With my system and the amount of time I drive (tampa to miami once a week) I have noticed the diff. in having one and not in a galant. maybe not a huge diff but I'm a DJ and I can here the subtle changes in the sound.
Capacitors
There are a lot of misconceptions about what capacitors are, what they do, and what to look for in one. A capacitor will not make your system suddenly sound much louder (although it can improve it slightly). It will not increase the voltage in your cars system (but it will help maintain it). A capacitor will not provide extra power for devices (but it will maintain it). A capacitor, however, will provide a benefit for most audiophiles in overall sound quality, and can benefit your cars electrical system.
For starters, a capacitor has a specific construction. The most basic form of a capacitor is two metal plates, which are very close to each other, but do not touch. The plates are separated by some type of insulating material. Air, which does not conduct, can be used as an insulator, and on older AM/FM radios, the tuning capacitor uses air. Other materials can be used, like plastics, or electrolyte pastes. When power is applied to the capacitor, the charges flow from positive, to the positive plate of the capacitor. The charges stop at the one plate, because of the insulating material, but the electrostatic charge pushes against the charge of the other plate, and causes the current to flow on that side. This flow will happen as long as the charges are able to build up on the plates. The size of the plate, and the distance between the two plates will determine how much charge the plates can hold. When the power source is removed, the charges are still there, and they have no place to go. The charges would like to meet each other, to equalize the charges between the two plates, but the insulator between the plates prevent this. If the plates were allowed to touch, the charges would all flow to the other side at once (which could be very dangerous). If some device, such as a light bulb, speaker, or motor were used to bridge the two sides of the capacitor, the charges would power that device until both plates evened out their charges. In this manner, a capacitor stores electrical charge.
When a capacitor charges, it does so at a certain rate. Normally, a capacitor will try to take as much charge as it possibly can, as quickly as it can. Like the shorting of a capacitor, this can be very dangerous. When installing a power supply capacitor (often called a stiffening cap) in a car, you should always charge it through a resistor. A resistor will slow down the rate at which the capacitor charges or discharges. This is known as an RC time constant. This is useful when a capacitor is used for audio. As I said earlier, current will flow through a capacitor until it is saturated. The speed at which a capacitor can take on a charge, and let it out is the frequency at which that capacitor prefers to work. Capacitors, to a certain degree, will resist lower frequencies than it can handle, but will present very little resistance at higher frequencies. This makes small capacitors ideal for blocking low frequency bass from speakers which cannot handle them (you are probably familiar with these as "bass blockers"). The property where a capacitor has more resistance to lower frequencies is called Capacitive Reactance. There is a neat formula for it too, its like this:
Xc=1/(2 PI FC)
Where Xc is Capacitive reactance. PI is 22/7, or more commonly used 3.1415..... F is frequency, and C is the capacitance in farads, . Now since a farad of charge is highly impractical for audio uses, you will have to convert the rating on your capacitor (which is usually in microfarads, or "µf") to a decimal equivalent of a farad. The easiest way to do this, of course, is to move the decimal point to the left.
Anyway....
When a resistor is placed in series with a capacitor, it will change the characteristics of the capacitor, with respect to its reactance. For most car applications, that resistance is the speaker it is used on.
Knowing this, we want to look at the two applications of capacitors for car audio:
Power Supply Stabilization
Crossovers
Very large capacitors are used for stabilizing the electrical system. As we have seen, a capacitor stores energy. In a system where several electrical devices are competing for power, when an amp starts using power at an inconstant rate (a little here, a little there), head and dash lights begin to dim. This can also affect other amps in the system. Amps have internal capacitors on the other side of their power supply which hold power for those times when it is really needed. However, the power to charge those capacitors has to come from somewhere, and during peak usage, the power is not always available. The result is that the distortion in the music increases slightly: Sound suffers. A capacitor will store the energy, and will give the energy up when it is needed by other components.
Another benefit of the large capacitor, is that as we mentioned, it passes high frequencies. Any electrical noise will be filtered by a capacitor since the noise is AC. In addition, since the capacitor is a large one, then the "high" frequency can actually be pretty low. In this manner, a capacitor helps reduce power supply noise in your audio system. Unfortunately, the larger capacitors are usually polar, meaning that they have a + and - side, and do not work properly when working backwards. The saving grace here is that, even in reverse, there is some capacitance, just not as much as when polarity is respected.
