I got the caps for a great price ($73), so it made more sense to get 3 farads than just one. I know it's overkill, but oh well. I can't really return them since I got them off of ebay but maybe I could sell them back on there later if they don't do anything to help my system.
Can anyone recommend some good car battery brands? They never post the amperage on the batteries I've seen so I'd like to know what you guys think is a good battery to add..
-Segasonicfan
Can anyone recommend some good car battery brands? They never post the amperage on the batteries I've seen so I'd like to know what you guys think is a good battery to add..
-Segasonicfan
First
Last
Always
Optima brand.
Red or Yellow top depending on how long you will be playing with the engine off. Multiples only as required
If you compare CCA ratings you will have something like an idea... this is the amount of juice you "should" be able to get out of a full battery when cranking a cold engine/cold day IIRC
The capacitors can be installed if you don't mind a huge amount of current capability laying around in your trunk with the power off. Be sure to charge them properly or your wires will be conducting huge current until they are charged and big fuses are too expensive for that...
or resell them. Or send them free to me for The Cause.
/edit because I need sleep!
Last
Always
Optima brand.
Red or Yellow top depending on how long you will be playing with the engine off. Multiples only as required
If you compare CCA ratings you will have something like an idea... this is the amount of juice you "should" be able to get out of a full battery when cranking a cold engine/cold day IIRC
The capacitors can be installed if you don't mind a huge amount of current capability laying around in your trunk with the power off. Be sure to charge them properly or your wires will be conducting huge current until they are charged and big fuses are too expensive for that...
or resell them. Or send them free to me for The Cause.
/edit because I need sleep!
Thanks for the info. I looked up Optima batteries and they look pretty specialized. Nothing I'm going to find in the auto junkyards (where I'm looking for a cheap but decent car battery). I definitely don't mind extra current being stored in my trunk, but how do I charge the caps properly? I would assume I just plug them up to the battery without a load acting on them...or should I do something else? Please let me know
and sorry I can't donate the caps...$73 is quaite a lot of money to me ;/ But hey, if I get rich someday I'll be sending some nice caps your way
-Segasonicfan
and sorry I can't donate the caps...$73 is quaite a lot of money to me ;/ But hey, if I get rich someday I'll be sending some nice caps your way
-Segasonicfan
Ah, so um, you're still looking to blow things up then?
Spend some quality time with Google for the proper value, but there is a resistor involved to limit how fast the capacitors charge. Have you ever seen wire sublimate? I have and you might also if you hook the caps straight to the battery (with no fuse which would blow several times before 3 whole Farads were charged up). No there is definately a right and wrong way to charge large capacitors!
As for a good junkyard battery, good luck. Batteries of the regular type will last a couple of summers in a hot junkyard. They will be sulfated after a couple of winters without regular use. They will be dead-flat likely as not which will seriously limit their future current-storage abilities. Get the cheapy house-brand from your local parts store before you get an unknown-condition junkyard battery. Better still, get an Optima and you will likely not regret it.
p.s.:
sublimate is my short-term favorite word this 1:40AM.
I have a red-top in my car and never had problem one with it. The car even started quicker with no other changes after installing the Optima, but then the stock battery was pretty lousy and about ready to fail (MTBF 2 years for Solite vintage 2000! )
Spend some quality time with Google for the proper value, but there is a resistor involved to limit how fast the capacitors charge. Have you ever seen wire sublimate? I have and you might also if you hook the caps straight to the battery (with no fuse which would blow several times before 3 whole Farads were charged up). No there is definately a right and wrong way to charge large capacitors!
As for a good junkyard battery, good luck. Batteries of the regular type will last a couple of summers in a hot junkyard. They will be sulfated after a couple of winters without regular use. They will be dead-flat likely as not which will seriously limit their future current-storage abilities. Get the cheapy house-brand from your local parts store before you get an unknown-condition junkyard battery. Better still, get an Optima and you will likely not regret it.
p.s.:
sublimate is my short-term favorite word this 1:40AM.
I have a red-top in my car and never had problem one with it. The car even started quicker with no other changes after installing the Optima, but then the stock battery was pretty lousy and about ready to fail (MTBF 2 years for Solite vintage 2000! )
You should get a light bulb with the capacitors. If not, then take any 12v light bulb, and connect it in series with the power and capacitor (you need the ground connected to the cap). It will light up when the cap is charging, and eventually go out when the cap if fully charged. Then you can hook up your power cable directly to the cap.
I think the easiest way to chage caps would be to hook everything up (with the fuse removed), and stick the light bulb where the fuse would go. Once it stops glowing, replace the light bulb with a fuse.
I think the easiest way to chage caps would be to hook everything up (with the fuse removed), and stick the light bulb where the fuse would go. Once it stops glowing, replace the light bulb with a fuse.
Stocker, don't be an ***. Obviously I don't want to blow up anything and just because I don't know how to charge capacitors doesn't mean you should mock me. Obviously I'm here seeking constructive advice.
As for the battery, I'm not getting one that's been laying around a long time. The 'junkard' is actually an 'auto dismantler' called PicknPull. They sell car batteries that are hardly used and very new (they get new cars in every day). They are inspected, tested, and dirt cheap. I also plan on bringing my multimeter to test the output voltage for a battery before I buy it. I just don't have another $100 to spend on an Optima brand battery, no matter how nice they are.
xplod-that's a good idea. better yet, I'll use an LED in series of the power line
However, now that I think about it, the caps come with a large blue LED and an LED display of the charge amount. It's also new so hopefully it will have charging instructions with it
-Segasonicfan
As for the battery, I'm not getting one that's been laying around a long time. The 'junkard' is actually an 'auto dismantler' called PicknPull. They sell car batteries that are hardly used and very new (they get new cars in every day). They are inspected, tested, and dirt cheap. I also plan on bringing my multimeter to test the output voltage for a battery before I buy it. I just don't have another $100 to spend on an Optima brand battery, no matter how nice they are.
xplod-that's a good idea. better yet, I'll use an LED in series of the power line
However, now that I think about it, the caps come with a large blue LED and an LED display of the charge amount. It's also new so hopefully it will have charging instructions with it
-Segasonicfan
segasonicfan said:xplod-that's a good idea. better yet, I'll use an LED in series of the power line
Bad idea. The point of having the light bulb is to limit the current going to the caps. The LED will NOT limit the current, and will get fried in the process.
