CAPS, Always naysaying.

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by bootleg Heh, you said 'augment', huhuhuhuhuhuh.

lol, that was a vocab word not too long ago...but that is the right word to use. what jlaine said is 100% true...

and BTW, grandamature, what makes you an exception to your stereotype that youre setting up?

-nate

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by maylar But I think that the worst problem with caps is that people believe they're intended to help fix "dimmage". They're not. But some folks report that using a cap actually ~does~ help (right Paikia?), so the problem perpetuates itself.

 

Note: I saw some Monster Caps at Tweeter yesterday and the package says something like "Help your amps hit harder..". That's what they're made for.

I wish someone could tell me why the cap made the dimming go away, but so far, I still don't have answers. So that's why I came up with the lazy alt theory. Sorta like Sapp in PFC, he's not exactly fast, but packs more than a punch.

Again, my alt is 160A, amps are puny...1.8L LPG engine (I know, I know).

Oh, and my whole system blacks out with about half volume now.. not just the amp going into protection, but the headunit swithes off for about 2 seconds, then comes back on.

THink I'll write up a new thread and see what the experts have to say about my problem...

 

[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

ok guys....go to the following links for info on caps and electrical charging.....form your own opinion.....

http://sl.wus0.com/quclk.go?rd=http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/capacitr.htm&res=7&crid=4cbfbaae6e2ef51d&pos=2&mr=25&qu=caps

http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/chargin2.htm

 

[ASDF12345 10+ year member]

Originally posted by maylar Ultimately the power to drive your electrical system comes from the engine. Mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy. Your problem sounds like the engine doesn't have enough torque at idle to supply the extra power the alternator needs as its input. There isn't much you can do about it except crank your idle speed up a bit... and that's not possible at all in some cases. There's no easy fix for this, sorry.

i like how you took everything i said and turned my question into an answer. cool. so if there is no easy fix, whats the hard fix?

 

[ASDF12345 10+ year member]

Originally posted by nswartley and BTW, grandamature, what makes you an exception to your stereotype that youre setting up?

 

-nate

yo nate, im not sure what you mean by the stereotype im trying to set up?

 

[nswartley 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by Grand AMature i like how you took everything i said and turned my question into an answer. cool. so if there is no easy fix, whats the hard fix?

eternally rev your engine...even when stopped.

-nate

edit:

Originally posted by Grand AMature yo nate, im not sure what you mean by the stereotype im trying to set up?

that everyone on here who disses caps doesnt know what they are talking about but just following what they hear...

 

[paikiah 5,000+ posts]

Originally posted by nswartley that everyone on here who disses caps doesnt know what they are talking about but just following what they hear...

and that's why even though I'm walking on a wire, I still say caps can compliment a good charging system. Not heal, fix, more power, etc, etc... compliment.

I got to that conclusion after reading that impossibly long discussion about caps, as well as other sites around the net.

 

[ASDF12345 10+ year member]

Originally posted by nswartley and BTW, grandamature, what makes you an exception to your stereotype that youre setting up?

 

-nate

i would say im an exeption. i dont tell people caps dont do anything everytime someone asks. truth is i dont know if they do. in theory i understand that they will help but from everything i've read on here i dont know anymore. I used to advocate their use but now i just keep my mouth shut. im not trying to start anything by posting this, im just trying to sort out all the BS. this post is on two pages now and i still cant tell what is BS and what is based on peoples experiance. half the people who comment prolly do so based on what they've read on here.

 

[DNIndustry 10+ year member]

I am still semi confused as to the general concensus.

Here is my situation.

My 1996 blazer

I have a 220 amp alt from dominick that is 150 amp at idle.

An 4 year old optima red top.

0/1 ga wire spanning about 14 ft

The 3 magic wires are upgraded with 0 ga welding cable.

As far as current draw I have

A mono block 1200.1 jbl to a brahma 15

A Rockford 300x A/B bridged

An Audiocontrol 6xs and EQS

These are all that are were running at the time.

If I would turn the system volume up to about 50% I would get a dimmage to were my lights were none existent and my A/B amp would cut out.

It could have been over heating but I would say it could be a voltage drop.

I purchased a Batcap 400 100 farad cap to try and rectify it.

Should this help.

I also bought a new Redtop.

ANy Ideas, suggestions, or comments.....

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Originally posted by Grand AMature i like how you took everything i said and turned my question into an answer. cool. so if there is no easy fix, whats the hard fix?

Hmmm... let's see.. can you stuff an Olds 455 in there? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif
You need to figure out a way to up your idle speed when your system is on. Som cars have a throttle-kicker that does this when you turn on A/C. Maybe you can rig something like that up.

 

[maylar 10+ year member]

Originally posted by Grand AMature i would say im an exeption. i dont tell people caps dont do anything everytime someone asks. truth is i dont know if they do. in theory i understand that they will help but from everything i've read on here i dont know anymore. I used to advocate their use but now i just keep my mouth shut. im not trying to start anything by posting this, im just trying to sort out all the BS. this post is on two pages now and i still cant tell what is BS and what is based on peoples experiance. half the people who comment prolly do so based on what they've read on here.

I agree totally.
Consensus on the forums (this one and others) is that caps are a waste of time and money. I think it's become one of the standard responses just because "everyone says so". There have been test reports by "experts" that prove a cap makes no difference... That's in direct conflict with reports of folks who claim the opposite by their own experience.

I think I'm gonna publish a page on my web site that explains what a cap is and does, and maybe do some tests of my own to see if they're worth their weight in guano.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Remember...

Anyone with the proper background... Can setup, design, or CREATE any ideal situation I need in a lab to simulate the perfectly ideal reality needed to support any claim about any product that I'm going to attempt to market...

Slap that bugger back into the real world, and pfft... Things change....

 

[ASDF12345 10+ year member]

Originally posted by maylar maybe do some tests of my own to see if they're worth their weight in guano.

guano is worth a lot

 

[ASDF12345 10+ year member]

Originally posted by jlaine Remember...

 

Anyone with the proper background... Can setup, design, or CREATE any ideal situation I need in a lab to simulate the perfectly ideal reality needed to support any claim about any product that I'm going to attempt to market...

 

Slap that bugger back into the real world, and pfft... Things change....

true that bro.