Installation of Amp and Capacitor...need help!!!
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Teching In
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Sterling, Virginia
Installation of Amp and Capacitor...need help!!! Hi guys, need some help here. I have a 4 channel 700w Alpine Amp run to my speakers and I want to add a Amp for my subs and also want to install a capacitor to stop the headlights from flickering.
The Amp I am buying is a Alpine 500W Amp and the Capacitor is one faret, I'm not real sure of the brand of the capacitor. The guy at Myer Emco told me to run one faret per 1,000 watts.
Can I just run a distribution block and tap into my power wire to install the other amp for my subs and how do I install the capacitor? Do I just tap into the power wire for that also? Your help would be greatly appreciated with this, I'm not real experienced when it comes to stereos but I'm trying to save some money because installation prices are killer!!!! Thanks in advance.
-Nick-
The Amp I am buying is a Alpine 500W Amp and the Capacitor is one faret, I'm not real sure of the brand of the capacitor. The guy at Myer Emco told me to run one faret per 1,000 watts.
Can I just run a distribution block and tap into my power wire to install the other amp for my subs and how do I install the capacitor? Do I just tap into the power wire for that also? Your help would be greatly appreciated with this, I'm not real experienced when it comes to stereos but I'm trying to save some money because installation prices are killer!!!! Thanks in advance.
-Nick-
run power wire from your battery to the cap, ground it with the same guage wire as the battery. from the cap run the power wire to the fused distrubution block. run a wire to the amps, and ground the amps.
good luck
good luck
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From: F.H,Waterford,Port Huron, MI
And charge the cap slow with the part it came with (resistor/bulb) but some caps have that built in!
And yes wire it the way Jimmy 2 Times said. But not all caps are wired that way but from what it sounds like you will be fine!
And yes wire it the way Jimmy 2 Times said. But not all caps are wired that way but from what it sounds like you will be fine!
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From: Texas
Optimally you want the distance of the + wire to be as close as possible to the amps +
Ground loops can get messy when running large caps so make SURE you put the - side of the cap to ground (bare metal, not the battery) I cant stress a good ground on caps enough.
Ground loops can get messy when running large caps so make SURE you put the - side of the cap to ground (bare metal, not the battery) I cant stress a good ground on caps enough.
Originally Posted by 2MuchRiceMakesMeSick
Optimally you want the distance of the + wire to be as close as possible to the amps +
Ground loops can get messy when running large caps so make SURE you put the - side of the cap to ground (bare metal, not the battery) I cant stress a good ground on caps enough.
Ground loops can get messy when running large caps so make SURE you put the - side of the cap to ground (bare metal, not the battery) I cant stress a good ground on caps enough.
good point, i forgot to tell him to grind down the paint where you ground your cap, and again where you ground your amp.
You can also run your amp grounds from the cap as well. I'm not sure if that was already said or not.
Mine is done that way. Power from battery to cap, then power to amps from cap. Ground from chassis ground (bare metal) then from cap to ground on amps.
One really good way to eliminate engine noise and headlight flickering is to take a yellow and a black wire. Both 16-18 awg. Tap into your headunit with the yellow on yellow and black on black. Run the yellow to the power on your largest amp and the ground the same. It's an install trick I learned over the years that works VERY well. I have ZERO engine noise and ZERO flickering.
Mine is done that way. Power from battery to cap, then power to amps from cap. Ground from chassis ground (bare metal) then from cap to ground on amps.
One really good way to eliminate engine noise and headlight flickering is to take a yellow and a black wire. Both 16-18 awg. Tap into your headunit with the yellow on yellow and black on black. Run the yellow to the power on your largest amp and the ground the same. It's an install trick I learned over the years that works VERY well. I have ZERO engine noise and ZERO flickering.
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Originally Posted by Trent
I have ZERO engine noise and ZERO flickering.
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by Trent
You can also run your amp grounds from the cap as well. I'm not sure if that was already said or not.
Mine is done that way. Power from battery to cap, then power to amps from cap. Ground from chassis ground (bare metal) then from cap to ground on amps.
Mine is done that way. Power from battery to cap, then power to amps from cap. Ground from chassis ground (bare metal) then from cap to ground on amps.
Please do not do this. Grounding is the second most important thing next to supplying enough amps/volts and keeping them cool. Provide a good ground with a good size wire for EACH of your amp and caps. Dont cut corners. Spend the extra 10 bucks for another 4 guage for your 1 farad cap and give it its own ground. Combining common grounds can create ground loops which will smoke your amp in a matter of seconds.
Originally Posted by tuffluck
you must have a weak amplifier. amplifiers draw current. alternators provide current. if you have a stock alternator and a 1500 watt amplifier, your alternator will not supply 100+ amps to your amplifier, and therefore, your charging system will suffer (i.e. your lights will flicker). tapping into a simple power/ground wire definitely won't prevent this.
I agree.
