The Big 3 - The final frontier
11-22-2006, 11:02 PM
#1
The Big 3 - The final frontier
So, I have come to the conclusion that the biggest, or one of the biggest, controversies in car audio right now is Capacitors. We all know what they are, those pop can looking things everyone has. But are they really necessary? Is it really worth the $150 you are spending?
The answer is No.
Before I get into the Big 3, first I want to clarify what a capacitor does, for the record. A capacitor is NOT a battery, it is NOT a power source, it DOES NOT produce power, and it DOES NOT help for most applications. A capacitor is used to store power. It does not store a large amount of power, but enough for a short burst. Nothing more, nothing less. Its main application in car audio is to produce a faster burst of electricity to your system. This means that instead of going to the battery for power, your amps decide that the capacitor is an easier source. One of the main laws of electricity is that energy takes the path of least resistance. Given the option between a battery 17ft away and a storage of energy 1 ft away, its obvious the amps will choose the capacitor.
Why doesn't this help you ask? Because a capacitor can not possibly hold enough power to fully supply your gear. This means that while you are playing music, your system is striving to constantly recharge the capacitor instead of striving to constantly power the amps. So yes, you could say this helps to a degree, by putting less stress on your alternator and battery, but the help does not benefit your ears as the effects of this are purely electrical.
We have just learned that capacitors "help" your electrical system to recharge from the constant power demand of your system. However, there are more ways to fix this problem, ways that are cheaper, and are more effective. As with most problems, you cannot focus on one small detail, but you must look at the big picture. The big picture is as follows:
Lack of power to my sound system > Need more energy faster > Higher flow of electricity required.
Most cars come with stock wiring which is sufficient to power the STOCK parts. Any time someone comments about how there car is a pile because it has 10 gauge wire all throughout it, I ask them why the hell they would use anything bigger. The bigger the wire, the higher the flow of electricity. A good analogy of this is the flow of water. A fire hose will give more water per second than a garden hose, therefor 4 gauge wire will allow more amps of power that 10 gauge per second. This leads us to the discovery of the big problem. STOCK WIRING IS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR CAR AUDIO APPLICATIONS.
Onto the Big 3.
The heart and soul of your electrical system is the alternator and battery. The alternator constantly recharges your battery using the engine. So, we come to our main lack of power, your alternator cannot pump out enough juice to supply your gear. Since power can only flow as fast as your grounds can get rid of it, we come to our next problem in your electrical system. Your battery and alternator grounds are not high enough flow.
3 points of problem: Alternator (+) to Battery (+)
Battery (-) to Chassis of Vehicle
Alternator/Engine Block (-) to Chassis of Vechicle
This makes sense if you think about it, because by increasing the size of your wires, you are allowing a higher flow of electricity to flow throughout your car at any given time. Now, your 110amp alternator can actually pump out 110amps, instead of the 60 or 70 the stock wiring was restricting it to.
To do the Big 3, you need the following:
8/4/0 Gauge Wire (atleast 10ft)
6 Ring Terminals for that wire gauge
All necessary tools to crimp and secure terminals.
YOUR BATTERY GROUND MUST BE OFF THE TERMINAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
This project will cost you anywhere from $20 to $50, but I am telling you is FAR MORE WORTH IT THAN A CAPACITOR.
First, you are going to tackle the hardest wire. The battery to alternator power wire. Measure the wire out and cut it leaving a small amount of slack incase of error. Remember you can always cut more off, but never add more on once cut. Add ring terminals to each end, and affix the wire to the alternator stock power wire and the battery positive terminal.
Next, cut the SHORTEST POSSIBLE LENGTH of wire for you battery ground. This will be screwed right on to a bare piece of chassis, and needs to be the shortest to allow faster flow of electricity. Add ring terminals, and throw her on there.
Finally, repeat the same process for the engine/alternator ground, except screw this one onto an existing screw on the alternator/engine block, and again to a bare piece of chassis.
Congradulations, you just dropped the garden hoses and picked up fire hoses, and are now successfully putting out the fire (supplying your system with sufficient power). Reconnect your battery ground, fire up your car, and give her sound! Your amps will thank you for this sudden increase of power, your system will likely be LOUDER because there is a less drastic voltage drop from the battery, and you will be overall more pleased with the sound.
