? on Caps....

[Rafa]

Eventually I will redo whole system, but right now just trying to get a sub and some dynomat. Anyways, soon as I get those 2 things I will be hooking up a 500w RMS amp for sub with aftermarket hu. I will not be blasting it constantly, but I will turn it up from time to time just not that loud. I was talking with a co-worker about systems and got into caps. Here's my ?

1. At what point will I need a cap?
(He's saying I should get one when I hook up amp/sub)

2. Don't it depend on how you will be using the system?
(Most pwr I will want when I'm done with everything is about 7-800w RMS)

3. If I do need one, would a 1/2f cap work or would I need a 1f?

thanks,

[ThreeFingerPete]

A cap is used to stabilize voltage, so if your charging system is only making ~12.5 volts under load, and ~10.5 during a deep bass hit, you MIGHT see a slight increase during the first .5 second of that bass hit. Capacitors discharge extremely quickly, and should not be looked at as a band aid for an otherwise stock charging system.

Don't bother with a cap until the rest of your charging system is up to par. Battery cables, engine/chassis ground, alternator wiring, etc. You would be better off spending 100$ on an Optima than you would buying a cap.

[dman]

at what it seems you are doing, a stock charging system with a 500 w amp is fine. If you are utilizing 4 ga. power cabling or under, the ground in the system is fine. A cap is always a good idea, less strain on your altenator and charging system for sure, but as said above. An extra battery (deep cycle of some sort, optima i prefer) would benifit you better. Upgrading any of your charging system would only benifit you, but as i said really not required with what you are doing. Good luck with your project.

Thunder Audio

[BP]

Caps are a giant waste of cash. They are good for only one thing, lessening headlight dimming. You lose SPL when using them and can possibly introduce noise into the system. Add more battery or spend the cash on a higher output alternator.

[Rafa]

I didn't think I needed one especially for what I'm going to do. Just wanted to be "sure". "Whenever" I get a chance to upgrade my front spkrs and a seperate amp for them I will look into a battery and/or alternator if needed. Amp for fronts will probably be in range of 200w RMS. Just didn't know I would need a cap for when I get up there in pwr.

Thanks for replies

[BP]

I didn't think I needed one especially for what I'm going to do. Just wanted to be "sure". "Whenever" I get a chance to upgrade my front spkrs and a seperate amp for them I will look into a battery and/or alternator if needed. Amp for fronts will probably be in range of 200w RMS. Just didn't know I would need a cap for when I get up there in pwr.

Thanks for replies

Depending on your vehicle you might be fine just with upgraded wiring and a battery swap. Of course your listening style and what amps you run will need to be factored in. I'm hoping you don't listen to 700 watts 100% of the time.

My Sonoma has around 1500 watts of power and I'm still using the stock alternator and a single Optima. I did however upgrade the battery cables and alternator wiring to 1 gauge and ran the same to the amps. If you blast it the voltage will drop down to 10.5-11 after a second or two but we are talking 150+db on a term pro meter and 153-154 on an AC, not something you'd do all the time. For normal listening it works fine, for competition I really need more alternator and batteries but it "works".

[EW]

IMO, the best thing you can do is high ouput alternator and high quality battery. Upgrade all alt and batt power and ground connections. Improve chassis ground.

[NeedleSharp]

if you got a shitty import car like a honda or sumtin, then you might see some problems with a single average battery pushin 800 ACTUAL watts of bass... not sony Explode 4000 watts but 800 watts of powers is alot... a deep cycle battery would benifit the most... caps a good idea if you dont want you headlights to dim :cool:

its really easy to see what the voltage is if you know anything about electronics too... you might wanna jus wire and up and put a voltage meeter to it and see what the hell happens... kinda some other factors like the car, battery, amp brand, and kind of music you listen to that need to be taken into account before anyone can say that it will be fine or w/e... like said above, it will work but you wont necessarily get the best results...

anyways try some of the shit ppl said about. its all great advice... good luck!