Why Is Capacitor A Bad Word?

[BAGGEDBIRDS.com]

back in the day, say, 15 years ago, Caps were the "Thing". Here in this forum though batteries seems to be more popular, is that due to engine off playing time or just flat out too much power?

It use to be that if you wanted engine off time add batteries, engine running play time big alternator.

i have 160 amp alt and rarely does it drop below 14 volts with music but i have some dimming lights and one 1farad cap. i thought i was a candidate for a large cap like stinger offers now.

lets hear some thoughts. I do not play tones , hardly ever.

[sean 371]

Capacitors are too small to really do anything. They quickly discharge, and then they become a load on your system instead of a buffer.

[andym85]

im not really sure on my history, but maybe they were popular back then b/c it was a relatively new technology and there werent huges ass batteries and 350amp alternators floating around. batteries and alternators have become so advanced today, that caps just got left in their wake...plus they dont really help if ur bumping for awhile, like he said above, after they are drained they become more of a burden...but they do still have their place i suppose.

[Forevrbumpn]

basically batteries hold a higher charge for a longer time, over just split second pulses of charging, discharging- Only time caps would work good is if you get arrays of caps, maybe a few 6packs of 1farad caps

[stevh0]

lol , ive had my cap kick out my system , with one of em hypnotize jeezy tracks

[Big P]

because the masses misuse both battery's and capacitors.

a battery is for starting your car and running things when your cars engine is off. nothing more nothing less. People with power issues can run a couple extra battery's. Most people using extra battery's don't draw enof amperage to create sever issues. But the people who do merely shut there system off and allow there charging system to catch back up.

People try and use capacitors the same way which is WRONG. A capacitor is like the part of your tolit that holds the extra water. you hit the handle the water is needed it drops down is used then the tank fills back up until needed again. The main problems is that most people add a cap when they should be buying higher amp alternators. The second problem is that the charge and discharge rate of a cap is only so fast. The price of a cap with a very high charge and discharge rate is very high. Another problem is that capacitors such as bat caps and others have been banned from some classes of audio competitions.

theres a place in the audio world for both extra batterys and capacitors when used correctly

[meade916]

i think the ESR is the biggest complaint about caps.....

anyway, they do have their place and can work in some situations. My Civic, when it had 2 bd1500s @ 1ohm, on a 200 amp alt and one battery, would have my voltage up and down with every beat. Not the alts fault, it only supplies what you demand so every beat (up, down up down) is what causes the difference in voltage. It can only react so fast so even a HO alt can have a "blink" to the headlights. You dont want a "dim" but a slight blink isnt too out of the ordinary. I added 2 Rockford 40 farad Carbon caps to that system and the voltage stayed very stable. If it went up and down any it was barely. It was like the caps kicked in and allowed the alt to react sort of softening the blow some. I had almost no voltage drop and no "blink" or "dim" after that.

would i ever recommend a 1, 2, 5 or even 10 farad cap? Nope......never seen one help much, but if you go major overkill like 80 to 100f in the RIGHT situation then it could help. Sometimes you dont have room for tons of batterys. If you do have the room i would always say batterys first though. I dont run caps in the Hoe, the 2 40f are collecting dust, but i also have 20k watts, 7 g31 batts and 2 300 amp alts... so 80f just isnt gonna help much IMO. On smaller systems with an overkill of a cap it will stabalize your electrical as long as you have enough juice from the alt to begin with. It takes power to make power and a huge cap might cushion the blow but IMO a small one is a waste of time. (unless you have a really small system then in that case you dont need a cap anyway )

[BAGGEDBIRDS.com]

that sounds good meade. i have the alt. to powerr it all no problem usualy, unless i am really rockin some tones.

i am only worried about the light dimming and having some quick power.

is the discharge rate of say, a small kenetic, similar to a cap?

[roscoe1129]

That is what I put in the benz a Kinetik hc600 "cap killer" due to me running two t2's w/1000w on each it helped tremendously with my electrical system where a cap would be useless.

[Chris]

I'd say no. Batteries can produce their own power AND collect that which is being put into it instead of just collect power from the alt or battery up front to store. The rate for a total discharge or even gradual is much slower on a battery like a small kinetik because it can make it's own current while being charged so it can keep up with current draw MUCH more efficiently. Even the HC600 from kinetik is equivalent to over 100 1farad caps.