The second use of a capacitor in car audio, is as a crossover. As we've seen earlier, the capacitor (smaller, non polar ones) will pass AC of higher frequencies, and resist lower ones. Bass blockers are one example of this. When capacitors are used along with coils, they form crossover networks, which improve the sound going to a driver, and can make a speaker system sound a lot better. Many component sets have crossovers, which use a capacitor to carry the + signal* to the tweeter, and a coil would carry the + signal to the woofer. The negative signals do not need the components, because as long as the capacitor (or coil) are in the circuit somewhere, they will do their job. Without the coil and capacitors, the tweeter would distort badly, the woofer would usually do a really bad job of reproducing the highs, and there would be a nasty peak where the woofer and tweeter overlap.
Finally, capacitors can serve several other functions. Getting back to the RC time constant, you could use a capacitor to do things such as allow lights to "fade out" when you turn them off, or to charge a relay for keeping power to your system until you arm the alarm/open the door. You can even make a buzzer from a small capacitor and a relay. The applications are endless if you use your imagination.
Jason posted this along time ago....
https://www.thegalantcenter.org/index...showtopic=43257 (https://www.thegalantcenter.org/index.php?showtopic=43257)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>The Truth about Capacitors
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After studying a little history on large 1 Farad capacitors in car audio, you'd be amazed that they even sell at all. How useful are they? What do they really do? Will a Cap 'improve' my sound quality? Will it Prevent my lights from dimming? Will it audibly affect my audio system in any way?
Before you get the truth to any of the above questions, chances are, you've probably spent $100 or more on one of these devices. However, let's study a little history regarding this issue.
A long time ago, in a land far away, 2 elves...Ok, Richard Clark & Wayne Harris (Carsound magazine and the inventor of DB Drag, respectively) separately came up with a solution to preventing their lights from dimming.
WHO WERE THESE GUYZ?
As you may know, Richard Clark is one of the founders of autosound2000 Tech Briefs, Carsound magazine, and a published author of the industry of mobile electronics. In SQ competitions, he posted a record of 1234 1st place finishes, and only ended up NOT 1st in his first event. I've heard that he had minor system problems, but judging by his record, he must have corrected it. (evidently, he needed a Capacitor )
Wayne Harris was previously a leader at Rockford Fosgate in their development. Later, in his free time, he created the organization we call DB DRAG. Wayne was the first SQ World Champion from the organization we know as IASCA (International AutoSound Challenge Association).
Both of these gurus are both legends, and considered the leading experts in the field. During their competition days, both guyz came up with a way to assist in the prevention of voltage drops. In SQ competitions, the look of your system is actually more important than the sound, and having your lights NOT dim under high playing levels is a competitive advantage.
As you may know, amplifiers are made up a bank of little capacitors, resistors, etc. What has been common engineering knowledge is that capacitors store energy, and more or bigger ones assist in balancing the power supply.
Wayne came up with the idea of putting several dozen 'little' (approx 100uF) capacitors on a circuit board to 'extend' the power supplies storage. At about the same time, or shortly afterward, Richard came up with the idea of one huge mondo capacitor (I believe it was 800,000uF or 0.8F) to do the job.
Eventually, Richard won. The large cylindrical tubes won over the complicated 48 caps strapped to a circuit board. However, what did this really accomplish? Let's start here:
WHAT IS A CAPACITOR?
Basically, capacitors are an energy storage device. Large, 1 Farad or more
capacitors store energy (electrons) between their plates. Capacitors differ
from batteries because batteries store energy in the form of chemical
energy--and rely on acid and lead plates, as the place of storage. For a more detailed
description of a capacitor, go here:
http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/caraudio.htm
Then on the right hand side, scroll down to CAPACITOR. Keep in mind the use
of capacitors in an audio system.
WHY DO PEOPLE BUY CAPACITORS?
The number 1 reason would have to be because their lights dim when their
system is playing HARD. In car audio, we are told that a capacitor is
designed to prevent the voltage drop associated with your lights dimming.
The number2 reason is that it is rumored to 'improve' sound quality or
'stiffen' the power supply/source.
WHY DO MY LIGHTS DIM?
Headlights brightness is in direct proportion to the source voltage. For
instance, if your car is running, system voltage is ~12.5 -14.4 VOLTS. Your
lights will be much brighter than when your car is turned off--where battery
voltage is ~12V. Most car alternators put out between 75 to 120 amps of
current. When this current draw threshold of the charging system is
exceeded, system voltage will drop as power demands are now shared by the
alternator and the storage devices (battery & cap). We are using battery
reserves beyond this point until the demand lessens
When playing your system really hard. Your lights dim because your
alternator can't keep up it's charging voltage (around 13.5V) and therefore,
demand exceeds output. When this happens, your electronic devices are
dipping into the power storage of the battery. Since the battery stores
power at ~ 12-12.5V, there is a 1.3 to 1.8V drop in voltage available. This
in turn is why your lights dim down.
HOW MUCH POWER DOES A CAPACITOR STORE?
1 Farad = 100 joules or 100W/second
850cca battery = ~2,200,000 farads
For storage purposes, you'd need ~2,200 1 Farad capacitors to equal the energy of your battery.
Due to its impedence (ESR & ESL), a cap's energy is only 50% available. What's worse, is that in order for a 1 Farad cap to discharge, first the alternator output must have maxed out, and the voltage must have dropped around 1.5 volts. But I thought a cap was supposed to prevent that (voltage drop)!!!!!????? Yep, you got the point.
IF A BATTERY = 2,200 CAPS, THEN WHY BUY A (PUNY) CAP?
My question exactly. Marketing is the reason why people buy caps. In many cases, upgrading wiring will help your system get the maximum transfer of current. Once that has been reached, adding a capacitor may have a minor effect on your system. 50W over the course of a second is not a lot of power considering an amplifier may draw 2000W to put out 1400 watts. Let's look at the situation from a resources standpoint.
Alternator 80 amps
Car accessories (minus stereo) 40 amps
A large Car Audio system (DRAWS ) ~200 amps AT FULL OUTPUT
In this case, you have 240 amps of draw, but only 80 amps of current from the alternator. In your case, you need 160 amps x 12 volts or or let's say 1920 watts of energy. Since a cap stores 50W, how much of a difference do you think it's going to make? A cap is basically a peashooter. W+e need a Howitzer cannon here, to do the job well.
Also, Once a cap is discharged, where does it get it's power from? The alternator, which is already overloaded. Once a cap is discharged, it's worthless. Like SWEZ says, ・.The cap already shot its wad, an does limp til recharged・ I知 not so certain I will allow him to babysit my kids, but you get the drift. (I never said it quiet like that... and oh...I'm great with kids!)
SO, WHAT IS A CAPACITOR GOOD FOR?
1. Audio Jewelry- impress chicks with large cylindrical shiny thingy
2. Extra weight in winter time
3. A very POOR... BUT expensive distribution block
4. A projectile in the event of a crash
5. Rolling pin--for cooking purposes
6. A neat thing to tell your friend, "..Hey man, lick the top of this..
Please do not try # 6. New hairstyles are always refreshing, but if you are wearing railroad tracks across your teeth, you might have one big filling after it痴 over.
HOW CAN CAPACITORS IMPROVE SOUND QUALITY?
They can't. Sound quality is not dependant upon the presence of large bulky 1 Farad capacitors. How many 1 Farad Capacitors do you think the Boston Pops, Aerosmith, or Snoop dog use in the recording studio?
IN A NUTSHELL.......
When Richard, our fearless inventor, became World renown for winning every competition under the sun, people began copying what he did. Soon, every 'serious' competitor had a 'stiffening' capacitor--not to be confused with the 'loosening' capacitor.
WHY?
In the late 80s, people began sticking out their tongue when dunking the basketball because Michael Jordan did. Did sticking out your tongue improve your dunking ability? Same here with adding a capacitor to your electrical system.
STILL A GLUTTON FOR MORE PUNISHMENT?
Here's the Original Cap Debate.
http://www.carsound.com/ubb/Archives...-1-000307.html
Phoenix Gold's marketing guru had just posted information on how their Powercore (basically the Alumapro CAP15 in a Phoenix shell) had both stabilized their voltage and improved the sound quality. Richard called him on it (all in another post) and the marketing geek was unable to quantify any of the conditions that resulted in the voltage being HELD at 14.2V and the 'improved' sound quality.
Please do not read every stinking post as valid. There are a lot of people that have had the efficacy of capacitors inbred to their minds, and were not (and still not) convinced in the futility of a 1 Farad storage device.
In a final note, Richard relayed a quote regarding battcaps ( www.battcap.net ) as, "..The audio industry is the only place i know of where you can publish specs that show your product is useless and still be able to sell them------and whats worse is that technically ignorant people will argue against the math!!!!!!!..............RC.." when referring to the product. This also relates to most digital readout capacitors, and I wish my Archie Bunker skills could have said it better myself.
found this on another forum and it was taken from www.toyotanation.com
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