Conclusion: Instead of using a "bandaid" to your problem (using a capacitor), fix the problem completely and never have to worry about it again.
SIDENOTES
Q: I've heard you have to fuse your alternator to battery wire, is this true?
A: No. This is debatable, but I am sure that there is a very, very, VERY slim chance of anything going wrong. I personally do not fuse. However, logically if you are going to fuse, in order to have the line actually fused one is required at each end. (One near the alt, one near the battery).
Q: Some of the wiring looks bigger than the other wiring, is this OK?
A: In simple terms, your electrical system is like a track team. Its only as effective as its slowest member, so the smallest wire is the weakest link. You could have 6 0/1 Gauge alternator to battery wires and not see a speck of improvement if you left the ground stock.
Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!
I will have pics of my "Big 3" up for reference in the next couple of days.
Cheers.
The answer is No.
Before I get into the Big 3, first I want to clarify what a capacitor does, for the record. A capacitor is NOT a battery, it is NOT a power source, it DOES NOT produce power, and it DOES NOT help for most applications. A capacitor is used to store power. It does not store a large amount of power, but enough for a short burst. Nothing more, nothing less. Its main application in car audio is to produce a faster burst of electricity to your system. This means that instead of going to the battery for power, your amps decide that the capacitor is an easier source. One of the main laws of electricity is that energy takes the path of least resistance. Given the option between a battery 17ft away and a storage of energy 1 ft away, its obvious the amps will choose the capacitor.
Why doesn't this help you ask? Because a capacitor can not possibly hold enough power to fully supply your gear. This means that while you are playing music, your system is striving to constantly recharge the capacitor instead of striving to constantly power the amps. So yes, you could say this helps to a degree, by putting less stress on your alternator and battery, but the help does not benefit your ears as the effects of this are purely electrical.
We have just learned that capacitors "help" your electrical system to recharge from the constant power demand of your system. However, there are more ways to fix this problem, ways that are cheaper, and are more effective. As with most problems, you cannot focus on one small detail, but you must look at the big picture. The big picture is as follows:
Lack of power to my sound system > Need more energy faster > Higher flow of electricity required.
Most cars come with stock wiring which is sufficient to power the STOCK parts. Any time someone comments about how there car is a pile because it has 10 gauge wire all throughout it, I ask them why the hell they would use anything bigger. The bigger the wire, the higher the flow of electricity. A good analogy of this is the flow of water. A fire hose will give more water per second than a garden hose, therefor 4 gauge wire will allow more amps of power that 10 gauge per second. This leads us to the discovery of the big problem. STOCK WIRING IS NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR CAR AUDIO APPLICATIONS.
Onto the Big 3.
The heart and soul of your electrical system is the alternator and battery. The alternator constantly recharges your battery using the engine. So, we come to our main lack of power, your alternator cannot pump out enough juice to supply your gear. Since power can only flow as fast as your grounds can get rid of it, we come to our next problem in your electrical system. Your battery and alternator grounds are not high enough flow.
3 points of problem: Alternator (+) to Battery (+)
Battery (-) to Chassis of Vehicle
Alternator/Engine Block (-) to Chassis of Vechicle
This makes sense if you think about it, because by increasing the size of your wires, you are allowing a higher flow of electricity to flow throughout your car at any given time. Now, your 110amp alternator can actually pump out 110amps, instead of the 60 or 70 the stock wiring was restricting it to.
To do the Big 3, you need the following:
8/4/0 Gauge Wire (atleast 10ft)
6 Ring Terminals for that wire gauge
All necessary tools to crimp and secure terminals.
YOUR BATTERY GROUND MUST BE OFF THE TERMINAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
This project will cost you anywhere from $20 to $50, but I am telling you is FAR MORE WORTH IT THAN A CAPACITOR.
First, you are going to tackle the hardest wire. The battery to alternator power wire. Measure the wire out and cut it leaving a small amount of slack incase of error. Remember you can always cut more off, but never add more on once cut. Add ring terminals to each end, and affix the wire to the alternator stock power wire and the battery positive terminal.
