Questions On Caps....

[_AnGeL_]

ok so i know many people here are against using caps, i know they say its an added strain on the alt instead of helping.. but how would i make other people understand this? see someone on another forum posted something about car audio and i tired to help, he wanted to buy a cap and i told him not to, just save up and buy an added battery... so everyone else is telling me that caps help and people in competitions use caps etc.... so how do i make them understand my point? without coming off as a d bag? should i just leave it be?

[stayfly33]

im curious about this also

i dont see alot of setups with caps though so thats why im wondering

[Boon]

Remind them of the fact that a cap has less energy in it than a 9v battery?

The problem is that in SOME circumstances a cap does actually help Just for 99% of people they don't do anything.

Tell them to find you a single SPL competitor at world finals using a 1 farad bling bling cap

[kryptonite]

Caps won't do much of anything other than fry out if they are being used in a system where the amp pushes more than 500 rms, atleast that's my take from what i've noticed

[ChevyBoy]

fyi, steve was (and might still be) using caps in the honda.

[uhoh_45]

Remind them of the fact that a cap has less energy in it than a 9v battery?

The problem is that in SOME circumstances a cap does actually help Just for 99% of people they don't do anything.

Tell them to find you a single SPL competitor at world finals using a 1 farad bling bling cap

actually im not sure if anyone now adays is but for the longest time alot of competitors used caps for there deck

so the deck wouldnt shut off

[wL<3bass]

fyi, steve was (and might still be) using caps in the honda.

Yup and they are the real deal...not those junk caps...

[troy]

caps have their place and just have to be used right. of course a 1 farad cap isnt going to do anything burping a system or an a high powered system. but they do have their place they just need to be used right.

[solo z]

umm ok like where? lol what is there place what part do they play in a electrical system? if its a small quick 9volt charge like someone compared it..... i cant see WTF even a 5 Farad cap would be doing in the trunk with a HC1800 or anything similiar???

[Team_DC-Derrick]

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.

quote taken from this thread here

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/ind...showtopic=14041