What is the purpose of car audio capacitors? ?

Question

i hear they prevent your headlights from dimming if u are using a lot of power with your subs.

AND BESIDES ONLINE ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN PURCHASE A DIGITAL CAPACITOR??? THE MORE PLACES THE BETTER.. THANKS

Answer 1

a cap should not be used for car audio purposes...EVER!

i really wish i would have came up with this whole idea of using them so i could sit back and collect all the cash this market has generated. someone is laughing their *** off.....maybe i can come out with a tire air filter....you know...when the tire moves it will filter the air from all the debris that can corrode the rubber...lol

Answer 2

listen to MDC

don't WASTE your cash on a cap

Answer 3

capacitors are used to

1) prevent damage to battery and alternator

2) prevent clipping from speakers

3) create optimal wattage for an amplifier

it protects the battery and alternator by storing energy so when subs are hitting the hardest they drain from the capacitor's resevoir instead of directly from your battery which puts a strain on your alternator to keep the battery powered. Also amps are usually rated at 14.4 volts and a cars electrical system is usually in the 12 volt range so adding a cap lets your amp be powered at closer to 14 volts resulting in more wattage output to the subs or speakers.

any major businesses will carry caps such as best but, circuit city, I have even seen the at wallmart though they are not as strong. Also when buying a cap remember 1 farad rating on the cap means it can supply power effeciently to around 1 thousand watts. if you have a 2 thousand watt system then look for a 2 farad cap.  

Answer 4

basically a capacitor is something that stores power, then when the power is demanded, it will fire off all the energy it has stored.

Answer 5

boomahh spl king is totally incorrect.

1) prevent damage to battery and alternator = wrong - A cap can add additional strain to an overworked alternator.  This can make your battery and alternator be damaged even faster.

2) prevent clipping from speakers = wrong - clipping is a totally different issue that has nothing to do with the powering of the amplifier.  They are in no way related.

3) create optimal wattage for an amplifier = wrong - A cap does nothing for wattage but will only stabalize voltage.

4) It prevents healights from dimming = WRONG

The only ways to prevent headlight dimming are to 1) big 3 upgrade (http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/foru... 2) upgrade to a deep cycle battery and 3) upgrade to a high output alternator

These are going to be what you need to do if you have headlight dimming issues.  I suggest doing them in that order and stopping when your problem is solved.  If you let us know how much RMS power you are running we can tell you if a high output alternator is really going to be neccissary or not.  Around 1000w RMS is the normal area where it is going to be neccessary but it can happen at lower wattage as well.

To explain what each upgrade does for you. The big 3 upgrade will upgrade the current capacity of three main wires.  This allows more power to be carried to your electrical devices.  

A deep cycle battery will allow your battery to be completely drained and then charged back up with no damage done to the battery.  This is good for car audio applications because when your amp hits it will need a low of current, too much current for the alternator to provide that fast.  So it will take the current from the battery.  This will drain your battery a lot of it is a lot of power.  If you don't have a deep cycle battery your battery can be damaged from this current draw.

The alternator is going to be the big upgrade.  This is what produces the electrical power in your car.  Without a large alternator there is no way you are going to be able to properly power a large system.

A cap is an energy storage device.  But if there is no energy for it to store then it will do you no good.  It will just be another device that your alternator has to keep charged which will put even more of a strain on it.  If you really wanted a cap then you would want to add one AFTER all these other upgrades are done.  Even then it is not going to ever be needed and will only be of limited usefullness.  

Caps do have their uses but preventing headlight dimming is NOT one of them.  Caps are mostly used for their voltage stablization.  They are also useful for filtering some unwanted noise from an audio system.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 6

"a cap should not be used for car audio purposes...EVER!"

Well trixter, the problem is that your amplifier has several inside...think about it.

A capacitor is only good so far as the audio system isn't trying to pull too much from the electrical system. A cap doesn't provide more power, it's designed to 'stiffen' the voltage to the amp, nothing else. If the current isn't there, a cap won't help.

The alternator must have at least 20% more amperage power than the entire vehicle and sound system combined for a cap to be of benefit which is ironically the same requirements for an amp to be efficient.