Next, cut the SHORTEST POSSIBLE LENGTH of wire for you battery ground. This will be screwed right on to a bare piece of chassis, and needs to be the shortest to allow faster flow of electricity. Add ring terminals, and throw her on there.
Finally, repeat the same process for the engine/alternator ground, except screw this one onto an existing screw on the alternator/engine block, and again to a bare piece of chassis.
Congradulations, you just dropped the garden hoses and picked up fire hoses, and are now successfully putting out the fire (supplying your system with sufficient power). Reconnect your battery ground, fire up your car, and give her sound! Your amps will thank you for this sudden increase of power, your system will likely be LOUDER because there is a less drastic voltage drop from the battery, and you will be overall more pleased with the sound.
Conclusion: Instead of using a "bandaid" to your problem (using a capacitor), fix the problem completely and never have to worry about it again.
SIDENOTES
Q: I've heard you have to fuse your alternator to battery wire, is this true?
A: No. This is debatable, but I am sure that there is a very, very, VERY slim chance of anything going wrong. I personally do not fuse. However, logically if you are going to fuse, in order to have the line actually fused one is required at each end. (One near the alt, one near the battery).
Q: Some of the wiring looks bigger than the other wiring, is this OK?
A: In simple terms, your electrical system is like a track team. Its only as effective as its slowest member, so the smallest wire is the weakest link. You could have 6 0/1 Gauge alternator to battery wires and not see a speck of improvement if you left the ground stock.
Thanks for the positive feedback everyone!
I will have pics of my "Big 3" up for reference in the next couple of days.
Cheers.
Last edited by FusionMadsen; 11-23-2006 at 07:03 PM.
11-22-2006, 11:13 PM
#2
^^^ Ideally it is a good idea to fuse the line between the alternator and the battery. In most vehicles this factory line is already fused by means of a fusable link. With a higher demand due to the stereo on the factory alternator not designed to carry such a large load, a fuse is a much safer bet as compared to none the day that the voltage regulator packs it in on the alternator. Penny saved, pound foolish. Fuse the line.
to my 99 blazer. I'll snap a few nice shots to give everyone an idea of what it looks like. Will update tomorrow with all the pics needed.
11-23-2006, 03:03 PM
#4
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 16,855
Originally Posted by MR2NR
^^^ Ideally it is a good idea to fuse the line between the alternator and the battery. In most vehicles this factory line is already fused by means of a fusable link. With a higher demand due to the stereo on the factory alternator not designed to carry such a large load, a fuse is a much safer bet as compared to none the day that the voltage regulator packs it in on the alternator. Penny saved, pound foolish. Fuse the line.
Better fuse it at both ends.
I don't recommend this fuse myself but anyhoo...
11-23-2006, 04:07 PM
#5
My car came with 140 amp alt, it looks like 2 ga wire to starter but only 4 gage from alt. It's also wired alt to starter, which seems strand to me? Is there a reason for that?
I put in 0 ga bat - to chassis and 0 + to my distribution block in the trunk. 0 gage to/from both caps.
Is this good enough? Or should i rip out the brand new factory wire with the fancy sealed connectors? The factory wiring is all inside harneses with tonnes of other wires. I'd be afraid of disturbing that.?
I put in 0 ga bat - to chassis and 0 + to my distribution block in the trunk. 0 gage to/from both caps.
Is this good enough? Or should i rip out the brand new factory wire with the fancy sealed connectors? The factory wiring is all inside harneses with tonnes of other wires. I'd be afraid of disturbing that.?
Last edited by Tom.F.1; 11-23-2006 at 04:10 PM.
11-23-2006, 05:46 PM
#8
For me as a business owner, the cost of a fuse and fuse holder is nothing as compared to replacing a customers vehicle if this line short circuits. If the customer does not want it, then they must sign on the line ________________ .
11-23-2006, 07:00 PM
#9
Originally Posted by Killer_klown187
I do fuse my Alt to battery wire(2ga) and of course my battery to amp wire fused! This is a good post, should be a sticky !@!
As I added to my post, some people fuse the beefed up alternator to battery wire, as they think it will save either/or.
The probability of something happening is remote, and I am willing to chance sacrificing my alternator or battery to prove myself wrong.
