Audio (and aftermarket electronics) This is your place for alarms, remote starters, to brag about your system, exaggerate your db levels, or simply ask questions for stock or aftermarket audio. No Flames! (except from roasted amps)

Ordered my AMP today :)

Old 02-13-2011, 11:30 AM
  #31  
Senior Member
Posts like a Turbo
 
04MonteLS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA.
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
04MonteLS is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by jwfirebird
caps are not a gimmick
Old 02-13-2011, 12:04 PM
  #32  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
 
jwfirebird's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: western,ny state
Posts: 9,616
Received 579 Likes on 497 Posts
jwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond repute
Default

I may not know everything about car audio but how a cap works is electronics 101 for someone who went to school for and makes a living working on electronics.
http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newslett...citor_myth.htm
Old 02-13-2011, 02:52 PM
  #33  
Senior Member
Posts like a Turbo
 
04MonteLS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA.
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
04MonteLS is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by jwfirebird
I may not know everything about car audio but how a cap works is electronics 101 for someone who went to school for and makes a living working on electronics.
http://www.caraudiohelp.com/newslett...citor_myth.htm
Let me hit you with a quick fact bro

None of the 50+ people I know who compete in db drag/meca/usaci competitions across the state of California have a capacitor in their installs. The power being run in their systems varies from 1500 on up to 30k+ watts rms and not a single person has a cap in their system. NOT ONE! It damn sure isn't because they cost so much or are so hard to install. Is that not enough to make you wonder why? Go to any spl comp in the country and you'll be hard pressed to find a cap installed. All you're going to find is lots of large guage wire, multiple runs of it actually, large battery banks and lots of high output alternators.

Maybe you know something they don't!
Old 02-13-2011, 03:20 PM
  #34  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Thread Starter
 
Buick96's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,344
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Buick96 is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by raptor660
O LORD! LOL... another thing we need to teach ya. Caps r a gimmick! The companies state they store power correct? what has to put power into it? An alternater... what causes dimming lights and voltage drop? currant draw that exceeds the output of a alt at idle. so thats just another thing for the alt to power, and as soon as the bass hits one time the cap is "emptied" and the alt is always trying to play catch up.

what will really help is a big three upgrade, BUT that amp ur running shouldnt be drawing enough power to experience voltage drop... ur lights r dimming? If u go to a real car audio shop u will never see them selling a capacitor, and will laugh at u if u mention one.

and as for wiring them, since they r svc, u r pretty limited, ur gonna have to stick to a 2 ohm load

Sorry, lol
LOL


anyway i fixed it hahaha im retarded as hell (I worked a 12 hour shift with no sleep and hooked an amp up) I forgot that when I disconnected my neg terminal on my battery to do the swap that my stereos settings would be erased, so today on my way to work i was getting all the settings back together and taadaaaa it sounds right now lmfao.. and it sounds pretty damn good so im happy. On the amp though I need to tweak a few things which I will show you in one of the following pics:








These settings are the ones im not too sure about I just turned them to similar to what the other amp had so I know they arent right.


Old 02-13-2011, 03:40 PM
  #35  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
 
jwfirebird's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: western,ny state
Posts: 9,616
Received 579 Likes on 497 Posts
jwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Originally Posted by 04MonteLS
Let me hit you with a quick fact bro

None of the 50+ people I know who compete in db drag/meca/usaci competitions across the state of California have a capacitor in their installs. The power being run in their systems varies from 1500 on up to 30k+ watts rms and not a single person has a cap in their system. NOT ONE! It damn sure isn't because they cost so much or are so hard to install. Is that not enough to make you wonder why? Go to any spl comp in the country and you'll be hard pressed to find a cap installed. All you're going to find is lots of large guage wire, multiple runs of it actually, large battery banks and lots of high output alternators.

