being able to supply current instantaneously, which no car battery can and they're not meant to. Do you understand any of this or did they not go over these concepts when you studied for your GED?