capacitor 2 farad

[haskos1989]

i have 3 amps and two subs and one for speakers'

can i install capacitors for two subs but not use capacitor for the speakers amp is this okay to do ?

[WalledSonic]

2 farad capacitors are not worth the money.  Get more batteries or an alternator.

[PC Principal]

How much power are you running? While I agree with WalledSonic, some of us cannot afford more batteries or an alternator upgrade, so a capacitor is the next best thing. If the amp that is running your mids is not very big, then I would say that it is ok to run without the capacitor hooked up. It all depends on the current draw of the amp, output of your alternator, battery quality, and wiring (big 3).

 

[AlpineNut]

1 hour ago, WalledSonic said:

2 farad capacitors are not worth the money.  Get more batteries or an alternator.

I agree a cap is just like a bandaid, unless you get those XS Power caps that look like a battery, adding a battery helps alot more then you think!

[WalledSonic]

59 minutes ago, PC Principal said:

How much power are you running? While I agree with WalledSonic, some of us cannot afford more batteries or an alternator upgrade, so a capacitor is the next best thing. If the amp that is running your mids is not very big, then I would say that it is ok to run without the capacitor hooked up. It all depends on the current draw of the amp, output of your alternator, battery quality, and wiring (big 3).

 

A 2 farad cap does almost nothing to prevent voltage drop. Capacitance is too small. Start looking at Maxwell caps for real capacitance. At that point tho, due to cost, you have to weigh the benefits of just buying another battery or alternator. 

[Broke_Audio_Addict]

 

 

[PC Principal]

36 minutes ago, WalledSonic said:

A 2 farad cap does almost nothing to prevent voltage drop. Capacitance is too small. Start looking at Maxwell caps for real capacitance. At that point tho, due to cost, you have to weigh the benefits of just buying another battery or alternator. 

I completely agree, but if thats all he has to work with and funds are low, he doesnt have much choice. Its either a 2 farad cap or nothing at that point.

[WalledSonic]

20 minutes ago, Broke_Audio_Addict said:

 

 

Broke, I cant watch Youtube at work right now (too many bosses around), how many Farad is that cap?

[PC Principal]

1 hour ago, WalledSonic said:

Broke, I cant watch Youtube at work right now (too many bosses around), how many Farad is that cap?

They tested a 1 farad and a 100 farad.

[Wicks]

A little late to the party but for what its worth...

A 1-2 farad capacitor does not have the capacity for true energy storage which would be beneficial for most audio applications.

They were popular way back in the day as a filter device on head units, to get rid of noise and whatnot.

Marketing companies got a hold of the trend and blew it way out of proportion to make a buck.

For reference, looking at the energy equation of a capacitor:

E = 1/2( CV^2)

So a 2 farad cap (14V) would contain 196 Joules or Watt-Seconds.  Or is able to produce 196 watts for one second.

I have a bank of Maxwell caps in my car that equal 500 farads.  That equates to 49,000 Joules (Watt-Seconds) at 14V.

Big difference.

Without a proper alternator, a large capacitor can also become something of a load as its charging and discharging.  Another thing to think about.

I would agree with the guys above, a HO alternator would be the best investment overall.