Why does nobody like caps??

[cheboka]

what do u guys think about xstatic batcaps im thinkin bout gettin one

 

[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

kinda like a battery and a cap combined.....never used one myself....if u have a good charging system, caps and battcaps are useless....

 

[bass_mekanik 10+ year member]

2 big batteries and 2 nice big thumpin alts are what i am going for not cheap but 300 amps of alternator and 2000 cca of batterise will do for 1 monoblock and a 4 channel till i get the other 3 monoblocks loaded to 2 ohms 2800 rms and 2 15's hehehe ouch is the wording most pplz use the amp pics are in my gallery

 

[MikeofTulsa Moderator]

?????

possibly wrong threed man????

 

[CarAudioAddict 10+ year member]

The only problem with that set-up bass mekanik is that You can't run two alts in parralel on one circuit without frying the voltage regulator in one of them. The only solution is to buy a High capacity voltage regulator and use it to operate BOTH alts.

As for hating Caps: I wouldn't say so much that we hate them, just that they are only good for paperweights. A good charging system will do far more for your electrical system than a 10,000 Farad cap would ever do.

 

[bass_mekanik 10+ year member]

yeah rite thread just tellin all yeah i am going to use the alts in paralell on a common rfegulator my TAFE teacher told me about all that and the batteries will have a charge equalizer between them so it will all be good

 

[dlovescaraudio 10+ year member]

in every caraudio magazine ive read there has been at least 1 car featured thats useing some kind of cap,even the "pros"that say they are a waste of money have them,so i have to beleave that they are more than paper weights,useing 1 for looks is understandable but ive seen 4 or 5 in some systems i mean there are so many ways you can make your system look better so why use caps?

 

[SUX 2BU]

Originally posted by Grand AMature heres what a farad does. it stiffens the amount of fluxuation in your positive polarity. meaning when the amp takes large amounts of current, the cap will help stabalize the current faster back to 14.4 volts. and it will help so the when the amp takes power it doesnt go as far lower then 14.4 volts. it wont stop your headlights from dimming, it just makes it so they dont stay dim as long. but 1 farad wont do much at all. neither will 4 1 farads. to really make a difference you need a good 15+ farad cap. they are very expensive though. this is why the best way to go is to respool the alternator or get an upgraded one. of course if you upgrade the alt, make sure you upgrade the battery so it can hold all the extra ampheres.

This is about the only intelligent response I've seen in this thread about why a cap is even used. It's there to help out the SLOWER response of the alternator and battery. A cap can respond to transients faster than the biggerst alternator or battery can. It's that simple. Now, long bass notes will drain a cap and then it will be come useless until it can recharge, so for people who listen to music with lots of sustained bass notes it won't help much. But for drum beats and what not, it can and does help. I've used them for 10 years and I like them. But, they are expensive for sure so I would say either pick up a used one or upgrade your alternator for the price of a new one. A cap won't really help a weak alternator, but it can complement a strong charging system. My .02.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[CarAudioAddict 10+ year member]

Originally posted by SUX 2BU This is about the only intelligent response I've seen in this thread about why a cap is even used. It's there to help out the SLOWER response of the alternator and battery. A cap can respond to transients faster than the biggerst alternator or battery can. It's that simple. Now, long bass notes will drain a cap and then it will be come useless until it can recharge, so for people who listen to music with lots of sustained bass notes it won't help much. But for drum beats and what not, it can and does help. I've used them for 10 years and I like them. But, they are expensive for sure so I would say either pick up a used one or upgrade your alternator for the price of a new one. A cap won't really help a weak alternator, but it can complement a strong charging system. My .02.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

There is only one problem here: An alternator is faster source of electricity than a cap.

An alternator is ALWAYS putting out as much energy as it is designed to (granted the output increass with RPM), whatever power is not being used is just dissipated as heat,but when the power is needed it is always there.

eg. My alt puts out 90amps at 3000 RPM, which means at 3000 rpm, my alternator is able to to deliver 90 Amps NOW, whereas a cap needs a few nanoseconds to discharge that power.

 

[SUX 2BU]

Okay, BUT those 90 amps are not always sitting there in the power cable ready to be taken by the amp. It's the length that the alternator is from the amp that also is a contributing factor. So, taking wire length into account what current is going to be there first? The cap, which is say 18" wire length from the amp or the alternator which is over 15+ feet? While electricity does travel extemely fast, in terms of nanoseconds, the wire length difference can be the determining factor.

 

[ChefJoe 10+ year member]

Originally posted by SUX 2BU Okay, BUT those 90 amps are not always sitting there in the power cable ready to be taken by the amp. It's the length that the alternator is from the amp that also is a contributing factor. So, taking wire length into account what current is going to be there first? The cap, which is say 18" wire length from the amp or the alternator which is over 15+ feet? While electricity does travel extemely fast, in terms of nanoseconds, the wire length difference can be the determining factor.

?? Metals have delocalized valence electrons. The flow of electrons from one end of the wire to another isn't like a spitball going through a straw, it's like a straw filled with spitballs where you add one more to one end and one of the ones already in there falls out.

This is essentially how people have been making things go "faster than the speed of light" recently.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Originally posted by SUX 2BU This is about the only intelligent response I've seen in this thread about why a cap is even used. It's there to help out the SLOWER response of the alternator and battery. A cap can respond to transients faster than the biggerst alternator or battery can. It's that simple. Now, long bass notes will drain a cap and then it will be come useless until it can recharge, so for people who listen to music with lots of sustained bass notes it won't help much. But for drum beats and what not, it can and does help. I've used them for 10 years and I like them. But, they are expensive for sure so I would say either pick up a used one or upgrade your alternator for the price of a new one. A cap won't really help a weak alternator, but it can complement a strong charging system. My .02.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

There is reserve capacitance inside your amplifier power supply for a good reason... Why waste space pretending you can augment it?

 

[f150_on_32s 10+ year member]

i agree with josh.

 

[SUX 2BU]

But how much reserve? An outboard cap is insurance so to speak. Everybody has their own opinion on caps. Mine is that I feel it does it's job and therefore I use one.

 

[jlaine 10+ year member]

Originally posted by SUX 2BU But how much reserve? An outboard cap is insurance so to speak. Everybody has their own opinion on caps. Mine is that I feel it does it's job and therefore I use one.

I've tested my system both with, and without. Both audible, and voltage, and visual.

Waste of space - any decently designed amplifier will have enough reserve capacitance to cover transients and maintain voltage stability if the system can supply the primary current demand the amp requires.

And yes, I had a 180 amp alternator installed.