Why does everyone hate capacitors?

[myjaja 10+ year member]

Why does everyone hate them? Why is not good to have a cap? It's better than nothing, isn't it?

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[bdawson72 5,000+ posts]

nope

 

[bdawson72 5,000+ posts]

A proper electrical is all taht is needed.....If you have a poor charging system then a cap will do nothing for you..It may actually be detrimental

 

[ga12r 10+ year member]

Everyone hates them because they are marketed as a fix to a problem that they do nothing to fix.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif They can have their place, but it is not what most people use them for.

 

[myjaja 10+ year member]

A proper electrical is all taht is needed.....If you have a poor charging system then a cap will do nothing for you..It may actually be detrimental

So, a capacitor won't even help out on the tiniest thing? Then should I disconnect mine?

 

[CBFryman2 5,000+ posts]

So, a capacitor won't even help out on the tiniest thing? Then should I disconnect mine?

A cap will only help voltage fluxuation with dynamic draw. Basically it is used to give amps a flat votlage so the alternator keeps up.

They will NOT help with major voltage drop. They do not provide extra current and the current most can store is nothing compared to even a $40 battery from walmart.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

see people don't understand the purpose os stiffening capacitors. i'll explain it basically for you.

a cap is more or less suppose to be used for sq and not to fix electrical problems. basically is stores up current to release at a split second and only for a second, and then it recharges. so you need a good electrical system to keep it charged. where it becomes useful is on quick bass hits where you amp needs a quick amount of current to keep up, the cap can feed it quicker then the alt can, so you won't have a muddy note. then when the alt can catch up it recharges the cap. an alt only puts out the current it needs to keep everything running, so if your amp is drawing 100 amps, and then a big bass note makes the amp draw 150, the alt is gonna be a second or 2 slow to deliver that extra current where as a cap can release it instantly, and you have a smooth bass note. the cap is being used when the alt is not big enough to handle an amplifier which is not its use

 

[CBFryman2 5,000+ posts]

If you are having electrical problems the first thing you should try is a Big 3, Then more wire runs to your amps if you are on the small side, then a new primary battery, alternator, then start adding auxillary batteries.

This will change between applications too. But as a general rule of thumb.

 

[CBFryman2 5,000+ posts]

see people don't understand the purpose os stiffening capacitors. i'll explain it basically for you.
a cap is more or less suppose to be used for sq and not to fix electrical problems. basically is stores up current to release at a split second and only for a second, and then it recharges. so you need a good electrical system to keep it charged. where it becomes useful is on quick bass hits where you amp needs a quick amount of current to keep up, the cap can feed it quicker then the alt can, so you won't have a muddy note. then when the alt can catch up it recharges the cap. an alt only puts out the current it needs to keep everything running, so if your amp is drawing 100 amps, and then a big bass note makes the amp draw 150, the alt is gonna be a second or 2 slow to deliver that extra current where as a cap can release it instantly, and you have a smooth bass note. the cap is being used when the alt is not big enough to handle an amplifier which is not its use

Beat you to it....you have more detail though. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

Beat you to it....you have more detail though. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

i prolly started typing before you though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[irnotfob 10+ year member]

thanks guys i found this very informative

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

see people don't understand the purpose os stiffening capacitors. i'll explain it basically for you.
a cap is more or less suppose to be used for sq and not to fix electrical problems. basically is stores up current to release at a split second and only for a second, and then it recharges. so you need a good electrical system to keep it charged. where it becomes useful is on quick bass hits where you amp needs a quick amount of current to keep up, the cap can feed it quicker then the alt can, so you won't have a muddy note. then when the alt can catch up it recharges the cap. an alt only puts out the current it needs to keep everything running, so if your amp is drawing 100 amps, and then a big bass note makes the amp draw 150, the alt is gonna be a second or 2 slow to deliver that extra current where as a cap can release it instantly, and you have a smooth bass note. the cap is being used when the alt is not big enough to handle an amplifier which is not its use

Indeed couldn't have said it better myself.....

 

[thylantyr 10+ year member]

The capacitor issue is never ending. The only people that really understand what

a capacitor does is people with electronics backround/experience that are able to

diagnose a problem, then they are able to fix the problem.

If the situation calls for a capacitor, it may help solve a problem, but not

guaranteed as every situation is different. Making generic statements on 'theory

of operation' won't guarantee results.

* Do you take medicine when you aren't diagnosed with an illness?

* Do you tell people to stop eating pizza because you *will* get fat ?

The first step is to diagnose a problem.

The second step is to make a list of possible solutions and try them out.

Hypothetical.

Your lights are dimming on bass notes. What can you do to minimize this?

You need to look at the patient in detail to see if there is an install problem.

If the install is good, then you need to look deeper and see if the capacitor

can help you. Do you know the best way to install the capacitor for your

particular install to optimize it's performance? If you don't know how to

troubleshoot/solve a problem, you may have problems executing the plan.

Do you have bass note SQ problems? How did you measure this problem?

Did you 'bench test' your amplifier in your car with the lowest rated impedance

and check it's output power level with a 'stiff' power source vs 'sagging' power

source ? What is the delta in power? Is it audible if different? Will a capacitor

make the delta less? Did you install the cap and redo the test to make sure it

helps ?

etc.

 

[iceteebone 5,000+ posts]

The capacitor issue is never ending. The only people that really understand what a capacitor does is people with electronics backround/experience that are able to

diagnose a problem, then they are able to fix the problem.

If the situation calls for a capacitor, it may help solve a problem, but not

guaranteed as every situation is different. Making generic statements on 'theory

of operation' won't guarantee results.

* Do you take medicine when you aren't diagnosed with an illness?

* Do you tell people to stop eating pizza because you *will* get fat ?

The first step is to diagnose a problem.

The second step is to make a list of possible solutions and try them out.

Hypothetical.

Your lights are dimming on bass notes. What can you do to minimize this?

You need to look at the patient in detail to see if there is an install problem.

If the install is good, then you need to look deeper and see if the capacitor

can help you. Do you know the best way to install the capacitor for your

particular install to optimize it's performance? If you don't know how to

troubleshoot/solve a problem, you may have problems executing the plan.

Do you have bass note SQ problems? How did you measure this problem?

Did you 'bench test' your amplifier in your car with the lowest rated impedance

and check it's output power level with a 'stiff' power source vs 'sagging' power

source ? What is the delta in power? Is it audible if different? Will a capacitor

make the delta less? Did you install the cap and redo the test to make sure it

helps ?

etc.

what the hell is your point?

 

[joetama 5,000+ posts]

what the hell is your point?

LOL he just talks until people think he's smart..... //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eyebrow.gif.fe2c18d8720fe8c7eaed347b21ea05a5.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/uhoh.gif.c07307dd22ee7e63e22fc8e9c614d1fd.gif