OK, I've never used a capacitor before, so I want to be sure before I hook it up. One of the terminals has a + and the other has nothing. So I assume I hook the + side to the line side and the other to the load side inline with the 4 ga power supply. But we know what happens when we assume, so I just wanted to ask first. Thanks.
Stephen
Stupid Easy Question-Please Don't Laugh
Positive is what you hook up your power wire coming from the battery to. The side that has no label is what you connect your ground to (to your chassis). You have then 2 options once you run power wire to your amp from the cap. here they are...
1. You can run the ground cable from the cap ground, (once it has been grounded to the car with the same size wire as your power wire) to your amplifier and not have to make 2 holes in your car.
2. You can ground your amplifier wherever you want and not run the ground cable back to the cap.
Option #1 has been known to reduce or eliminate "ground loop noise" that often plagues car audio systems.
Option #2 is good if your cap is more than a few feet away from your amp so you cannot do option 1.
My opinion is to go with option #1. That is the way that I have done my systems. The cool thing about it is that it works for multiple amplifiers.
Just remember, many capacitors will need to be intially charged with a 10 to 50 ohm resistor connected to the power wire for usually 8 to 25 seconds depending on the size. After charging is completed, simply connect the power wire to the cap directly VERY carefully.
I have found the easiest way to do this is to hook up the entire system with the cap installed as it should be with the battery fuse (under the hood) out. Then... when you are ready to charge the system, just put the resistor between the wire coming from the battery and the wire going to your cap. When you have charged for 8 to 25 seconds, then just take the resistor out and put the fuse in there. VOILA! done. Good Luck!
1. You can run the ground cable from the cap ground, (once it has been grounded to the car with the same size wire as your power wire) to your amplifier and not have to make 2 holes in your car.
2. You can ground your amplifier wherever you want and not run the ground cable back to the cap.
Option #1 has been known to reduce or eliminate "ground loop noise" that often plagues car audio systems.
Option #2 is good if your cap is more than a few feet away from your amp so you cannot do option 1.
My opinion is to go with option #1. That is the way that I have done my systems. The cool thing about it is that it works for multiple amplifiers.
Just remember, many capacitors will need to be intially charged with a 10 to 50 ohm resistor connected to the power wire for usually 8 to 25 seconds depending on the size. After charging is completed, simply connect the power wire to the cap directly VERY carefully.
I have found the easiest way to do this is to hook up the entire system with the cap installed as it should be with the battery fuse (under the hood) out. Then... when you are ready to charge the system, just put the resistor between the wire coming from the battery and the wire going to your cap. When you have charged for 8 to 25 seconds, then just take the resistor out and put the fuse in there. VOILA! done. Good Luck!
:ylsuper :ylsuperSimmsled wrote:Positive is what you hook up your power wire coming from the battery to. The side that has no label is what you connect your ground to (to your chassis). You have then 2 options once you run power wire to your amp from the cap. here they are...
1. You can run the ground cable from the cap ground, (once it has been grounded to the car with the same size wire as your power wire) to your amplifier and not have to make 2 holes in your car.
2. You can ground your amplifier wherever you want and not run the ground cable back to the cap.
Option #1 has been known to reduce or eliminate "ground loop noise" that often plagues car audio systems.
Option #2 is good if your cap is more than a few feet away from your amp so you cannot do option 1.
My opinion is to go with option #1. That is the way that I have done my systems. The cool thing about it is that it works for multiple amplifiers.
Just remember, many capacitors will need to be intially charged with a 10 to 50 ohm resistor connected to the power wire for usually 8 to 25 seconds depending on the size. After charging is completed, simply connect the power wire to the cap directly VERY carefully.
I have found the easiest way to do this is to hook up the entire system with the cap installed as it should be with the battery fuse (under the hood) out. Then... when you are ready to charge the system, just put the resistor between the wire coming from the battery and the wire going to your cap. When you have charged for 8 to 25 seconds, then just take the resistor out and put the fuse in there. VOILA! done. Good Luck!
Hey thanks for the detailed info. Let me see if I understand it. Battery + to the + side of the cap and the other side to chassis ground. And then I run my amp power(which goes to a distro block about 8 inches from the cap) to the ground side of the cap? Should I ground the cap and both amps at the same point?
Stephen
WOAH!!!
Here is the path that your power (+) wire takes...
Battery... under hood fuse... goes through the car to your cap (+) side... distribution block... amplifier
Your GROUND wire does not go to the distribution block connected to the cap!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is your ground wire path.Starts at Amplifier... then goes to the same GROUND where your cap is grounded !!!!(to your car metal)!!!!
Yes... you will only have one ground point on your car. The cap and whatever amps you have will be grounded to your chassis at one point.
If I read that you want to take the amp power to the ground side of the cap ... DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD DIE!!!!!
the only thing connected to your non labeled post on your cap will be one wire that goes to the chassis on your car. NOTHING ELSE!!!
But if I read that wrong ... then I am sorry. Let me know how it goes.
Here is the path that your power (+) wire takes...
Battery... under hood fuse... goes through the car to your cap (+) side... distribution block... amplifier
Your GROUND wire does not go to the distribution block connected to the cap!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is your ground wire path.Starts at Amplifier... then goes to the same GROUND where your cap is grounded !!!!(to your car metal)!!!!
Yes... you will only have one ground point on your car. The cap and whatever amps you have will be grounded to your chassis at one point.
If I read that you want to take the amp power to the ground side of the cap ... DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD DIE!!!!!
the only thing connected to your non labeled post on your cap will be one wire that goes to the chassis on your car. NOTHING ELSE!!!
But if I read that wrong ... then I am sorry. Let me know how it goes.
Simmsled wrote:WOAH!!!
Here is the path that your power (+) wire takes...
Battery... under hood fuse... goes through the car to your cap (+) side... distribution block... amplifier
Your GROUND wire does not go to the distribution block connected to the cap!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is your ground wire path.Starts at Amplifier... then goes to the same GROUND where your cap is grounded !!!!(to your car metal)!!!!
Yes... you will only have one ground point on your car. The cap and whatever amps you have will be grounded to your chassis at one point.
If I read that you want to take the amp power to the ground side of the cap ... DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!! YOU COULD DIE!!!!!
the only thing connected to your non labeled post on your cap will be one wire that goes to the chassis on your car. NOTHING ELSE!!!
But if I read that wrong ... then I am sorry. Let me know how it goes.
Don't worry, I figured out how stupid my last post sounded shortly after posting. Thanks for all your help. As soon as I finish tuning my amps I will hook up the cap. I have two JBL amps: 300.1 and 80.4. With a fully charged battery, I could only play my stereo with the car off for about 8 minutes before killing my battery. So I think a 1 farad cap was the way to go. I have two Coustic 12" subs with the carbon fiber cones. I hit the subs to the rear just like I did in my Subaru. Only thing is, I can barely hear them in my Q. In my Subaru, it sounded like the back end of the car was coming apart. Who's brilliant idea was it to put the gas tank between the back seat and the trunk? Oh well, I guess I will drop them to 2 ohm and face them forward and see how that sounds. Thanks again.
Stephen