KingLou

Hey guys. I pretty much know how to install all my audio stuff (though I suppose how well will be determined by how the system sounds in the end)........but I don't know how to charge the capacitor. Obviously I'm not gonna run any power to anything until I know how to get the cap charged. Does it require some special equipment? If so.....is it anything that's cheap to buy? Or do I have to find someone that has one/go to an audio install place? Also........should the terminals on the capacitor be covered somehow? I'd hate for a wire or something to come loose on the passenger side seat.....under which I'll be mounting my amp and cap.........touch a terminal.......and electrocute my girlfriend. Dunno if that would happen......but......just a concern.

I'm sure if I run into any big problems I can turn to Bill for help (he seems good at this stuff)...........but I'd like to do as much as I can myself, primarily to learn more about the process (I've only done a few set ups)......and to save Bill some time and nagging. Don't want to wear out my welcome.

KiL

DenZinz

To charge a cap it is best to use the resistor supplied with the cap. If not then you will get a sudden spark and possibly ruin the cap.

Normally a 1 farad cap will run about 100-140 bucks.

Make sure the terminals are insulated because if you do get contact with the positive to the negative or any bare metal in the car, it will cause a short and possibly a fire. Also dont forget to fuse it going from the (+) terminal of the cap to the amp.

Treat the Cap as if it was a second battery.

KingLou

I've got the cap but no resistor......because it was given to me. It's a 1 farad Lightning Audio.

So.....do I fuse between the battery and capacitor as well? Or just between the capacitor and the amp?

I've done small amp setups.......never any that involved capacitors.

KiL

DenZinz

I forget what the value of the resistor is needed to charge the cap, but Ive also heard you can charge a cap using a snap-on test light and only a snap on test light. if you PM me your address i can send you a fool proof cap charger. In the meantime, use a voltmeter to see if the cap already reads 12 volts. If it is, no need to charge it.

And yes, you want to put a fuse within 18 inches or closer between the front battery to the cap and a fuse between the cap and amp

scionspecialistvegas

Hey Adam , you cna bug me anytime you need to too, and anyone else on this forum too. Pm me about sunday and doing your alarm. I am really sorry about yesterday. I was following from both ends not a pretty sight. Bill

92tsitalon

honestly, all you need to do is hook up the cap and you're good to go. i know the instructions tell you to charge the cap in this way or that...but you dont need to. a capacitor opposes a change in voltage...its as simple as that. you can sometimes get a spark because a large amount of current flows at the moment you connect the capacitor. what the resistor does is "resist" a certain amount of current. if you want to, run to radioshack and grab a low value resistor (just to give you an example, if you had a 145 ohm resistor...at worst 100mA of current would flow which isnt very much) initially, the capacitor opposes the change in voltage (suddenly putting 12V to the cap)...therefore, initially the cap drops 0V and the resistor drops all 12V which allows the current to flow....as the cap charges to 12V (ends up dropping 12V), the resistor drops less and less voltage until the resistor drops 0V because current is not longer flowing. the lower value resistor you pick...the faster the cap charges. i think they have a high power 10 watt resistor too which will allow a little more than one ampere of current to flow, which still isnt that much and should allow the cap to charge in roughly 10 seconds.

good luck...and dont touch both poles of the cap once charged or charging...ive seen a guy practically arc weld a ring to his finger...wasnt pretty.

xBMNx

go to the website of the people that make the cap...the site should tell you somewhere what to use to replace a damaged or lost resitor

DenZinz

92tsitalon..

That is true, but these days the cap is all pretty and glitzy so if you arc it bad enough it will look shotty.

scionracerxb

YOu don't have to charge the cap if it is used. It only needs to be charged when it is brand new. As far as insulating the top, it is a GOOD idea, cuz if anything shorts out, like denny said, it will do more than shock ya. I've heard stories of them blowing up like a bomb and destroyin a persons whole car. definately be very careful with it.

xBMNx

if the cap is used you still have to charge it agian because when the cap is taken out it is discharged...even if the cap wasn't discharged when it was removed it will still disapate the charge slowly

scionracerxb

not as far as i know. IMO the cap is like an engine. you have to break it in (charge it) when it is new, but you only have to do it once. just make sure the battery is disconnected when you install everything, then when you connect the battery, there will be no sparking or anything, it will just work as it should!

scionspecialistvegas

Dudes, that stuff about caps blowing up and destoying cars and injuring people was put to rest by high end automotive guru Richard Clark in the early nineties, Iam so suprised that rumor still floats around. He stuck a cap in his trouser and upzipped his fly and discharged the cap with a shorting clip, then with cap in same position recharged it. Just becareful and follow safety procedure and don't be afraid to ask for help. Bill