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Rf Capacitors?


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people just go by what they see on the net without doing any kind of research, ignorance is not bliss.

X2

Isobaric - Refers to the practice of coupling two drivers together to make them act as one.

"Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go."

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Destruction of a person builds character.

 

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Guest aseanj52

I always thought caps were useless.......Until i used 1 in one of my installs. i used a Tsunami 5 Farad Cap. It worked great.....until i would get into the deep long bass notes, were it would steadily drop from 14.5~14.3 down to 13.4~13.3. But on the quicker bass notes my head lights had stopped dimming at all. Even with the 180 amp alt they do...=[ But it helped ALOT.

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I always thought caps were useless.......Until i used 1 in one of my installs. i used a Tsunami 5 Farad Cap. It worked great.....until i would get into the deep long bass notes, were it would steadily drop from 14.5~14.3 down to 13.4~13.3. But on the quicker bass notes my head lights had stopped dimming at all. Even with the 180 amp alt they do...=[ But it helped ALOT.

I will clairify my feelings with the size I use (50 Farad) I feel the rite size cap along with the propper electrical upgrades are very beneifcial for stereo systems that play music and can work real well.

When it comes to test tones I do not recommend them at all.

What I have been useing for the last year has been able to do rap music very very well, but test tones it just doesn't work well with them.

Isobaric - Refers to the practice of coupling two drivers together to make them act as one.

"Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go."

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Destruction of a person builds character.

 

Terryswork001.png

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Guest aseanj52

I will clairify my feelings with the size I use (50 Farad) I feel the rite size cap along with the propper electrical upgrades are very beneifcial for stereo systems that play music and can work real well.

When it comes to test tones I do not recommend them at all.

What I have been useing for the last year has been able to do rap music very very well, but test tones it just doesn't work well with them.

I have as much of an electrical upgrade as i can get with the money i have. And only being 16 there is only so much i can do so fast. :D H/o alt, big 3, Yellow top, 0/1 wire......I'm trying man i'm trying lol ^_^
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I have as much of an electrical upgrade as i can get with the money i have. And only being 16 there is only so much i can do so fast. :D H/o alt, big 3, Yellow top, 0/1 wire......I'm trying man i'm trying lol ^_^

Hey man my comment wasn't direceted to you.

I was just giving an example (and not a good one) of what a cap will do for the most part when its used in a stereo system.

I clairified the the electrical upgrades becuase I bet almost everyone that complains about a cap Just doesn't know how to use it propperly.

Wasn't getin on your shit. :D

Isobaric - Refers to the practice of coupling two drivers together to make them act as one.

"Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go."

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Destruction of a person builds character.

 

Terryswork001.png

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Guest aseanj52

Hey man my comment wasn't direceted to you.

I was just giving an example (and not a good one) of what a cap will do for the most part when its used in a stereo system.

I clairified the the electrical upgrades becuase I bet almost everyone that complains about a cap Just doesn't know how to use it propperly.

Wasn't getin on your shit. :D

Oh ok...=] I am just used to people jumping my ass for being 16 claiming idk anything at all when i recommend something. Kinda pisses me off in shops. I walk in looking for like 0/1 and they say. "No no, you don't need that. That's for HUGE systems, all you need is 4 awg." :angry: So i'm like "Look damn it, what kind of 0/1 you have? None? :blink: then bye."
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Holy Cow there's a bunch of mis-information in this thread about caps. Caps work - period. But how? Simple . . . capacitors do TWO things:

1. Store charge

2. Oppose changes in voltage

Now, both of those things sound mighty nice to me. To understand how a cap benefits a car audio system, one has to first understand that there are TWO separate voltage plateaus available in an automobile:

1. Running - With the alternator charging, voltages will typically be from 13.8 to 14.4 VDC

2. Not running - With the alternator IDLE, voltages will typically be from 12.0 to 12.6 VDC

I'll take the higher of the two any day. For UNREGULATED amps, this allows them to draw MORE current therby making more power. For REGULATED amps, this allows them to draw LESS current to make their rated power. Either way, it's a WIN for you. So, how do we ensure the higher of the two?

