To cap or not to cap, this is the question

[Afboy143 10+ year member]

Well right now I have a cap on my system thats 1 farad hooked up to my 600 watt xtant mono amp. Well i am upgrading to the hifonics 1500 and will this cap still serve its purpose? I heard if u use 1 farad on more than 1000 watts its goign to hurt more than help so I wanted to ask you guys. Thanks!

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[AsK 5109 10+ year member]

Yup, thats what I heard too

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Depends on your listening habits. If you don't really crank it up a lot, the cap won't hurt anything (but it won't help anything really either in that situation, at least not audibly). If you are a real volume jockey, then the cap will quickly discharge to the level of the battery and just become another load on the already outclassed alternator and battery. This is true with any size cap, not just a 1F.

 

[cappy72 10+ year member]

Yes, it will add more resistance onto the electrical system. Caps are meant to provide you with a stready AC voltage. If you are contastly draining the cap due to the power requirements of the amp then it will be just another "load" on your electrical system that your alternator needs to charge. Look at it like this....Throw a 500 lb fat ***** on 130 lb man, something is going to get messed up. The alternator will strain and eventually cease. If you are looking on upgrading to a new cap I have an Audiobahn 10(ten) farad cap brand new for $250, retail is $699. cappy72@twcny.rr.com

 

[kickerlivinloud 10+ year member]

hahah!!! You tell him that a cap is worthless for his system and yet you still try and sell him yours... Anyone else find that a little strange???

Jon

 

[PhatalOne 10+ year member]

yeah, that is a little strange, thats almost like dissing on Pyle all the time and then people find out its the only thing you sell/own. Audiobahn is certainly higher quality than Pyle no doubt, but usually if you're trying to sell something you should try to hype your product. Thats not a bad price for that cap but I haven't exactly shopped around for one. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

Yes, it will add more resistance onto the electrical system.

It doesn't add resistance. A discharged cap will draw current but that is not the same as resistance.

Caps are meant to provide you with a stready AC voltage.

Well since you want DC voltage going to your amp...

If you are contastly draining the cap due to the power requirements of the amp then it will be just another "load" on your electrical system that your alternator needs to charge.

If you had just said this, you wouldn't have come out looking like a retard. Too late for that now...  

Throwing a bunch of psuedo technical terms out there doesn't make you look like you know what you are talking about to those of us that do. Instead you come off looking like an idiot.

 

[cappy72 10+ year member]

resistance was the wrong word...more like things to charge, which mean that it will make it harder for the Alternator to perform its job--->[ps. When something is made harder you can say there was added resistance]

As far as the DC----> you are 100% right my bad small typo ac/dc

As far as the overall making myself look stupid....come on now

This guy is asking for help and you are bashing me when I am giving my views on this problem...Instead of bashing me correct my thoughts or give him yours.

I was not telling him that his 1farad cap was crap just to sell him something. What I told him was legitimate, giving him the offer to purchase something was for him to compare to others prices too.

 

[InhumanAcura 5,000+ posts]

resistance was the wrong word...more like things to charge, which mean that it will make it harder for the Alternator to perform its job--->[ps. When something is made harder you can say there was added resistance]
As far as the DC----> you are 100% right my bad small typo ac/dc

As far as the overall making myself look stupid....come on now

This guy is asking for help and you are bashing me when I am giving my views on this problem...Instead of bashing me correct my thoughts or give him yours.

I was not telling him that his 1farad cap was crap just to sell him something. What I told him was legitimate, giving him the offer to purchase something was for him to compare to others prices too.

Just buy an extra battery...

 

[PhatalOne 10+ year member]

hmm i'm thinking we've had this discussion before:

http://www.caraudio.com/vb/showthread.php?t=45356

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

resistance was the wrong word...more like things to charge, which mean that it will make it harder for the Alternator to perform its job--->[ps. When something is made harder you can say there was added resistance]

If we were talking about it actually being more difficult then that would be true. But an additional load and more resistance are not interchangeable in this case. Actually there would be LESS resistance and that is the problem. Less resistance means more current which you are already short on.

As far as the overall making myself look stupid....come on nowThis guy is asking for help and you are bashing me when I am giving my views on this problem...Instead of bashing me correct my thoughts or give him yours.

I had already given him advice. Yours just didn't make any sense and was a bit contradictory.