Yes, I know, I know. You all should be sick of hearing newbies asking about capacitors. However PLEASE READ THIS THREAD BEFORE DISCARDING IT. I have been reading about capacitors all day today and have already decided which capacitor i will buy an have good reasons (at least for me) to buy it so i will not ask the regular questions (shall i buy a capacitor or a battery? Will a capacitor help me out with my current setup? etc.) I have read several opinions on how to wire the capacitors and haven't found consensus on this topic, not even on the capacitor manufacturer’s web sites. My questions for you power experts are the following. 1. Is it possible to place the capacitor before a fused distribution block? (Some manufacturers say yes, some others say never put a fuse between the capacitor and the amp.) 2. Should I wire the ground of the capacitor to the same grounding point of the amps or should i ground it to a different point in my car's chassis? (Again some manufacturers say to ground at a different point, some others suggest at the same point to avoid grounding loops.) What do you think? By the way, these are two of the manufacturer’s websites that I was consulting, http://www.lanzar.com/manuals/LQ12CAP.pdf http://www.stingerelectronics.com/te...0Cap Own.pdf http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/scrip...cF9yb3dfY250PT ExJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9MyZwX3Byb2RfbHZsMT0yMiZwX3Byb2RfbHZsMj0zOSZwX2Nh dF9sdmwxPX5hbnl_JnBfc29ydF9ieT1kZmx0JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=
i grounded my cap to the same spot as the AMP so I think that should be fine.. I dunno about the other question
I DO NOT reccomend the use of a cap, with that said......... IF you MUST waste your moeny on one, here is at least the right way to install it to get any possible use from it........... First, the cap needs to be as CLOSE to the amp as possible, not 2 feet away, not under the hood. Parallel the positive of the cap with the power wire going into the amp. Within 18 inches or less. (ideally, it would be soldered directly to the power supply low voltage side) For the ground, Make its own independant ground. Dont use the amps ground and keep it a few inches away from the amp ground at least. DO NOT fuse the cap! Its a waste of time, effort and money. They hold curent for a long time, but release it virtually within milliseconds. not enough time constant to create a fire hazard. Fun with one farad caps!!!! Charge one up, ask your buddy who chews copenhagen to bum you a chew. Take his can, slam the metal lids across the cap, POW!!! Bloes 2 small holes in his lid!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!!!! Charge up a cap, put it in your pants (front side) make it look like you have a massive cactus!!!!!! have to 10 gauge wires coming off of it, walk around and tell everyone you are a terrorist and are gunna blow your own family jewels off if they donrt (insert reason here)....When your buddies dont do as asked, threaten to short the wires out causing the cap to explode!!!!! (most folks in the car audio circle seem to think this for some reason) Short the wires out carefully and make big sparks for a second and watchthem RUN!!!!! Charge a cap, tie it onto a long rope. tie the other end onto your boat, you now have a very effective boat anchor!!!!! (hehe! )
Upgrading your big three and having the largest power wire you can is more effective than a cap. For the price of a capacitor I would rather buy another battery
1. No fuse between the cap and the amp. If the cap shorts to groung, the main fuse at the battery will go, the cap will discharge almost instantly, so there should be no problem. 2. I think you might be misinterpreting what they mean. Many people seem to think the same point means on top of each other, NO NO NO NO All amp grounds including the cap should be at the same point seperared by about a 1/2-inch.
caps are a waste of time. a cap killer battery makes a difference. a AGM battery with a very low internal ESR, lower then that of a capacitor actually, and it can push lots of current very quickly. i added that plus 4 wheelchair batteries and 2 deep cycle 6 volts under the hood, 200 amp alt. and my shiz runs like a champ. lights never ever dim, power is very constant. and the dual seriesd 6 volts will push hella amps for hours. just an idea for all yall
viking, ranger, Thanks a lot for your responses, that was the exact expert answers I was expecting!!! I know many people think capacitors are a waste of money, however mine came with the car I bought so I rather install it than leave it on my garage. (At least i has a voltage reader that looks cool!) Just to elaborate a little bit more about fuses, I understand that the fuse between the battery and the capacitor may be a waste of time and effort to install because the limited current that the cap can store. However what about the fuse between the cap and the amp??? Some manufacturers say never to install it but i would certainly be more relaxed with a fuse between my amp and the capacitor (in case that something happens in the amp, this fuse will blow stop the current flow to it)
DO put a fuse within 18 ionches of any battery connection!!!!!!!! DO NOT fuse the leads on the cap!!! It will not do you any good!!! A cap discharges almost instantly and it wont store enough current to melt down and burn out a chunk of 4 AWG!!!!!! Do this, It will prove it......Hook up 2 peices of 10 AWG to the cap, charge it.....then short the wires out........big spark, thats it, nothing more, no fire, no heat, no worry....
