Install a cap?

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

ive got one layin around and i figure might as well add a lil bling factor problem is idk how to install one can anyone help me out

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[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Wire it in parallel with the charging system...so you'd need to connect both the positive and negative leads to it.

 

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

forgot to mention im kinda a noob still any more help than that ?? thanks tho

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

http://www.bcae1.com

http://www.the12volt.com

 

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

thanks a lot man

 

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

just double checking you do not run the neg to the amp right u just ground it ?? thanks

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

Correct. The cap needs its own ground. Depending on the type of cap you have it will need to be charged before use and should have been supplied (if you bought it new) with a resistor or bulb specifically for this purpose.

 

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

its a raptor 1 farad cap ik its not nice but im just goin for the bling factor does this one need to be charged it didnt come with any of that

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

its a raptor 1 farad cap ik its not nice but im just goin for the bling factor does this one need to be charged it didnt come with any of that

If you purchased it brand new and it wasn't supplied with either a resistor or a charging bulb and instructions for using such then that capacitor (this is my guess, at any rate) is going to be similar to the one I have sitting in a closet currently.

Just hook up positive and ground and off you go. (connect ground last //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif)

 

[jeeper07 5,000+ posts]

yea i had this layin around and i thought it might just add a nice little look so im gonna throw it in

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Correct. The cap needs its own ground.

COnnecting it to the amp is just the same as grounding it by itself as long as the amp is already grounded. Either way its a parallel circuit. All the positives are connected to the attery positive and all the negatives are conected to the battery negative (via the chassis if you use a chassis ground).

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

Doesn't grounding it to the grounding input on an amp increase the chances of a ground loop, however, and as a result increase the chances of the dreaded "whine" ??

 

[KaeZoo 10+ year member]

Since a capacitor isn't really part of the signal chain, there's no possibility of a ground loop no matter where it's grounded.

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

Since a capacitor isn't really part of the signal chain, there's no possibility of a ground loop no matter where it's grounded.

Once it is attached in any way to an amplifier it becomes part of the signal chain. It does not need to have interconnects or speaker wire attached to it to be part of said chain.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Once it is attached in any way to an amplifier it becomes part of the signal chain. It does not need to have interconnects or speaker wire attached to it to be part of said chain.

It is not part of the signal chain. There is not an RCA running to it or through it. It will not have any effect on the potential for a ground loop unless you have a crappy ground and then the cap is not the problem, the bad ground is.

A ground loop is a defference in ground potential between two components in the signal chain that is equalized through the signal cable. The slight ripple voltage from the alt is transmitted through the signal cable and appears as noise. If the item is not connected by an RCA it will not be part of a ground loop. Basically a cap has the same potential to cause noise as a distribution block or a fuse holder.