What is a power capactior? Car Audio Do I need it?

An car audio capacitor is something that always gets suggested by an car audio shop or an bass friend telling you will get more bass from your car subwoofer. This is not always the case. An car audio capacitor acts as a short term power bank for the car amplifier when it demands quick bursts of electrical power. If you have electrical issues in the first place, then yes an power capacitor can help increase bass response. Adding an power capacitor can reduce voltage drop, the easy way to identify is to listen to your car audio system on full volume when your headlights are switched on. If your car headlights are dimming, the car amplifier is placing an strain on your stock car battery and alternator. This is an common test that clearly indicates the voltage in your electrical system is suffering with the additional car amplifier adding an load. An power capacitor has to be installed correctly for it to be any use. The power cap has to be located as close as possible to the positive terminal on the car amplifier to work its best. The shorter the positive wire from positive car amplifier terminal to the power cap, the shorter the electrical resistance. I have seen people install power capacitors really far aware from the actual amplifier, in this case the power capacitor will not function to its best ability.

Some people say power caps help with dimming lights others notice no improvement. Personally, in my opinion from installing them, they do work. They don't work as good as replacing the stock battery with an deep cycle battery XS power or yellow top optima or upgrading the alternator to an high output one, but if you're on an budget the power capacitor will help. Try to avoid power capacitors from cheap brands like BOSS, my personal recommendations are rockford fosgate and stinger, as they make good reliable caps. When purchasing an car audio capacitor, the higher the farad number its rated for, the longer it can hold charge. 5 farad is something that you should consider as an bear minimum to notice any improvement. 1 farad power caps don't provide any real benefit other than an fancy Christmas decoration mounted on the box.

An car audio power capacitor has to be charged up before its first use. If the power capacitor is not charged prior to installation, it will not function. The best way to charge it is using an bulb. The positive car amplifier red power wire that you're using will connect straight onto the positive terminal found on the power cap. This wire should have an inline fuse holder and appropriate fuse based on how many amps your car amplifier consumes. The other negative terminal is for the ground for the capacitor. This ideally should be separate to the one your car amplifier is using to prevent engine noise being picked up by the car subwoofer. To charge an car audio power capacitor, it is very simple. Simply remove the inline fuse from the holder and connect an regular 12 volt bulb inline to bridge the gap. You will notice the bulb will increase in brightness and the volt meter on the power capacitor numbers climb. Once the bulb has reached its full brightness and the power cap voltage reads 14.4 or close, then quickly remove the bulb and replace it with the car amp fuse you removed earlier. Now your power capacitor is charged correctly, ready for its first use.

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