Capacitor

[hon_n_gem]

Hi all, ive just finished installing my ICE, and ive got 2 amps and a sub and when its kicking hard, my main head lights dim with the beats. Is it worth gettin a capacitor, and if so what rating? 1.0F or 1.5F etc... Does anyone recommend any in particular? Thanks


Hon

 

[davidol]

go for the biggest cap u can afford mate....saves u upgrading when u take the system further plus the larger the cap the smoother the response of power...

Dont really need a digital display....only used for show but it does help with initally charging the cap

hope this helps,

David

 

[EvilICE]

A capacitor wont actually stop the lights dimming. The only way to stop that is either to fit a larger, or deep cycle battery, or if needed a split charge system with a second battery in the boot.

The way a capacitor works is that it stores power from the battery and delivers it to the amp/s quicker than a battery can. The problem being that when the power is discharged from the capacitor, it has to recharge, therefore draining power from the battery and causing the same problem that you had in the first place...at the end of the day power caps are a bit of a waste of money really.

I would recommend a larger battery if it will go in the tray or a splitcharge to another battery if you will be upgrading your system later on

hope this helps

Russ

www.evilice.freeservers.com

 

[juss]

ive been told thatyou should have a 1 farad per 1000 wats

 

[EvilICE]

That is true in some cases. A power cap will, in SQ based systems, improve the bass response of an amp up to a point. However once all the stored charge is discharged, the system will either be the same or even possibly worse than it was originally. A 2 farad power cap will indeed do a better job than a 0.5 farad cap due to being able to store more charge, but the same problem arises with both. For instance Phoenix Gold make a 15 Farad power cap for high end systems but after half an hour with long low bass tones playing, the capacitor is draining power from the battery to get its power back therefore hindering the system.

personally a larger battery with a good cranking amp figure would be a better investment. Something like an Optima or another Deep Cycle Battery for instance.

Russ

www.evilice.freeservers.com