Maybe you know something they don't!
he said caps are gimmicks, and they are not they do exactly what they are supposed to. which is regulate the power from the alternator so you dont have the head lights flickering on a system like mine. you think im going to run a big amp alt and a second battery and a bunch of big wires for that your crazy. not everybody needs or wants a competition level setup.
Old 02-13-2011, 03:50 PM
  #36  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
 
jwfirebird's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: western,ny state
Posts: 9,616
Received 579 Likes on 497 Posts
jwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond reputejwfirebird has a reputation beyond repute
Default

your hu has 2.5v pre amp outputs so you can set your input v between the 2 and 3 , and i think you need to put your freq cut off higher, and your amp will love you more if you mount it somewhere else besides the sub box. the vibration will cut down your life span.
Old 02-13-2011, 03:52 PM
  #37  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
 
xtremerevolution's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: New Lenox, IL
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
xtremerevolution is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by jwfirebird
he said caps are gimmicks, and they are not they do exactly what they are supposed to. which is regulate the power from the alternator so you dont have the head lights flickering on a system like mine. you think im going to run a big amp alt and a second battery and a bunch of big wires for that your crazy. not everybody needs or wants a competition level setup.
Hey, calm down. It is a fact that if your lights are dimming, you have a weak electrical system and adding a capacitor will only lead you to a quicker alternator death and its only a short term bandaid to a bigger problem. It is NOT the solution. This is not an opinion, this is a fact. Capacitors are useful for smaller environments like circuit boards where devices are very sensitive and need that stability in power, but in sound systems they don't have a place but the retail shelves where they can sell them to people who think they know what they're doing.

I ran a cap until last year and removing it made absolutely no difference. I have upgraded wiring in my car to 0/1 AWG CCA because the factory wire is designed only to support the loads of the factory sound system. The only thing that my cap was was good for is zapping the hell out of me when I worked on the car and forgot I had it plugged in. I'm currently running an MRP-M1000 on two 10" subs and no matter how hard I push them, my lights don't dim. I can guarantee you that adding a second trunk battery, even a small golf car sized one, will make a bigger difference than adding a capacitor.

Caps are gimmics, competition or not. If competition guys choose not to use them, what makes you think that at lower levels they should be used? In car audio, they are an epic waste of money and time.

Now, read the following over and over again until it sinks in. I'm not going to ask twice.

WHAT IS A CAPACITOR?

Basically, capacitors are an energy storage device. Large, 1 Farad or more
capacitors store energy (electrons) between their plates. Capacitors differ
from batteries because batteries store energy in the form of chemical
energy--and rely on acid and lead plates, as the place of storage. For a more detailed
description of a capacitor, go here:

http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/caraudio.htm

Then on the right hand side, scroll down to CAPACITOR. Keep in mind the use
of capacitors in an audio system.

WHY DO PEOPLE BUY CAPACITORS?

The number 1 reason would have to be because their lights dim when their
system is playing HARD. In car audio, we are told that a capacitor is
designed to prevent the voltage drop associated with your lights dimming.
The number2 reason is that it is rumored to 'improve' sound quality or
'stiffen' the power supply/source.

WHY DO MY LIGHTS DIM?

Headlights brightness is in direct proportion to the source voltage. For
instance, if your car is running, system voltage is ~12.5 -14.4 VOLTS. Your
lights will be much brighter than when your car is turned off--where battery
voltage is ~12V. Most car alternators put out between 75 to 120 amps of
current. When this current draw threshold of the charging system is
exceeded, system voltage will drop as power demands are now shared by the
alternator and the storage devices (battery & cap). We are using battery
reserves beyond this point until the demand lessens

When playing your system really hard. Your lights dim because your
alternator can't keep up it'* charging voltage (around 13.5V) and therefore,
demand exceeds output. When this happens, your electronic devices are
dipping into the power storage of the battery. Since the battery stores
power at ~ 12-12.5V, there is a 1.3 to 1.8V drop in voltage available. This
in turn is why your lights dim down.

HOW MUCH POWER DOES A CAPACITOR STORE?

1 Farad = 100 joules or 100W/second
850cca battery = ~2,200,000 farads

For storage purposes, you'd need ~2,200 1 Farad capacitors to equal the energy of your battery.

Due to its impedence (ESR & ESL), a cap'* energy is only 50% available. What'* worse, is that in order for a 1 Farad cap to discharge, first the alternator output must have maxed out, and the voltage must have dropped around 1.5 volts. But I thought a cap was supposed to prevent that (voltage drop)!!!!!????? Yep, you got the point.


IF A BATTERY = 2,200 CAPS, THEN WHY BUY A (PUNY) CAP?

