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amp to powerful, cap or alternator?

Discussion in 'Interior' started by Concordmk1, May 29, 2004.

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    Concordmk1 Guest

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    Can someone explain to me how a capacitor works? I'm going to be putting two 10's in my trunk and have two amps, one ofr bass, one for sound. I want to know how it's all going to work first though.
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    a cap basically stores power from the battery when ur subs arnt hitting when they do hit it uses up the energy it stores. so basically if u have a song that the bass hits constantly the cap wont have time to store energy more strain on ur battery. thats the way it was explained to me. what kind of amps u have concordmk1? 2 or 4 channel amps?
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    Concordmk1 Guest

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    Sorry, I don't have them yet. That is my plans for my system. I'm very open for suggestions on amps.
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    depends on what subs u are going with. iam partial to mtx their new amps look sweet my 4 channel should be in this week.
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    Concordmk1 Guest

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    I'm looking at anything Best Buy carries. I work there and can get it dirt cheap. I'm not a big rap person, more of a metal, alternative, rock, Insane Clown Posse type of guy. So I think a capacitor would do me fine. But I do like my bass where I can still hear the lyrics and instrumentals.
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    well then go with 10 inch subs with no cap and a small amp
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    how much of a discount do u get for working there?
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    falnfenix Well-Known Member

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    go with a cap
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    killer2239 Lift at 5700rpm

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    amp to powerful, cap or alternator?

    Ok, i have a Hifonics Brutus 1000watt RMS amp. I got my new headunit in yesterday, kenwood. 600 retail value, (gotta love ebay for 300, haha). Well anyways, the sub out on this is the 5.0V, and my old one was 2.5, so my amp could never push the good power to the subs, now it does. And omg it rocks. But now when i drive my lights flicker :(.

    I believe the stock alternator is a 70amp. I know i can get an 80amp alternator for 150 or so. Would that fix the problem, or would a cap fix the problem. I heard caps cant do shit if your alternator isnt the greatest or something. The amp is a 60amp fuse. What ya all recommend?

    Also, is there any way to know what watts your amp is giving out?
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    killer2239 Lift at 5700rpm

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    thanks guys. My dad is gonna find a good battery from Interstate that is optima style, i found a 800 cold cranking amp optima for like 140 on the net. The best interestate so far is 640 cold cranking and 800 max. But he is authorized seller of the batterys, so might get me good deal hopefully.

    As for the ground wires, are there any kits i can buy, or do i just need to go buy 8 gauge or what size wire and cut and get pieces to put on the ends and such.

    Thanks for your help.
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    RollaRyder1103 New Member

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    i heard best buy employees get 1/2 off, some guy i knew back in hs did @least. Get your subz and amp 1st, then see if you have any power shortages...flickering headlightz and what not, then upgrade battery (Optima Yellow Top...Highly Recommended...thatz what I got) and I just upgraded my old subs, amp, and head unit yesterday and w/ my new setup I needed 2 capz...but I've got some massive bass goin on now...go here 2 this thread 2 check it out...
    My Latest Add-On 2 My Indigo Dreamz - My 99 Rolla

    You can buy like a HKS HyperGround wires kit on ebay, but make sure itz the eral HKS one, I know there r otherz out there 2.
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    prophesized Guest

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    dont bother with a cap. get a good battery (like an optima) and replace your battery->ground, battery->alt, and alt->ground wires. then if you still have a problem get a new alt.
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    TeamElement3 Guest

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    I'm agreeing with Proph on this one
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    well yea makes more sense
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    vanion2 Guest

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    Caps do not put more strain on the battery. If they do not have enough time to charge then the lights start flickering again. I am an electronic technician so I have real experience with this. They don't run current (and in fact are a "open" in a circuit) but store a voltage charge so there is no real pull on the electrical system.

    Everything else he said was correct though. The cap basically takes the "hits" from your system and are frequently used in high powered systems. But as Prohpesized said, battery, ground wires, and alternator first. Otherwise you are putting a band aid on and could damage your alternator by straining it too much from your system's constant pull.
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    Mike4831 C-Town Pimp

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    capacitor

    A capacitor is a passive electronic component that stores energy in the form of an electrostatic field. In its simplest form, a capacitor consists of two conducting plates separated by an insulating material called the dielectric. The capacitance is directly proportional to the surface areas of the plates, and is inversely proportional to the separation between the plates. Capacitance also depends on the dielectric constant of the substance separating the plates.


    I bought my cap because when my system hit my headlights where dimming. I would got ahead and get on. I bought a 1.0 Farad Digital cap on ebay for 60 bucks. You can't do any better than that.
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    corollarider19 New Member

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    well see thanks for clearing it up iam no expert. i have a 1 fraud cap and my lights still dim but oh well
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    Concordmk1 Guest

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    On audio equipment we do get around 50% off. Sometimes more. Other stuff is a shit discount.

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