i know caps dont do a thing, just wondered why stinger makes them?

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Caps do something. And what they do helps a lot. When listening to music with quick, punchy bass..your electrical will take a much softer, more cushoned hit from the amp pressing the subs to hit. However, on longer notes (especially test tones usually played in bass competition) the cap only helps for a very small duration of the actual load put on the electrical system during the VERY (compared to a single bass "punch") LONG duration of a solid, lenghty bass note. Therefor, when playing actual music the capacitor will most likely help regulate your voltage and keep it more stable during fast up-beat barrages of many quick, short bass hits. However, during prolonged series of lenghty bass lines...the capacitor wont help in a noticable ammount.
That is all. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I agree that caps do something , not what you say they do, but they do something when used in the right manner. You do realize how quickly a capacitor dumps it's power right ? We are talking milliseconds , faster than the blink of an eye. The way the giant caps are marketed and there instructed placement in an automotive system is just adding something else to charge. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

a cap paired with a Battery is a great idea, especially if the battery doesn't recharge very fast off your alt. I only say this for competition applications like bass race or drive-by spl where you only need 30seconds of pounding. Good for burps too. Over the long haul (like a day of cruising) a cap's not gonna do anything, but for comps its not a bad idea

Nope , a cap would just be something else for the already taxed competition vehicle electrical system to re charge. That's the last thing they want. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[delvryboy 5,000+ posts]

a cap paired with a Battery is a great idea, especially if the battery doesn't recharge very fast off your alt. I only say this for competition applications like bass race or drive-by spl where you only need 30seconds of pounding. Good for burps too. Over the long haul (like a day of cruising) a cap's not gonna do anything, but for comps its not a bad idea

/fail

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

the cap only helps for a very small duration of the actual load put on the electrical system during the VERY (compared to a single bass "punch") LONG duration of a solid, lenghty bass note.

When I do burps, its only for 4 seconds so the mic picks it up within its sample times. What exactly are you talking about //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

In the years of competition ive only seen one applicabale use for external capacitors that had any validity. And that's for Amature class competitors who are required to run on a single 1000 CCA battery or less, and with their vehicle off so the alternator isnt charging. At that point, the sole responsibility of powering the setup for their competition run playing MUSIC (not burps) is left to the very simple charging system thats allowed by the rules. In this case, the electrical system needs all the tiny little help it can get so a few 1 farad caps in parallel or one 5 Farad (or whatever is the legal limit) would prove a bit helpful for voltage drops.

Now that doesnt mean im going to run out and buy a couple hundred dollars in caps just to build an AS class car....but if I had some lying around the shop id throw em in. At the very least the voltage readout would show me in real time how bad the electrical system sucked //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Don't worry...The very 1st post I made was about these 20v caps and how did they get to be 20v when a battery is only 14.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Caps do something. And what they do helps a lot. When listening to music with quick, punchy bass..your electrical will take a much softer, more cushoned hit from the amp pressing the subs to hit. However, on longer notes (especially test tones usually played in bass competition) the cap only helps for a very small duration of the actual load put on the electrical system during the VERY (compared to a single bass "punch") LONG duration of a solid, lenghty bass note. Therefor, when playing actual music the capacitor will most likely help regulate your voltage and keep it more stable during fast up-beat barrages of many quick, short bass hits. However, during prolonged series of lenghty bass lines...the capacitor wont help in a noticable ammount.
That is all. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Sorry, basic physics combined with the actual measured values of the caps on the market say "NO." Thanks for playing. I did the math assuming a zero ESR cap (most out there actually have a higher ESR than the good batteries on the market) and the theoretical usable storage capacity of a cap is 0.5 amp-seconds per Farad. So a 10 amp excess draw (miniscule) would drain the useful capacity of the perfect 1F cap in 0.05 seconds. Sound like a good deal. Nope not to me either. Factor in ESR now and the usable capacity of a cap is effectively zero. A good battery can actually deliver more current at a higher voltage than a cap.

 

[audiolife 5,000+ posts]

Don't worry...The very 1st post I made was about these 20v caps and how did they get to be 20v when a battery is only 14.

because that is what they can hold up too. if 14.2 goes into it 14.3 wont read on it. only 14.2 and under. also that little dial at the top isnt "cranking up the power" you are adjusting how the meter reads lol

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

/fail

sweet, retest!!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/graduate.gif.d982460be9f153bb54e5d4cb744f6ae8.gif

 

[Rawr-DQ 10+ year member]

Sorry, basic physics combined with the actual measured values of the caps on the market say "NO." Thanks for playing. I did the math assuming a zero ESR cap (most out there actually have a higher ESR than the good batteries on the market) and the theoretical usable storage capacity of a cap is 0.5 amp-seconds per Farad. So a 10 amp excess draw (miniscule) would drain the useful capacity of the perfect 1F cap in 0.05 seconds. Sound like a good deal. Nope not to me either. Factor in ESR now and the usable capacity of a cap is effectively zero. A good battery can actually deliver more current at a higher voltage than a cap.

Needs to be quoted.

 

[sdmtnbiker420 10+ year member]

I agree with Foote and Thegreatestpenn

Caps DO help in some situations, i've seen it myself. It helps with headlight dimming (and aftermarket gauges dimming too, ive found)

It really seems like there isn't as much raw bass with a capacitor, but the quickness and SQ is MUCH improved.

From my experience, it seems to me like the cap helps with voltage drops, (tested on a properly operating electrical system), i honestly think that it cuts off some bass, in exchange for QUICK and precise power... at least in the instances where i've seen a cap used, I can imagine there are many exceptions

A lot of people on this board don't believe in "band-aids" but I feel like if the band-aid works for your application, why the hell not use it?

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

prolly cause the bandaid can cost as much or more than a battery or alt

 

[delvryboy 5,000+ posts]

The best cap solution for headlight dimming is to wire it close to your headlights, not your amps.

 

[dak0ta_g33k 10+ year member]

the majority of manufacturers exist to make money first. if they could just beam the cash outta you they'd do so. but so you won't complain they offer up a useless product along the lines of dvd rewinders and such

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

I agree with Foote and Thegreatestpenn
Caps DO help in some situations, i've seen it myself. It helps with headlight dimming (and aftermarket gauges dimming too, ive found)

the voltage still drops with a cap, the lights still dim, it's just a bit slower. From the time that initial drop occurs, the voltage actually stays lower and the light don't go back to full brightness. At this point the cap is a load until it recharges. ESR is what keeps a cap from being worth a **** and it's what softens the initial light dimming. A perfect cap would allow the lights to dim just a quickly because its minuscule storage capacity would be tapped out in less than a second, with voltage drop the whole time.

It really seems like there isn't as much raw bass with a capacitor, but the quickness and SQ is MUCH improved.

No one has ever been able to measure a difference in amplifier response with a cp installed, what makes you think that you can hear one? Thanks for playing. You agree with the other two because you know just as little as them. Go buy a bunch of caps, you're the target audience.