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Here's a great article on "how to charge your capacitor".
Usually capacitors should come with a charging card, and instructions for charging the it. The card is attached to the posts on top of the capacitor, and the two leads that come off of the card are attached to power and ground. When first connected, the green LED on the card should light up. When the green light goes out, the capacitor is charged. My capacitor didn't came with anything since I bought it used from ebay 2 years ago. I should also mention that it's been sitting in the attic 1.5 years that's why I strictly followed the instructions.
Capacitors that are not equipped with a charging card usually come packaged with a charging resistor. We recommend a 30 Ohm resistor(I used 47 ohm and it worked perfectly). You will need that resistor and a voltmeter(I didn't need it since my cap is digital) to charge the cap. I think you can get away with not buying a voltmeter (even though it's a great tool to have). Just make sure you spend at least 3-5 minutes so that you're risk free.
1. First, you will want to remove the main fuse for your auto sound system (usually mounted as close to the car's battery as possible).
2. With all power removed from the main power line, go ahead and connect your power and ground cables to the capacitor. After you have connected the power cable and ground cable (and remote lead where applicable) to the capacitor you are ready to charge it.
3. To charge the capacitor, put the leads of the resistor in place of where the main fuse was in the fuse holder. You should hold the body of the resistor with a pair of pliers since it can get extremely hot( very true statement)
4. After waiting a few minutes with the resistor in place, measure the voltage at the capacitor. Once the voltage at the capacitor gets to eleven volts, it's safe to remove the resistor and put the fuse back into it's place in the fuse holder.
If you see a little bit of a spark at the fuse when it is reconnected, that is normal. That's just the capacitor making up the difference in voltage that it needs, and should just take place quickly and then stop.
If you do not have a resistor to use with your capacitor, then a test light can serve the same purpose. You would just follow the above instructions for installation while using a resistor, only instead you would put the clip of the test light on one side of the fuse holder, then put the probe of the test light to the opposite side of the fuse holder. The light should light up at this point, and you will know that your capacitor is fully charged when the light on the test light goes out.
I found that article very useful when I charged my capacitor today in the morning. Radio shack sells the resistor for a pack of 6 for $.99. My cap charged fine and working perfectly. I have a digital voltmeter on my amp so I can actually tell you the difference. BEFORE the cap, I was constantly getting 11v-12.5v to my amplifier. AFTER the cap install, my digital cap is reading 14.6v (<-- this is what cap is getting from the battery) and my amp is reading 13.5v to 14.0v constant. So, it's about 1.5v to 2.0v increase which is quite impressive. If Matt wants to sticky this, it's up to him. I am just passing along good information that might help someone decide on buying or charging a Capacitor ;). Again, folks, DO NOT buy a capacitor if you have serious audio equipment (i.e. big amps). You need to buy "High Output" alternator. Capacitors are used to provide uniform voltage to your amp, not for making up the lack of power that your alternator can't produce.
:)
Usually capacitors should come with a charging card, and instructions for charging the it. The card is attached to the posts on top of the capacitor, and the two leads that come off of the card are attached to power and ground. When first connected, the green LED on the card should light up. When the green light goes out, the capacitor is charged. My capacitor didn't came with anything since I bought it used from ebay 2 years ago. I should also mention that it's been sitting in the attic 1.5 years that's why I strictly followed the instructions.
Capacitors that are not equipped with a charging card usually come packaged with a charging resistor. We recommend a 30 Ohm resistor(I used 47 ohm and it worked perfectly). You will need that resistor and a voltmeter(I didn't need it since my cap is digital) to charge the cap. I think you can get away with not buying a voltmeter (even though it's a great tool to have). Just make sure you spend at least 3-5 minutes so that you're risk free.
1. First, you will want to remove the main fuse for your auto sound system (usually mounted as close to the car's battery as possible).
2. With all power removed from the main power line, go ahead and connect your power and ground cables to the capacitor. After you have connected the power cable and ground cable (and remote lead where applicable) to the capacitor you are ready to charge it.
3. To charge the capacitor, put the leads of the resistor in place of where the main fuse was in the fuse holder. You should hold the body of the resistor with a pair of pliers since it can get extremely hot( very true statement)
4. After waiting a few minutes with the resistor in place, measure the voltage at the capacitor. Once the voltage at the capacitor gets to eleven volts, it's safe to remove the resistor and put the fuse back into it's place in the fuse holder.
If you see a little bit of a spark at the fuse when it is reconnected, that is normal. That's just the capacitor making up the difference in voltage that it needs, and should just take place quickly and then stop.
If you do not have a resistor to use with your capacitor, then a test light can serve the same purpose. You would just follow the above instructions for installation while using a resistor, only instead you would put the clip of the test light on one side of the fuse holder, then put the probe of the test light to the opposite side of the fuse holder. The light should light up at this point, and you will know that your capacitor is fully charged when the light on the test light goes out.
I found that article very useful when I charged my capacitor today in the morning. Radio shack sells the resistor for a pack of 6 for $.99. My cap charged fine and working perfectly. I have a digital voltmeter on my amp so I can actually tell you the difference. BEFORE the cap, I was constantly getting 11v-12.5v to my amplifier. AFTER the cap install, my digital cap is reading 14.6v (<-- this is what cap is getting from the battery) and my amp is reading 13.5v to 14.0v constant. So, it's about 1.5v to 2.0v increase which is quite impressive. If Matt wants to sticky this, it's up to him. I am just passing along good information that might help someone decide on buying or charging a Capacitor ;). Again, folks, DO NOT buy a capacitor if you have serious audio equipment (i.e. big amps). You need to buy "High Output" alternator. Capacitors are used to provide uniform voltage to your amp, not for making up the lack of power that your alternator can't produce.
:)
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