It's also new so hopefully it will have charging instructions with it
My cap came with charging/discharging instructions and a light bulb.
segasonicfan said:
I read this thread all the way through. Going back to your initial posts, it seems you are not improving your system, but adding successive bandaids to a monstrously ill-conceived & executed initial layout. If you brought your car to me to fix, I'd start by ripping everything out and pushing the "do-over" button; twice.
That being said, first & foremost, exactly what are you trying to accomplish with the inordinate amount of amplification and why do you want to add more? Second, what is the loudspeaker compliment you are trying to shoehorn into your Merc? Third, you're really pulling our legs aren't you?
How about a picture of the "install" too? Seeing the layout would help in finding a real solution for you.
appologize ahead of time if my post seems sarcastic-or evil,to be honest purchasing a new optima for 110.00 or so would have been a better choice,it will last you over 5 years-had mine for 7-and provide a easier load for your alt. it pays for itself compared to typical cell batts.the caps wont help much especially if you have a defficient batt.your 20 ga coax -current limiters!!-install for power and ground leads was borderline suicide ,and would never allow those amps to run as designed,ive been there myself when i was 13-14 years old i saved my money and bought a old orion 2350gx amp kenwood 93r cd player and polk audio speakers since i didnt have a car i tried to hook it up with my dads batt. charger-well lets say i didnt know what a remote leed was and had no idea what voltage and amperage was!!!but if they had internet back then i deff. would have researched before!,dont jump into it without it-youll save money time and some embarrasment-like my spelling!!
you NEED to change out your wiring.
I am one of those people that managed to catch my car on fire by using a guage of wire that was too small!
change it and change it quick. and you NEED to be runnign ti directly to your battery for best results.
as for your dryer at home, it runs on 120volts, 1,500watts on 120 wolts is only 12.5amps.
as for car wiring, 90% of the stuff in your car that has a fuse is only used for a few seconds. wipers, windows, locks, etc. ever look at the wire going to your starter? it requires a larger draw than enything at it should be at least 8 gauge and it's only running a couple feet. if 20gauge wire would have been sufficient for the starter, the mfg would have used it.
bottom line: Change out your wires because sooner or later, you'll have big trouble if you dont.
(also, are you one of those guys that runs power cables through the fender wells and the door cills? cuz dont do that either, if you get in a small side impac accident, you can short out the wire and cause yet again som trouble.)
I am one of those people that managed to catch my car on fire by using a guage of wire that was too small!
change it and change it quick. and you NEED to be runnign ti directly to your battery for best results.
as for your dryer at home, it runs on 120volts, 1,500watts on 120 wolts is only 12.5amps.
as for car wiring, 90% of the stuff in your car that has a fuse is only used for a few seconds. wipers, windows, locks, etc. ever look at the wire going to your starter? it requires a larger draw than enything at it should be at least 8 gauge and it's only running a couple feet. if 20gauge wire would have been sufficient for the starter, the mfg would have used it.
bottom line: Change out your wires because sooner or later, you'll have big trouble if you dont.
(also, are you one of those guys that runs power cables through the fender wells and the door cills? cuz dont do that either, if you get in a small side impac accident, you can short out the wire and cause yet again som trouble.)
Deagle50ae said:
xplod1236 said:
I also run wires in door cills but never in the fender wells. if the side impact is enough to crush and short the wire in the door cills to chassis, I wouldn't consider it a "small" impact. just my 2C.
note: I always have a main fuse within 10" from the battery. most often, 6-8" and not any further.
Well, all the points that have been exposed concerning the need for heavy gauge wires, fuses, and direct battery connection are right.
However, I would like to point out that the voltage drop appreciated in the electrical system of the vehicle has nothing to do with the gaugue of the power wires of the amplifiers, since the voltage drop across these wires is only seen by the amplifiers.
The voltage drop seen by most people when light bulbs dimm actually happens in the battery, in the ground wire that goes from the battery to the chasis and in the own chasis. In order to 'see' the actual voltage drop across the audio power wires, a light bulb would have to be connected to the power terminals of some amplifier.
It's quite obvious that the current that feeds the electrical system of the vehicle is not flowing through the audio wiring...
However, I would like to point out that the voltage drop appreciated in the electrical system of the vehicle has nothing to do with the gaugue of the power wires of the amplifiers, since the voltage drop across these wires is only seen by the amplifiers.
The voltage drop seen by most people when light bulbs dimm actually happens in the battery, in the ground wire that goes from the battery to the chasis and in the own chasis. In order to 'see' the actual voltage drop across the audio power wires, a light bulb would have to be connected to the power terminals of some amplifier.
It's quite obvious that the current that feeds the electrical system of the vehicle is not flowing through the audio wiring...
Here is a site with extensive car audio information:www.bcae1.com. I'm glad to see that you have decided to upgrade your power wiring. A battery will help your car's electrical system with the audio installation but if you are exceeding the output of your alternator when everything is running you will be in the market for another battery and a high-output alternator. MB usually has a fairly high output from the alternators and it might be that your choice of small wire was the cause of the original dimming. Capacitors are a load on the electrical system and I would advise against them.
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