Capacitors and Farads
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Bronze Member Username: Hambone907Post Number: 17 Registered: May-07 | I am new to capacitors, and i am having to learn a lot in a short time so that i can power a system. So ive been looking at reviews and specs with farads and etc. So as far as im concerned 1 farad = 1000 watts. So if i had 1000 RMS, i am guessing that i would need a 2 farad cap, maybe 3 to be safe. Can anyone help me out? |
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Bronze Member Username: Aj1218Post Number: 55 Registered: Jun-06 | Caps should almost never be used for car audio. To me they are only for cosmetic purposes. I would suggest getting a hi output alternator rather than wasting money on a cap And yes 1 farad is good for 1000watts (500RMS) what kind of amplifier are you running? |
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New member Username: ZxhoonPost Number: 2 Registered: Sep-07 | so AJ, what about the caps that are inside the amps on the power supply? there is a use for caps in car audio systems and if your alternator/battery keeps up with your system most of the time a cap will help out with big bass hits... there is no way your alternator will supply the current needed instantly when you have a big sub pumping, battery will take up the short fall but a cap is even better, they are used for filtering/smoothing the supply they dont increase the capacity of your charging system... |
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Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Northwest PA Post Number: 3217 Registered: Jul-06 | AJ's got this one covered..... external caps do pretty much nothing. All amplifiers have some amount of internal capacitance. Think about it, if the amp needed more, it would be built with it. |
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Silver Member Username: Holt_champHtown, MI Post Number: 863 Registered: Oct-06 | well i have a 200 amp alt and a second battery in my trunk. it doesnt help with the dimming at all. what could i do to stop the dimming? i am using a kx2500.1 amp. |
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New member Username: ZxhoonMelbourne, Victoria Australia Post Number: 8 Registered: Sep-07 | I love the misinformation that abounds on sites like this... each case is different but the problem is the 'inrush' current when suddenly a load is placed on the supply, a cap will help with the dimming but you will need a decent sized one.. i work in power control, and even with a factory 3 phase 415V supply @ 100A, when a 10amp load is switched on the lights will dim for a split second.. DC at least you can put a big cap in there to help stop the supply dropping... |
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Silver Member Username: Holt_champHtown, MI Post Number: 864 Registered: Oct-06 | ok so what size cap would be good for 2600 watts rms? |
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New member Username: Cbh18Post Number: 1 Registered: Sep-07 | im totally lost on how to hook up a capacitor. i have a 1000 watt amp and a 1.2 farad capacitor. someone told me that i have to charge it before i can simply hook it to the amp and ground it. so i need a lot of help how do i do this without killing my self. Thanks |
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New member Username: ZxhoonMelbourne, Victoria Australia Post Number: 9 Registered: Sep-07 | phillp and Corey, check the following link: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/car-audio/part1/ scroll or search down to section 2.9 What is a "stiffening capacitor", and how does it work? good reading, gives cap size per wattage, although it does not define if that is RMS or not, perhaps check on some car audio manufaturers sites... also details on charging and installing for you Corey, be careful not to short the terminals once it is charged! |
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Gold Member Username: Nd4spd18Northwest PA Post Number: 3238 Registered: Jul-06 | You are never going to eliminate the dimming completely. It's caused by the alt's voltage regulator not being able to respond the the current draw fast enough. As long as the voltage stays above 12 you're fine. And I don't care how big of a capacitor you put on it, it aint going to fix it. |
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Silver Member Username: Holt_champHtown, MI Post Number: 869 Registered: Oct-06 | i dont want to fix it completely, i just want to help it so it doesnt dimm as much. when my bass hit now it sucks all the power and my lights almost turn off. but something else must have been wrong with my alt or big three like you said. thanks for all your input |
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Gold Member Username: Naledge503Http://com4.runboard.c... Post Number: 1880 Registered: Jun-06 | http://glasswolf.net/caraudio/capacitors.html |
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New member Username: ZxhoonMelbourne, Victoria Australia Post Number: 10 Registered: Sep-07 | technically if you had a big enough cap you could power your whole system for days, but thats just being silly... they arent designed to support an electrical system that cant support your stereo, etc. but they will help stop flicker.. phillp i think you should take your car to an auto elec and get them to double check everything is ok, and like i said in the other thread about your alternator check that its output is ok at idle, etc. good luck with it anyways mate  |
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Gold Member Username: Th3pwn3rPost Number:... Post Number: 5086 Registered: Jul-06 | I bet a lot of you guys don't know that a lot of competitors use CAPS.Booyah?Caps are useful when used properly. |
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Gold Member Username: CarguyPost Number: 6493 Registered: Nov-04 | That was the point I was trying to make for so long. Caps and any other electronic parts are not useless. If they were, they would've never been created in the first place. Like everything electronic, if or when used properly, it has it's benefits. So please try and not use the phrase "caps are garbage", "they're totally useless", "waste of money" etc. I seriously don't understand where people get such notions/ideas. I'll use car analogy so that everyone can understand. It's like a person testing F1 race car during bumper to bumper rush hour and saying, it's "totally useless" cause it goes as fast as Toyota's Echo. Just as bad would be using Toyota's Echo at a race track and say it's "a piece of garbage" cause it couldn't break the sound barrier. If the products were used as designed, then it can never be "garbage". |
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Silver Member Username: Holt_champHtown, MI Post Number: 870 Registered: Oct-06 | my alt read 14.5 at idle...and droped between 11 or 12. something inst. good thing im selling it right lol. im just trying to figure out everything for my new car when i get it. |
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