Now that you have added a capacitor into the mix, your alternator will have an additional labor-intensive job to do. The alternator now has to redirect a portion of its limited current supply away from your audio system and charge your extra capacitor!
Due to the fact that automotive electrical systems have a very limited current capacity usually around 70A—A , the addition of a capacitor will do nothing more than add more stress to an overworked electrical system. Many people will use a capacitor because their headlights flicker at night when their audio system is pounding. They figure that the capacitor will supply these high current demands directly to their amplifiers.
And guess what? When they add the capacitor, the headlight flickering is reduced substantially. Not so fast! Since the voltage potential is higher at the alternator end, which is behind the capacitor, the accessories have a more stable voltage and current supply than the amplifiers do as the capacitor is slowly charging. Therefore, the capacitor will send less of a current than what the amplifiers are demanding. This is because there is a limited amount of current available in this automotive system.
The voltage on the amplifiers will fluctuate with every discharge and charge of the capacitor. This is what is reducing the flickering of headlights. The capacitor is actually reducing the spikes of current demanded by the subwoofer amplifiers each time the subs hit hard.
This means that your audio fidelity is somewhat compromised. Yes, the amplifiers will instantly use a minimal amount of current available from the discharging capacitor, but this is substantially outweighed by the negative side effects in the whole circuit. This can frequently solve most of the headlight flickering problems while still maintaining the fidelity of your audio system. An additional battery may slightly help your situation, but it will place added charging stress to your alternator and most likely reduce its life.
This will remedy all of your electrical problems, but it will require the big 3 wiring upgrade. A capacitor does not produce any additional current in the system. It just redistributes current in a way that is detrimental to the audio fidelity of your system. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Living full time in an RV sounds like fun. Let's see. When life spins out of control and you are overwhelmed with debt and bills, bailing out and reducing your living costs may be the only chance you have.
I was forced to live full time in an RV to survive. I will break down the associated costs. Unless you can produce the watts don't expect to keep drawing them without paying the price. Think of it like a college kid with his dad's credit card. Who pays the price at the end of the month? They are only an even further burden to your charging system.
They have their uses but are not intended to replace the proper charging a proper alt can provide. Posted on Friday, November 14, - GMT From above: "So by adding a capacitor to try taking the place of a high-output alternator, you are actually causing more work for your alternator, and causing even more damage to that stock alternator.
After 2 years, and at K that alt finally let out the smoke. What I'm trying to tell you is w should not be terribly stressful for your alternator. A: The rule of thumb is to put in 1 Farad of capacitance for every 1, watts RMS of total system power. But there is no electronic penalty for using larger value caps, and in fact, many see benefits with 2 or 3 Farads per 1, watts RMS. The larger the cap, the more charge is available for the amp when it needs it. Give your subwoofer amp the boost it needs with a capacitor.
We also have all the installation hardware you need to get your capacitor and amplifier up and running. A: If you don't have the instructions that came with your capacitor, you should know first off that a cap can be dangerous. It can charge and discharge so much power so very quickly that it can weld metal objects, like tools and jewelry, and melt its own insides out. A new cap comes completely discharged, so it's safe.
A resistor or wired light bulb usually is included in the package. Wiring the bulb or resister across the cap's terminals allows the capacitor to discharge slowly and safely. The same bulb or resistor, wired differently, also gets used to charge up the cap safely. As in all car electronic installations, start by disconnecting the ground cable from the car battery.
In this installation, also take out the in-line fuse on the amp's power wire next to the battery. A capacitor should be mounted as close to the sub amp as possible using the shortest wires possible. This is so the extra charge doesn't have far to go to get to the amp quickly. Make sure the cap gets mounted securely and won't become a dangerous flying object in the event of an accident.
A capacitor has two poles: a positive and a negative. They should be clearly marked on the capacitor. The positive connects to the same positive power lead that goes to your sub amp's positive, 12 volt, connection. Use the same gauge wire as the amp uses for its power. This can be accomplished with a distribution block.
Or, sometimes, the cap comes with multiple connection terminals that make it easier to wire it into your system. The multiple terminals act just like a distribution block so, for instance, the power wire coming from your battery can connect directly to the cap's positive terminal while a short cable connects from there to the amp's positive power connection.
The negative pole of the capacitor connects to your chassis ground, just like the amp. The best practice is to use the same bolt the amp uses for ground. Make sure all the paint is scraped off around where you put the chassis ground and the connections are clean and tight. Next, you need to charge up your capacitor. If done too quickly — it could "pop," destroying the cap. An automotive volt test light, the kind with a bulb, not a small LED, will do nicely.
Otherwise, you can use a high-wattage, low resistance resistor, available at most electronics parts stores. The exact value doesn't matter, but get one with a value of , ohms along with a rating of watts. The lower the resistance, the higher the wattage should be.
Take the test light or resistor and connect it to the two terminals of the amp's in-line fuse holder where you took the fuse out earlier. Re-connect the car battery's ground cable. The resistor will get hot, or the bulb will light up, while the cap charges. After 10 to 30 minutes, the bulb will fade out, or the resistor will start to cool.
Remove the light or resistor carefully — they can get very hot. As you replace the fuse, you may experience a small spark — that's okay, but should remind you of how powerful the electric forces involved are. Your capacitor is now installed. A: Some caps come with a built-in meter that displays the voltage. If a meter were to stay on constantly, it could drain the car's battery. So caps with meters often have a remote turn-on lead connection, just like car amplifiers, so the meter turns off with the system.
A thin, ga. I bought an electric train horn for my Rav 4. It sounded good hooked straight to the battery using short wires, but when I ran more wire to hook it all up, the horn was only half as strong. A feller told me to put a capacitor in the wire, close to the horn.
Does this in sound like a way to increase my horns loudness? And, if so, what capacitor should I get? I charged the cap per the instructions but it seemed like it took awhile to charge it up. The voltage meter worked initially but now isn't working at all. Should I discharge the cap and recharge it?
Replace it? Or how would I see if it's holding any power? My headlights don't dim at all when at high volumes and high bass demands. I have a Toyota Tundra. Thanks for your help! I own a classic hot rod Camaro Z28 and have rewired the entire sound system.
My question is, I don't drive it very often and want to have the power there when I want to turn it up. If I disconnect the battery for storage, what will my issues be? If I leave the battery connected and don't run it for 3 weeks, what will my issue be, if anything?
Thanks in advance. What would be the wiring sequence to add an additional 3 Farad T-Spec capacitor to the current 3 Farad T-Spec capacitor. I run a circuit breaker in place of a fuse holder.
How can I charge my capacitor in this case? I really like the idea of circuit breakers vs. If your voice coils are connected in series, that would be 4 ohms so your electric draw would be considerably less. Bridging a "regular" amp into a 2 ohm load is a very inefficient way to drive a sub--it draws max amps and your efficiency goes way down as it generates a ton of wasteful heat.
I would connect the sub this way to see if your pulsing lights go away. If it does not dim anymore and you like the output--done!
If you feel the need to run watts--get a digital amplifier for that function. It is not the watts, it is the output. Taught a friend of mine that and he blew the glass out of his car at "only watts". The sub box weighed pounds and was HUGE Thanks for all the feedback I will try wiring my sub differently. I would do a good battery first, the big 3, make sure you have good wire 4 gauge or thicker, i like 0 gauge then a dist block to all your amps going to the amp, THEN do the alt if you don't have enough power.
I think that just the alt. Good electrical wiring is a given, however you won't get anywhere unless you find out what your alternator is rated at. If it's only producing 90 amps, then no capacitor will solve your real issue. I believe that when you upgrade your car, it's important to do it correctly. Adding a second battery just masks the root problem For safety sake I will try to find out what your alternator is rated at before you do something foolish. Electricity close to fuel in a closed environment is no joke.
One spark could be disasterous. BB code is On.
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