My question exactly. Marketing is the reason why people buy caps. In many cases, upgrading wiring will help your system get the maximum transfer of current. Once that has been reached, adding a capacitor may have a minor effect on your system. 50W over the course of a second is not a lot of power considering an amplifier may draw 2000W to put out 1400 watts. Let'* look at the situation from a resources standpoint.

Alternator 80 amps
Car accessories (minus stereo) 40 amps
A large Car Audio system (DRAWS ) ~200 amps AT FULL OUTPUT

In this case, you have 240 amps of draw, but only 80 amps of current from the alternator. In your case, you need 160 amps x 12 volts or or let'* say 1920 watts of energy. Since a cap stores 50W, how much of a difference do you think it'* going to make? A cap is basically a peashooter. W+e need a Howitzer cannon here, to do the job well.

Also, Once a cap is discharged, where does it get it'* power from? The alternator, which is already overloaded. Once a cap is discharged, it'* worthless. Like SWEZ says, ・.The cap already shot its wad, an does limp til recharged・ I知 not so certain I will allow him to babysit my kids, but you get the drift. (I never said it quiet like that... and oh...I'm great with kids!)

SO, WHAT IS A CAPACITOR GOOD FOR?

1. Audio Jewelry- impress chicks with large cylindrical shiny thingy
2. Extra weight in winter time
3. A very POOR... BUT expensive distribution block
4. A projectile in the event of a crash
5. Rolling pin--for cooking purposes
6. A neat thing to tell your friend, "..Hey man, lick the top of this..


Source: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/...any-fuses.html

FYI: many of the guys on diyma.com are competition SPL and SQ competitors and they know a lot more than you do about car audio.

That being said, I love to cook, so I've now found a purpose for my 1 farad capacitor that was previously just another thing taking up space on my shelf.
Old 02-13-2011, 03:54 PM
  #38  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
 
xtremerevolution's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: New Lenox, IL
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
xtremerevolution is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by Buick96
LOL


anyway i fixed it hahaha im retarded as hell (I worked a 12 hour shift with no sleep and hooked an amp up) I forgot that when I disconnected my neg terminal on my battery to do the swap that my stereos settings would be erased, so today on my way to work i was getting all the settings back together and taadaaaa it sounds right now lmfao.. and it sounds pretty damn good so im happy. On the amp though I need to tweak a few things which I will show you in one of the following pics:



These settings are the ones im not too sure about I just turned them to similar to what the other amp had so I know they arent right.

A couple things to note. I have seen many amps blow due to mounting to the sub box. This is a very bad idea due to the vibrations. I bought an amp from a guy before who used it mounted to a sub that put out 1600W RMS, and I was only able to use it for about 2 months before it stopped working. The switches started getting finicky, things were shorting out, and one day all I saw was a large puff of smoke and that was it. I would very, very highly recommend you mount the sub elsewhere, NOT on the box. Given the reports of this sub not being 2 Ohm stable at high loads and the issues with overheating, I would also recommend (as I recommended earlier) that you space out the sub from its mounting platform by a few washers to allow air to pass underneath it. If you absolutely insist on installing it in the back of the sub box, use rubber grommet mounts to absorb some of the vibrations.
Old 02-13-2011, 05:13 PM
  #39  
Senior Member
True Car Nut
Thread Starter
 
Buick96's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,344
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Buick96 is on a distinguished road
Default

The amp being on the box is temporary until I get longer +,- wires, I want it visible but i have wire length issues. Theres a one washer space on there right now, I was going to do 2 which would have given it a good amount of space but I didnt have any screws long enough.. There were alot of stupid roadblocks in my way last night lol.
Old 02-13-2011, 05:48 PM
  #40  
Senior Member
Posts like a Turbo
 
04MonteLS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA.
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
04MonteLS is on a distinguished road
Default

Originally Posted by jwfirebird
he said caps are gimmicks, and they are not they do exactly what they are supposed to. which is regulate the power from the alternator so you dont have the head lights flickering on a system like mine. you think im going to run a big amp alt and a second battery and a bunch of big wires for that your crazy. not everybody needs or wants a competition level setup.
Alright boss

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: Ordered my AMP today :)



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 02:37 AM.