Help with charging capacitator!

[Firebrd9783]

Ok, I got a new cap and I needed help with charging it, its a 1.0 and I guess I need 4 guage right? I have 8 guage right now, and also, in the diagram it had two fuses between the cap and the battery, I have the one near the battery, but do I need another by the cap?

Ok, charging, I have a wire that has a little cylinder shape in the middle, I think the name is call a resonator, how am I supose to do this, i says to connect it to the pos on the cap and then concet to wire to the other end and let it charge for about a min or so. if this is right, after I charge it, do I take the resonator off and connect the cable ot the cap?

Sorry for all the questions, but the guy said to read the instructions carefully because you can start a fire, and the instruction were not very clear for something that dangerous. Thanks for the help, please help answer all the questions, since this is so dangerous, I don't wannna take a risk.

[96firebird311]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Firebrd9783:
Ok, I got a new cap and I needed help with charging it, its a 1.0 and I guess I need 4 guage right?<hr></blockquote>
Huh?? I'm not sure that you NEED 4 gauge, but the bigger the better. Keep the wire between the cap and the amp as short as possible.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> in the diagram it had two fuses between the cap and the battery, I have the one near the battery, but do I need another by the cap? <hr></blockquote>
No
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> think the name is call a resonator <hr></blockquote>
resistor
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> connect it to the pos on the cap and then concet to wire to the other end and let it charge for about a min or so. <hr></blockquote>
that's pretty much it. Connect it to the pos. on the cap and "the other end" to the pos. power source from the batt.
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> after I charge it, do I take the resonator off and connect the cable ot the cap?
<hr></blockquote>
yes, take the charging lead with the resistor off and connect pos. power cable. There will be sparks at some point I'm sure. Be careful it is VERY dangerous.

[v6maro]

btw, a little hint, be sure NOT to over tighten the screws on the cap, as the treads are made of really soft metal and you will strip them, make them snug, and leave it.
-Steve

[Brian Dieckman]

The resistor is just there for your benifit, when hooking up the cap. If you did not use it, there is a chance for very dangerous occurances like sparks and terminal overheating. Please use it!

I've seen too many melted terminals (and cheap screwdrivers) to not use the resistor!

-Brian

[Firebrd9783]

So do you guys think it would be alright to use the curren 8 guage cable I already have hooked up? I plan on running 4 in the future, but not anytime soon, and since I already have the cap, I would like to use it and not put so much strain on the altenator.

[MTMike]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Firebrd9783:
So do you guys think it would be alright to use the curren 8 guage cable I already have hooked up? I plan on running 4 in the future, but not anytime soon, and since I already have the cap, I would like to use it and not put so much strain on the altenator.<hr></blockquote>


How many watts are you pulling through that 8 guage? 8 is good up to about (give or take) 60 amps, or ~850 watts. I wouldn't step up to 4 awg unless you plan on running 100 or more amps, or 1300+ watts. If you're in between, 6 awg might suit you fine.

The 8 awg is fine if you're under 800 watts or so.

-Mike

[megabass]

If you have a fuse near the battery, you don't need another one before the capacitor. However, you do need one between the amp and the capacitor. Preferebly very close to the amp itself.

For charging the cap you need to use that resistor. What this does is "limit" the amount of current going into the cap so it won't damage anything. Please note that the resistor will get extremely hot.

Here's what you do. Connect the ground of the cap to the grounding point in your car. Then connect or hold one end of the resistor wire so it touches the positive termianl of the cap. Then touch the other end of the resistor wire to your power lead. Don't hold the resistor in your fingers because it will burn you. Use pliers or something. It should not take very long to charge the cap. Once charged, remove the resistor and keep it in a safe place in case you need it again. Connect the power and positive amp wire leads to the cap per directions. Easy!

[Firebrd9783]

ok, the guage thing, I have a 300 watt amp for now, and the cap is 1.0, so would I still need to get larger then 8 or can I still keep the 8?

[megabass]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Firebrd9783:
ok, the guage thing, I have a 300 watt amp for now, and the cap is 1.0, so would I still need to get larger then 8 or can I still keep the 8?<hr></blockquote>

If you have 8 gauge installed right now and your amp is 300 watts, keep the 8 gauge. Didn't you ask this in another post. If not, there is some good discussion somewhere in a recent topic. If you ever add another amp or go over 400 watts (give or take) I recommend upgrading to 4 gauge. Trust me, theres several reasons why. But yeah, you're fine with 8 ga. for now.

[Firebrd9783]

Ok, i'll stick with the 8, I wanted to make sure so I don't mess up anything, what would be a problem if I use less then what I need, like If I had a 1000 watt amp and used 8 gauge on it, would it just not power it enough or will it hurt something?

Sorry for the ?s, just trying to learn more about wire sizes for future use.

[MTMike]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Firebrd9783:
Ok, i'll stick with the 8, I wanted to make sure so I don't mess up anything, what would be a problem if I use less then what I need, like If I had a 1000 watt amp and used 8 gauge on it, would it just not power it enough or will it hurt something?

Sorry for the ?s, just trying to learn more about wire sizes for future use.<hr></blockquote>

Well, first off, you fuse the wire at the source to protect it againt shorting out. 8 Awg should have no larger than a 60 amp fuse. If you run, say, 1200 watts on 8 awg with 60 amp fuse, youll likely blow the fuse on hard bass hits. If you don't fuse it, or fuse it higher than the wire can handle, you can actually melt the wire, and potentially cause a fire that can burn your whole car up.

Just remember, fuse to protect the wire, AND fuse to protect the amp. If the amp needs a bigger fuse than is needed to protect the wire, then you need bigger wire.

In your case, with the 300 watt amp, your 8 guage is more than plenty. You could actually get by safely with 14 guage wire (yes, 14 awg) and a 25 amp fuse, in all honesty. 300 watts in it's PEAK will draw around 22 amps, and amps dont' typically run at their peak too long.

-Mike

[ February 26, 2002: Message edited by: MTMike ]</p>

[Firebrd9783]

What size fuse should I get between the amp and the cap?

[MTMike]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Firebrd9783:
What size fuse should I get between the amp and the cap?<hr></blockquote>

No bigger than what came with the the amp or is recommended for that amp.

-Mike