Again, simple. With the vehicle running, consider the DELTA between what the alternator can make and what the nominal voltage the batteries can provide is. For this example, lets assume 14.4 VDC - 12.6 VDC = 1.8 VDC. When we exceed the current output capability of the alternator, it's voltage output is compromised. In some cases, heavy demands of amplifiers can far exceed the current capability of the alternator, leaving us with only the reserve of current within the battery. But, car batteries weren't intended to power amplifiers . . . they were intended to start cars [battery = Load with vehicle running.] A really fresh car battery can do this for a while, but given that we're exceeding the output capability of the alternator, it's charge isn't getting replenished quickly enough - need about 13.0 VDC minimum to allow charge to flow back into the battery.

A properly sized capacitor will change the rules. With the vehicle running, it stores charge at the higher voltage plateau - 14.4 Volts. As the amplifiers demand current, it will flow from the place of least resistance . . . Ohm's Law tells us that happens to be the place with the highest voltage. That will be in order:

1. The capacitor (closest)

2. The alternator

3. The battery

Ideally, you've selected the correct size capacitor for your system's needs. And . . . that "30F" cap that sells for $59 in a blue velvet box with chrome and a big blue LED readout is just a glorified volt meter These devices have ZERO benefit. There is a reason why quality capacitors cost money, and ours are no exception. These are the facts:

1. A 1 Farad capacitor can store and release 72 Joules (watt*second) of energy at 12 Volts.

2. Said capacitor can charge and discharge hundreds of times faster than an automitive battery of any kind.

3. Capacitors present nearly no load to a properly set up charging system.

4. Automotive batteries require 7 to 10 amps of current EACH to allow charge to flow into them.

5. Capacitors work GREAT for every day street systems.

6. The benefits or capacitors are negated in SPL competitions.

For best results, I recommend locating capacitors within a foot of the amplifier - as in, no more than 12 inches of wire between the capacitor and the amplifier. The further away from the amp they are, the less of a benefit they offer.

I have used them my systems for a very long time . . . since about 1986.

thats some good info.

x2

i was thinking leave the 12 sitting in the box in the hole and duck tape from the bottom of the sub to the bottom of the baffle so the sub doesnt free air. would that work?

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lol david i know why the noob was banned now. no wonder haha. total bandwidth waster. funny you told him to shut up lol.

i do have a question though, why did nasku divide the 555 amps by two before calculating the amp-hour rating for each theoretical battery? and just in general all he's doing is very engeniously throwing around ohms law all over the place. it really isnt that hard to do, just takes alot of understanding about a car stereo system as a whole i guess (which is why i read alot more than i post lol)

since this is pinned, ill add the formulas for everyone to benefit from just so i dont end up like the other noob =P

im kidding.

V=IR

R=V/I

I=V/R

P=I2R where 2 = squared

J=P(s)

where:

V is volts

R is resistance (ohms)

I is current (amps)

P is power (watts)

J is joules (nasku said earlier power*time)

i learned alot with the cap explanation. really broadened its actual CAPabilities. i have another question as well on top of snafu's, if you want to answer in a PM i dont mind, just a little confused (anyone). lets say i run two 4k zapco's to two BTL's on music, 32Hz box. two 200's and a stock alt making three alots altogether. how exactly would you know how large of a farad capacitor to get to place within 12 inches of each amp? and the additional addition of batteries would NOT or would be beneficial in a regular music setup with the car running? i can see where the car off would be a large difference but on is just causing it to suck more juice to each battery to keep them charged?

-matt

edit: snafu's name misspelled ;p

ah, you mean the peas?

It puts it into perspective. Just imagine a stadium filled to the top with peas.

Sounds like one hell of a soup lol

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  • 6 months later...

With all the aguring that comes up with a cap conversation I got a great quote from a guy that I have to leave nameless but I believe is highly knowledgeable in automotive electronics.

I have tried to explain this in paragraphs and by accident this guy replied to me with this coment that says it all in one sentence.

I finally found the end all be all statement for explaing capacitors in simplified form and when the rite time to use them.

(Quote)

A cap is only good if you have 0 voltage loss and want to clean up the power at the peaks of the ripples..

(End Quote)

(me)

That is mostly for us sound quality guys.

Isobaric - Refers to the practice of coupling two drivers together to make them act as one.

"Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go."

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Destruction of a person builds character.

 

Terryswork001.png

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