Originally Posted by 2MuchRiceMakesMeSick
Please do not do this. Grounding is the second most important thing next to supplying enough amps/volts and keeping them cool. Provide a good ground with a good size wire for EACH of your amp and caps. Dont cut corners. Spend the extra 10 bucks for another 4 guage for your 1 farad cap and give it its own ground. Combining common grounds can create ground loops which will smoke your amp in a matter of seconds.
I agree.
I agree.
Woah woah woah I was misunderstood!!!!! I was saying use the red and black from the deck in ADDITION to the 4 awg you should be using anyway. The real purpose of using those two wires is to rid yourself of engine noise, but they help with flickering a LITTLE bit. I had a faint amount of engine noise before I redid it that way and it went away.
So in summary, 4 awg from battery to cap, 4awg from chassis to cap, 8awg from cap power to amp power and 8 awg from cap ground to amp ground AND the red and black from the deck spliced and run to the large amp.
I've got nearly 1500 watts in my car and have installed MANY systems. I would NEVER in a million years use the power and ground from the deck for the power and ground of the amp.
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by Trent
You can also run your amp grounds from the cap as well. .
You werent misunderstood.
Ill say it again....do not combine the amp and the cap grounds.
The amp should go to bare metal on its own wire.
The cap should go to bare metal on its own wire.
ditto...i used to install full time, now just for buds, but each component in the system should have it's own ground. If you have engine noise it's because signal wire and power wire are run too close together at some point in your system. Running the secondary power wire probably just gave you enough power from a non signal induced wire to keep you from hearing it.
Nate
Nate
Originally Posted by taufern
If you have engine noise it's because signal wire and power wire are run too close together at some point in your system.
back to the general jist of this thread - a capacitor doesn't always do anything at all. a high output alternator is the cure. i have a friend with a 2000 watt system and a 15 farad capacitor and his lights still dim constantly. seldomly they work, sometimes they help, and often times they do nothing. but they look cool...
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by tuffluck
90% of the time a bad ground causes engine noise, not running wires too close together. that's a pretty big misconception that people have. if you even buy the worst rca's known to man you can still probably run them next to your power wire and get very little engine noise. alternately, a single bad ground in the system will cause a whine you'd never believe possible.
back to the general jist of this thread - a capacitor doesn't always do anything at all. a high output alternator is the cure. i have a friend with a 2000 watt system and a 15 farad capacitor and his lights still dim constantly. seldomly they work, sometimes they help, and often times they do nothing. but they look cool...
back to the general jist of this thread - a capacitor doesn't always do anything at all. a high output alternator is the cure. i have a friend with a 2000 watt system and a 15 farad capacitor and his lights still dim constantly. seldomly they work, sometimes they help, and often times they do nothing. but they look cool...
90% of the time ground noise is caused by running your prestage too close to +12v. The second most common is alternator prefailure.
Originally Posted by 2MuchRiceMakesMeSick
90% of the time ground noise is caused by running your prestage too close to +12v. The second most common is alternator prefailure.
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From: San Jose, NorCal
You've all said that running the capcitor should be directly connected to the batt then into the distribution block, correct? The way I have it hooked, was a 4awg from the batt to the block then out to the cap. Is this in any way going to cause a problem?
Originally Posted by 2001FireBird
You've all said that running the capcitor should be directly connected to the batt then into the distribution block, correct? The way I have it hooked, was a 4awg from the batt to the block then out to the cap. Is this in any way going to cause a problem?
Here's a good link I found.
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/scrip...Z2U9MQ**&p_li=
Going towards the bottom it has a few related links.
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From: Bakersfield, Ca.
Originally Posted by tuffluck
gonna have to disagree. 90% of the alternator whines i've found have been bad grounds. alternator prefailure sounds like really bad luck, not a common reason for alternator whine, also.
ALL but 1 of the installs (10+ years) that I have seen that have had engine noise in it has been bad grounds.
The 1 that was not was a bad RCA jack.
DO NOT USE COMMON GROUNDS... AND use at least the same size ground wire you use for the power, and make them as short as possible, 6" or less is optimal for a ground.
Last, using a CAP only to fix headlights dimming is only a band aid. You should have a higher rated alternator too.
Just my $.03
TECH Senior Member
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by 2001FireBird
You've all said that running the capcitor should be directly connected to the batt then into the distribution block, correct? The way I have it hooked, was a 4awg from the batt to the block then out to the cap. Is this in any way going to cause a problem?
No run it to ground...bare metal.
Originally Posted by Wildman
ALL but 1 of the installs (10+ years) that I have seen that have had engine noise in it has been bad grounds.
The 1 that was not was a bad RCA jack.
DO NOT USE COMMON GROUNDS... AND use at least the same size ground wire you use for the power, and make them as short as possible, 6" or less is optimal for a ground.
Last, using a CAP only to fix headlights dimming is only a band aid. You should have a higher rated alternator too.
Just my $.03
Thank you. This is EXACTLY what I have been saying. Its good to see other professional installers.