So I've noticed that every time the bass hits the lights in my dash and also my headlights dim. I've done some research and people say to upgrade "the big three" (Here is a link for those of you who would like to read it) while other people say to get a capacitor. What do you guys recommend? Anyone with a capacitor have any problems? Just some general feedback would be helpful. Thanks.
i think you should try a deep cycle battery first, i know when i changed to a my optima it helped alot i still get dimming but very small. Albeit i dont have a pumping system i did get dimming just by having a 200 watt amp installed and a stock batery. most people here will say your other solution would be an high output alternator, and majority will say caps are crap.
I have a hard time tossing my current one and getting a new battery knowing my current one still has juice in it and is working.
Alternator is something I've considered, but I was hoping to do the work myself and I don't think I can replace an alternator. I'd have to take it somewhere to do it which will charge me an arm and a leg.
my battery was going out so I bought a new one just so i can get my hand on an optima and even with a new battery regular kind i had mad dimming until i put in my optima.Originally Posted by OhNoItsFelix
i running 2000watts and i got a capacitor 3 farad and my lights never dim
I only got a 500 watt amp so I could get away with a .5 farad but I figured id buy a 1 farad.
Do the big three first... Then if that don't work a HO alty... If that don't work then get a cap... And don't get anything less then 20 farad...
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You should be fine with that, make sure you pick a reputable brand like Rockford fosgate, stinger or tsunami.
Cap and big three definitely cheapest way to go for DIY-er. For 500w, biggest wire you should go with is true 4awg (again reputable brand like Rockford fosgate, stinger, or tsunami).
Also I don't know if you can tune the amp yourself, but try not to push the gains to high, it is not volume its more of the draw from the RCA's bigger signal draw means bigger current draw. To avoid this turn your gain all the way down and adjust the decks EQ to clean loud sound (volume at least at 75%) with just the inside speakers, make sure the have good clarity and bass that doesn't distort them, then if you have a sub out turn that sucker all the way up. then go to your sub amp and slowly pick up the gain and listen to the sub closely avoid bottoming out caused by too much excursion. If you have a subsonic filter and low-pass filter try to keep the subsonic at about 30 Hz and low pass at about 80 Hz. Those aren't volume either, sub sonic is to prevent too much excursion by clipping out frequencies below the set mark, frequencies that most component subs that aren't for competition cant handle. and low pass keeps out anything higher than what you set it at, you don't want mids and low voices coming out of the sub either.
Last edited by oakrdrs187; 12-27-2010 at 05:42 PM
Seems like overkill. The rule i've heard is 1 farad per 1,000 watts.
Only problem with with 1 farad=1,000w is that drains ur Cap after ur bass hits a few times. Then the battery an alte. is powering ur electricals, ur Stereo system , an trying to recharge ur cap at the same time. Get a cap much bigger than neccesary an it will take awhile to drain. Alot longer than a 1 farad on a 1,000w amp would.
Alright yeah that makes sense. Thanks bud.
if your lights are noticably dimming at 500watts on bass beat; then you have a few issues that need to be addressed before worrying about adding a cap.
1st. you are most likely running the wrong guage wire from battery to amp
2nd you probably have a ground longer than 12 inches to a thin pane panel
three things this does to a OEM spec alt/OEM style battery setup
1st it over works the alt wearing it down about 3x faster than normal
2nd it starins the battery destroying the internal cells- that intern depletes the maximum charge the battery can hold
3rd it burns the copper wiring inside the power/ground cables your using, every wire has a resistance and polarity pull to it. two 0 guage wires will still have different resistance rating based on how tightly wound and abundant the copper is. when you pull more power than rated through a wire it actually burns the wire, coating the copper in what looks like black soot. this will also were down your amp and can actually cause it to draw more power than needed even when the wiring is corrected.
heres a wiring digram i used to hand out to help people with the basics of their first stereo install, if your wiring is like this but with smaller wire then upgrade the wire quality/size if not the rewire it using this diagram and addon from there if you have more than two amps
if you have been running your system wires to small then you will want to have your battery and altenator checked to see if they are starting to fail. rewiring your system proper after prolonged strain can cause them to conk out once it starts drawing the correct power pulls.
i was running a 1kmax system with proper wiring and stock battery without any dimming, i didnt get dimming till i decided to keep the car and put in a 2k rms 5k max system, after that i put in a yellow top and 1 10 farad cap per sub amp and i was fine. but i did blow my alt and battery running that system on oem before getting my yellow and caps cause i was impatient and had to hear my shit right away.
Last edited by jubeiaire; 12-28-2010 at 05:21 AM
Id give this a try. I too had a problem with dimming lights, and insufficent power. I switched to a yellow top optima, and it made a really big difference. I also picked up a cheap Rockford Fosgate 2 Farad cap. and my headlights never dim anymore. BUT, all my interior lights, dome lights and my instrument cluster, all those lights dim like crazy when the bass line hits.
It's been awile since I even built a system but back in the days it was always bigger was better and we used batcaps... Not even sure if there still around or even if there are alternative companies... 1 to 3 farad just wasn't enough for us lol...
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batcaps are indeed still around, but for the price they ask now you can just add a Kinetik HC Power Cell in the trunk and keep the engine battery stock. they have low ESR and high energy density allowing them to charge and discharge without overworking the alt during load. Shuriken makes them too but i havent used theirs
Soundstream has one that's rated 16 volts and like 100 caps, looks like an optima with a spider on it.
WOW soundstream still around...... I remember i think it was late 80's soundstream produced an amp that was cooled with anti freeze
Thank you everyone for the replies. I'm getting a lot out of what everyone is saying.
#1- I'm running an 8 gauge wire I believe.
#2 - My wire is about 16 inches or so and yeah its tied down to the body. Didn't realize that the thickness of the metal is screwed into or the length of the ground wire really mattered...
Nothing wrong with buying a capacitor. The issue is debated, but the fact is that a capacitor does a small job in supplying power for the amplifier, and the difference is noticeable and can often help. The permanent and obviously more expensive solution is to buy a new alternator and high rated battery.
Having a bigger cap is always going to be better, regardless of wattage. The surge from a cap is a very small fraction of that as opposed to a good battery's surge, but as a rule of thumb from Crutchfield,
.5 farad for systems up to 500 watts
1.0 farad for systems up to 1000 watts
2.0 or more for larger.
The main thing to remember is that the capacitor isn't a power supply, it's a power storage product. about 50W of power per farad is all it's capable of. A capacitor will help, but it can also put a larger strain on your Alternator and you could risk burning it out.
Last edited by Joshua42007; 12-29-2010 at 10:29 AM
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