brickloaf

my digital voltage gauge says 14.5-14.7 for first 10 sec or so then goes down to 13.8 and it has done so since i bought the car

im not trying to be a dick or anything but a voltage gauge is probably a little more accurate than a voltage gauge on a radar....idk why they would be different though...


and ive never noticed my HIDs flickering??

denlou

It's a good point actually, I should look into that.

HID's won't flicker, the ballast will turn it off momentarily until the power input returns to normal, and you will see them flicker.

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

yup mine would do the same too

Monster Mach

buy a stinger voltage gauge..
http://www.audiovideo4me.com/Stinger_SVMB_Car_
best 32 dollars you could spend.. if you have any ANY car audio its a necessity.. i had a cap i wont lie.. but it was only a volt meter for me.. next to it i had 2 xs power batts..

brickloaf

thats exactly what i have...


i paid $40 though

fusiongt

Alright I am running a single 600w rms amp pushing a single 10" sub, 4 gauge wire and a 1 farad cap with a digital display, stock battery and my system has ran great for the past 3.5 years. The cap did make a very noticeable difference. Imo, any thing more than that for a system of that wattage is overkill, if you do plan on leaving your system on for periods of time with the car off or run then by all means replace your stock battery with a drycell. Just don't take a simple solution into some thing complicated that will end up costing money where you could be putting else where on your ride.

Switt23

iTrader: (7)

I get a good kick out of the newer guys on the forum making blind statements about certain products or other members without really having the evidence to back it up.

1st, if there was any member on this forum you could honestly turn to for car audio knowledge, Emp is your man. Seriously, aren't you still running dual alternators, constructed your own door pods and sub enclosure. How much money did you invest in second skin deadening? If there was anyone on the forum that has gone "***** deep" I think your the closest.

2nd, Capacitors are typically just band-aids for a bullet wound. They work sure, but the system is still going to have strain as it attempts to recharge your capacitor and keep the output going. I think of it this way (Car audio wise), if wal-mart sells it, it's not going in my car.


Personally I found by upgrading the power wire from the alternator to the starter to 4 gauge wire and the ground wire to match, a huge improvement. I think stock it's a 12 gauge wire that your trying to pull 1000 watts through... ouch.

denlou

Just because he's gone "***** deep" doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about. That'd be like somebody buying every Chevy ever made and claim to be a Chevy genius; Doesn't make him a genius, but it does make him rich.

If there is strain to recharge the capacitor after it has discharged then yes the system needs to be upgraded, but before you jumped in we were talking about the delay of the alternator providing the additional power; It was never an arguement over if it would, it was an arguement on whether it would arrive in time. But of course you're the bazillonth person to blindly mention that capacitors are a band-aid solution because most people fail to realise the alternator needs time to adjust to the new load demands.

Switt23

iTrader: (7)

Okay, on the flip side of that.. would you trust a guy who is ASE certified or an old timer who has successfully repaired cars for years. I don't care who you are, you can study online forums all day long, but I would still put my money on those people with actual expierence.

Maybe after a Bazillion people say it the message will start to sink in...

My question is why would individuals recommend spending the money on cap, when the money can go to actually fixing the problem. It's what $100 for a decent cap?... Big 3 upgrade kit's are $30 and another battery can be had off Caraudio.com for 70-80 plus shipping. I guess thats my arguement with indviduals who jump straight to recommending a cap. Hey maybe it's just me, but i end up upgrading over and over again (It's like those addicted to boost).. Why spend the money on the cap, when 6 months down the road your going to have to rip it out and do things the right way anyways.

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

before anything you need to ask yourself what you would even consider "good". Before you can say what you need is a cap to fix _____ you need to define what ____ is. Yes caps do "something", yes they help certain situations but how can you tell??? less dimming? more bass? more longevity in the equipment? a math formula?

also what "equipment" is being used makes a bigger difference then anything else... if you tried hard enough you can create a situation that will "prove" both sides of the cap argument. get a car with shitty copper clad wire throw on a good real cap and it should make it sound better and lights dim less ect. on the flip side on that exact same car take the cap out of the equation and run a few runs of real 1/0 to the amp and i bet it would sound better and dim less then before.

more importantly get a regulated amp like the PPI arts i have or the JL slash series amplifiers. they make the same power from low voltage protection to high voltage protection... as long as its on your getting the same power output so realistically the cap would just "help" your lights. A good install would keep the amp running for years to come

at the end of the day the amplifiers, gauges, power wire, fuses, connections and anything else involved makes a difference. there is no 2 systems exactly alike. even with the same equipment you can improperly install it and change everything. Without just doing it testing voltage and looking at the install theres no way to tell anything for sure

brickloaf

stock wire is 4g

but you probably used higher quality wire and thats why you noticed a difference

denlou

Alright, let's take a few steps back here...

Since everybody is apparently an ASE certified tech, an electrical engineer, or has a doctorate in bullshitting, this should be a fairly straight forward question.

Do you agree or disagree that an OEM alternator has the ability to instantly adjust the voltage in any given load situation that is inside the overall abilities of the alternator in question?

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

if I knew that answer I probably wouldn't post here for advice lol

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

I'm interested to see where your going with this... especially considering I've yet to say your "wrong"

disagree, it doesn't even have the ability to "instantly" adjust the amperage

denlou

It wasn't directed at you, I think we're both on the same page. It just seems this thread is going in circles.

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

i know, i would just like to know if my setup would work regardless of what my power plans are

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

Yes.... you can install the setup and whatever you want extra without changing anything (maybe battery terminals if you have alot of connections) and be fine. Theres plenty of things you can do to help but from what you have said i highly doubt any of them would be a "necessity"

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

well no not a necessity lol, how strong of an alternator would I need to charge 3 batteries at once?

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

long answer is it depends on the size of the batteries and more importantly how much you drain them. If your battery(s) is always full then you can use the stock alternator no problems. but if they are all drained then the stock alt wouldnt really be able to charge them.

short answer i would look at say 170-200a

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

ok good, I was gonna get a 180amp one, and it would be one optima battery then probably two normal duralast type batteries

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

i wouldnt mix and match batteries if possible. and make sure anything you put it sealed not lead acid

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

well i'll probably just run two optimas

EmperorJJ1

iTrader: (5)

sounds good remember yellows are deep cycle meant to be able to be drained and brought back up but reds are a better starting battery