Will a capacitor help?

[TechBoyJK]

I'm getting a new car soon, so I'm not going to buy a new alternator for my current car... I have a measly 300 Watt rms @ 4ohm amp pusing a 10" sub that is running at 8ohms (planning on getting a second sub so the total bridged impedance would be 4) anyways.. my headlights dim like mad crazy when the sub hits, and I was wondering if a capacitor would help reduce this...

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

A cap might help. But with just the one amp your lights shouldn't be noticibly dimming. You might need a new alternator.

 

[deadlyapp]

dim @ 300w? Lol.

 

[Drakkon]

turn the radio down the cap would help but if your listening to music with a lot of bass after a few hits the headlights would be dimming again

 

[fbrdphreak]

Another thing you can check is the grounding in your engine bay. A lot of people have had success adding more/better grounds in the engine compartment. Here is a decent guide for a Subbie engine; same deal on your car, just different grounding points:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=674153

 

[TitanDiddly]

Your alternator is ready to go. The size of the cap you'd need would cost as much as a new alt.

 

[Queasy]

Sounds like a problem with your headlight fluid.

Yeeep.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
A cap might help. But with just the one amp your lights shouldn't be noticibly dimming. You might need a new alternator.

thats what i was thinking... especially since the amp only has an 8ohm load, it is probably only drawing a max of 150 watts, and I have the gain on the amp at about 80% and the gain for the sub on my headunit at about 50%... its got to be drawing an average of only 120 watts or so....

 

[thirdeye]

A cap will help, but like others said that amp shouldn't be causing that much of a draw.

 

[SparkyJJO]

if your sub is making your headlights dim due to lack of power - TURN THE FREAKIN RADIO DOWN
do you really need it that loud? Are you deaf? I don't get the thrill of having stuff so loud that you can't even hear yourself talk :roll:

 

[voodoochylde]

What's the amp? Some el-cheapo POS *might* draw waaaay too much current due to substandard components...causing dimming at such a low power level.

As suggested, it could also be the alternator about to release its magic smoke...

My suggestion, try switching your car's major ground wires to 0 gauge. This may cost a bit but it's worth it...upgrading your grounds will help a lot of the time in this sort of situation.

For further suggestions/information, I highly recommend reading up at http://forum.sounddomain.com

EDIT: As far as a capacitor goes, it's just another way to drain your battery. Works like this, sub goes boom, amp draws power from cap. Over and over and over and over...this can put a lot of extra strain on your charging system (trying to keep the cap topped up). I generally don't recommend them but then again, I'm not a very experienced car audio guy...Hope I've helped in some capacity

 

[mrchan]

Try the ground wires first. If that doesn't work, get a new alt. Don't waste money on a cap.

 

[DPmaster]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
if your sub is making your headlights dim due to lack of power - TURN THE FREAKIN RADIO DOWN
do you really need it that loud? Are you deaf? I don't get the thrill of having stuff so loud that you can't even hear yourself talk :roll:

His headlights dimming doesn't necessarily mean that it's loud. All it means is that he's lacking in the electrical department. My headlights in my old truck used to dim when I turned on my blinkers to signal a left/right turn.

Concerning your last sentence, I take it you've never been to a concert, sporting event, festival, etc.?

 

[Krazy4Real]

Check the ground wires like others have said. You shouldn't need a cap for that small of an amp.

 

[TechBoyJK]

yea, i think im taking the cap back to the store... i had some misconceptions about the use of it... i thought it would help with the big hits that were causing the drain, but apparently it only does that moderately, and once it protected from a few dims, it would probably go back to dimming again... I'm going to check all the grounds, the battery, the alternator, and the amp...

 

[Aimster]

my headunit lights flash when I turn the volume up too loud on the 200w receiver. That's all I have.
Woot!

 

[mrrman]

must be a high rated cap

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Drakkon
turn the radio down

Haha, seriously.

 

[Minerva]

Those capacitors will do NOTHING to help. I suggest getting at LEAST a 3500 mfd 500WVDC RUBYCON beast and charge it up (use a full wave bridge rectifier and voltage tripler so it can suck 120VAC right from the wall) then stick it down your pants and jolt your package. That'll learn you about potential.

Serious answer?

Well it's all about power delivery resistance. A cap CLOSE to the amp helps because its internal resistance is so low it can wallop out TREMENDOUS current to help out when the amp demands power instead of transferring this to the car electrical system. It's a buffer not magic can. If you need 108 amps continuous for organ pedals at 16Hz and you have a dinky little Nippondenso 65 amp alternator this is not going to help matters. Flickering and dimming just indicates you have a breakdown and resistance is increasing. Check your bonding straps and fusible link if your vehicle is so equipped. -M

 

[bonkers325]

Topic Title: Will a capacitor help?

only if its a flux capacitor