link to thread about capacitor being worthless

[MrDave 10+ year member]

Caps = pointless.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Caps = pointless.

Respectfully disagreed.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

You don't use fuses?? Why not? That's insane. I guess you'll learn when your car goes up in flames.
And how would 4 fuses help anyone??

He thinks they are only for people that don't know how to wire a car "correctly". //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif In another thread where a noob was asking how to wire his system he suggested that the noob didn't need fuses either.

I guess the electricians who wired Kove's home didn't know what they were doing either since they installed fuses (circuit breakers).

He recommends caps, but not fuses.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

So are crossovers and all other electronics. Whats your point sir??//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

His point is your amplifier(s) already has built-in caps in its input stage. So why is it assumed the engineers under-designed the input stage and external capacitance is required? Maybe this thread should be about needing a cap if your amp sucks? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

His point is your amplifier(s) already has built-in caps in its input stage. So why is it assumed the engineers under-designed the input stage and external capacitance is required? Maybe this thread should be about needing a cap if your amp sucks? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

I guess that shouldn't be assumed. And actually I've never assumed that, especially with MY amps. I guess it's just user preference. I have always OVER built stuff in my installs. For instance, I used 1" MDF for my sub enclosure when 3/4" would have been fine. So using external capacitance is my way of over building. To each his own though. I believe everyone should build their system in the way they see fit and if help is needed..........ask questions.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Caps are not over-building. If anything, they are even less necessary in an 'over built' charging system.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

He thinks they are only for people that don't know how to wire a car "correctly". //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif In another thread where a noob was asking how to wire his system he suggested that the noob didn't need fuses either.I guess the electricians who wired Kove's home didn't know what they were doing either since they installed fuses (circuit breakers).

He recommends caps, but not fuses.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

Fusing is a safety precaution. NOT a defense for noobs. Will a system work without fuses?? YES it will. Is it safe? NO. A single fender bender or inadvertent shorting of a power wire to the chassis could be catastrophic to your system and/or your vehicle. Especially if you add capacitors to the system. You could disconnect the battery and the capacitors would still be a live source.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Unless you had a very large bank of caps, they would discharging toa dead short very fast, and not likely cause a fire. Its your battery that you dont want to short out, things could get ugly.

edit: I wouldn't want to short out one of those large batcaps (or similar) either, but I hate even calling them caps in this circumstance.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Caps are not over-building. If anything, they are even less necessary in an 'over built' charging system.

You call it what you want. It was my way of making extra sure. So in my eyes it was over building. But I do see what you're getting at. I actually DON'T have an over built charging system. It's pretty much stock except for the bigger gauge wire going from the alt to the battery and the larger ground wire from the battery to the chassis.

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

Unless you had a very large bank of caps, they would discharging toa dead short very fast, and not likely cause a fire. Its your battery that you dont want to short out, things could get ugly.

Ok, wasn't aware it would discharge that easily. But I definitely agree on the battery part.

 

[babaganoush123 10+ year member]

jesus...dude **** caps there point less drop $200 on a good batt and your straight. done.

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

You call it what you want. It was my way of making extra sure. So in my eyes it was over building. But I do see what you're getting at. I actually DON'T have an over built charging system. It's pretty much stock except for the bigger gauge wire going from the alt to the battery and the larger ground wire from the battery to the chassis.

In that case, a rear mounted batt near the amplifier would have been a better choice for you.
You make running the proper sized power wire sound like over-building. That's just doing the bare minimum. You are doing the same thing as most cap users, trying to use the cap to prop up an otherwise insufficient charging system. If you can't explain WHY you chose to install a cap other than for your own personal mental well being, why reccomend others spend their hard earned money on your same choice?

 

[adam71 5,000+ posts]

In that case, a rear mounted batt near the amplifier would have been a better choice for you.
You make running the proper sized power wire sound like over-building. That's just doing the bare minimum. You are doing the same thing as most cap users, trying to use the cap to prop up an otherwise insufficient charging system. If you can't explain WHY you chose to install a cap other than for your own personal mental well being, why reccomend others spend their hard earned money on your same choice?

Wow. I already told you my charging system was NOT insufficient. I said it was fine and I had NO issues. And where in this thread did I recommend them to ANYONE??

And I never said running the proper wire under the hood as over building. I said what I've done in the trunk was OVER building. You're taking my words out of context.

So to recap. I don't recommend caps. I just said I use them. I don't have an over built charging system, its just adequate.

 

[gunz4me 10+ year member]

Fusing is a safety precaution. NOT a defense for noobs. Will a system work without fuses?? YES it will. Is it safe? NO. A single fender bender or inadvertent shorting of a power wire to the chassis could be catastrophic to your system and/or your vehicle. Especially if you add capacitors to the system. You could disconnect the battery and the capacitors would still be a live source.

Unless you had a very large bank of caps, they would discharging toa dead short very fast, and not likely cause a fire. Its your battery that you dont want to short out, things could get ugly.
edit: I wouldn't want to short out one of those large batcaps (or similar) either, but I hate even calling them caps in this circumstance.

For anyone who thinks that audio caps can't explode, they are sadly mistaken. One of the local install shops has aftermath photos of a one farad cap that exploded when shorted out. Basically, they went behind a guy's self-install and self-installer hadn't secured the power wire properly resulting in a direct short across the caps positive and negative inputs. That produced a nice pretty black arc in the dude's trunk! The installer was so thankful that the cap exploded away from his face instead of towards it. Had it gone the other way, he would be blind or dead!

I am just pointing this out because I read an article that recommended caps stating they were safe and rarely, if ever, exploded. After all, what happens to the caps in an amp or computer when they smoke? They sometimes violently blow.

 

[MrDave 10+ year member]

I was just being cynical, really. I could imagine this thread spilling some blood.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif