2007-04-05 03:37:18 · 8 answers · asked by Yeepeee 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Audio
compastor
I got a rockford foggate
2007-04-05 03:44:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Javin M will come along and give an explanation on how caps are worthless. He'll even provide a site that explains this http://forum.realmofexcursion.com/showthread.php?t=17970
While the article that Javin M (and I) provide held true at one time, there are a few things that time has altered. This article was written some time ago and changes have occurred in the manufacturing of capacitors. In the article an ESR of .017 was given, the problem is that caps made today have an ESR of 0.0016 or less which is a far cry from the days of old.
What does this mean? It means the calculations and information now change quite substantially and can no longer be held as true. KaeZoo provides an excellant link that explains what a capacitor is.
Running a second battery is never a good idea as it's just an added strain on the alternator. A cap is only good so far as the audio system isn't trying to pull too much from the electrical system. Auto manufacturers take into account that 40% of the alternator power is required to run the electrical system (AC, fans, lights, etc.). If your audio system consumes more than 60% of the alternators power, an alternator upgrade is recommended as is the Big 3.
I know a cap can be beneficial as I'm running one and I measured a definite change in my electrical systems response curve to big bass hits with an oscilloscope, however, this won't be the case for ALL vehicles as power demands differ.
Capacitors are measured in Farads. It's recommended to have 0.5 Farad for every 500 watts of power out. The lower the ESR, the better. There are two voltage ratings for capacitors, 16V and 24V. The 16V is actually a better choice as it's better for performance.
If your total system power is more than 1000 watts RMS you will need to:
1. Upgrade the alternator to a high output alternator
2. Upgrade to a heavy duty deep cycle battery
3. Upgrade the "Big 3" - that is to replace the power wire between the battery and alternator, the ground wire from the battery to the chassis and ground strap from the chassis to the engine block or transmission to at least a 4 AWG wire.
Failure to do this will result in you replacing them anyway as the alternator will eventually fail.
Here is a guide that will calculate what size alternator and power wires you need http://www.datafilehost.com/download.php?file=6d26c621
You'll need Microsft Excel to use it.
See my site for more info http://spkrbox1.spaces.live.com
2007-04-05 04:22:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're thinking of a capacitor, but it doesn't really save your battery. The purpose of a capacitor is to help the sound quality, not to reduce the strain on the electrical system. There's a lot of misinformation about capacitors. You can read up on them here: http://www.bcae1.com/capacitr.htm .
"Stiffening" capacitors can be useful, but not for what most people are trying to use them for. You should ignore the people who tell you they're just junk, as well as the people who tell you they'll save your electrical system.
2007-04-05 03:57:53 · answer #3 · answered by KaeZoo 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Go to Sonicelectronix.com and get the cap killer by Kinetics.
2007-04-05 03:48:17 · answer #4 · answered by JUAN C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A switch
2007-04-05 03:45:02 · answer #5 · answered by Wabbit 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
compastor just get a yellow top optima battery and u will be good
2007-04-05 04:33:27 · answer #6 · answered by dj_ar_bis 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's called a CAPACITOR.
2007-04-05 03:46:55 · answer #7 · answered by FLTeacher 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its a cRapacitor don't bother with them, its a waste of money for the little job they actually do....
2007-04-05 04:19:07 · answer #8 · answered by kicker_guy_l7 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