ALA G8R,

How's it going? The pods are located on the strip of molding from the dash to the headliner. Sweet setup. Of all the stuff I saw. This is the one item that stuck in my mind.

As far as the cap it HAS helped balance my system. Power wise. I notice the bass is much tighter with less distortion. I threw in some Bob Marley this morning and all of the bass was damn near perfect. I was not sure, and nobody could tell me for sure, if it would help. I figured at this stage in my system, whats another hundred bucks!? I NEW I would just tear my truck apart and add it eventually!!

Now I'll start tweaking my digital pre- amp/eq. I still have to put my changer back. All fiber now. I'm hearing things on tracks I didn't hear before. :-))

Two side notes.... On my cap there is an led display. When I crank my system it is dropping a few bars. So it IS providing extra power as needed. Also, my amps are running cooler.

Todd

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97 White F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP, 4.6, SuperChip, Stillen Air Intake, Gibson Exhaust, Hellwig Sway Bar, Weld Wheels, 33" Bridgestone A/T Duelers, 3" Body Lift, Rancho 9000's, Billet Grill, SmittyBilt Nerf Bars (Stainless), SnugTop Shell (Expo), Sony ES CDX780 Head Unit, W/CD, Sony ES 10 Disk Changer, Sony ES XDP 210 EQ, MTX 4X50W AMP, Kenwood 300W AMP for Sub., 1 Fared Lightning Monitor Cap, MTX ThunderForm W/2-8"-4ohm Fosgate Punch XLC, Infinity Kappa components in front, Infinity Kappa 5X7 rear. On Order: White face gauge? Still looking.......

[This message has been edited by LuvTheC (edited 08-18-1999).]

[This message has been edited by LuvTheC (edited 08-18-1999).]

 

I think these "power caps" work in a different way than most people belive.
A car battery holds many times the power of any capacitor.
I don't see how a cap can provide the power that a battery can't.
If your engine is running above 1500rpm the alternator is providing all the vehicle electrical power and charging the battery.
Alternators do produce a lot ripple on the output.
The capacitor works by removing the AC ripple on the power line providing a clean DC to the amp therefore cleaner sound.


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99 XLT 5.4l reg cab
4 wheel disc/ABS
5 star larait style wheels
Toreador red 2tone
3.55 gears
255/70/16 OWL
Delta toolbox
Eclipse 5340 cd player
Memphis ARCS50 component speakers (excellent sound)
Sherwood amp
subwoofer coming soon
More mods as funds become avalible.

 

Not exactly..... A quality amp will remove the "ripple effect."

The cap is basically an Ultra fast mini battery... it charges and discharges like lightning... that is its quality.

The 12.5V at my cap is the float voltage (12.6V)of the battery, minus any voltage dropped by power cabling and cct breakers.

When the car is running, all power demands are met by the alternator at 14.4V. The battery is a load on the alternator also, charging up to it's float voltage of approx 12.8V.

During peak music demands the alternator may be overloaded (ie. cannot supply all of the power required), when this happens the voltage from the alternator drops to the float voltage of the battery, the battery ceases to be a load now and both the alternator and the battery will supply power to your stereo. The battery will provide the extra current demanded, but at a lower voltage.

Lets now look at an amplifier example. If an amp is providing 200 Watts and operating at 60% efficiency (typical) then it must draw 333 Watts from the car. At the alternator voltage of 14.4V this equates to about 28 Amps. If peak demands cause the voltage to drop to say 11V, the amp will still need to draw 333W, this equates to a current of 38 Amps, thats a 35% increase in current the amp must deal with to provide the same power.

Thats not the full picture either, because amplifier power supplies are switched, in reality they are drawing peaks of current well in excess of the 28A. These peaks cause drops in your cars power supply and the amp must work harder than ever to compensate. This is where a capacitor comes in. It charges up to the higher voltage of the alternator and supplies huge current when required by your amps, recharging again during the off-cycles. The amps now have a stable power source and provide full power, even during those monster bass notes.

While it's true the alternator can handle all of the onboard lights, acc., etc. When you start adding multi amp systems. You may need some extra juice!! Or maybe not!? To each is own. I prefer to over power my systems. Not that I need to blast my windows out. I equate quality amps with more power to cleaner sound. All amps are not created equal.......

I hope this helps,

Todd

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97 White F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP, 4.6, SuperChip, Stillen Air Intake, Gibson Exhaust, Hellwig Sway Bar, Weld Wheels, 33" Bridgestone A/T Duelers, 3" Body Lift, Rancho 9000's, Billet Grill, SmittyBilt Nerf Bars (Stainless), SnugTop Shell (Expo), Sony ES CDX780 Head Unit, W/CD, Sony ES 10 Disk Changer, Sony ES XDP 210 EQ, MTX 4X50W AMP, Kenwood 300W AMP for Sub., 1 Fared Lightning Monitor Cap, Optima Yellow Top Battery, MTX ThunderForm W/2-8"-4ohm Fosgate Punch XLC, Infinity Kappa components in front, Infinity Kappa 5X7 rear. On Order: White face gauge? Still looking.......




[This message has been edited by LuvTheC (edited 08-19-1999).]

 

Well we may differ on how these caps work but the point is they do work in some installations.
I have used them and sometimes makes a difference sometimes not.
I still don't see how you can have 14.4v on alternator while having 12.8v on battery if they are directly connected in parellel unless you are counting for voltage drop from the alt to the battery.

------------------
99 XLT 5.4l reg cab
4 wheel disc/ABS
5 star larait style wheels
Toreador red 2tone
3.55 gears
255/70/16 OWL
Delta toolbox
Eclipse 5340 cd player
Memphis ARCS50 component speakers (excellent sound)
Sherwood amp
subwoofer coming soon
More mods as funds become avalible.

 

LuvTheC:
What is the amp output capability of our truck's alternator, 95 or 130?
Thanks,
ALA G8R

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97 Lariet SC Flare 4x4, Red/Silver, 5.4L, 3.55LS, ORP
**Superchip, K&N w/ ABM, Flowmaster
** Westin Nerf Bars, Soft Tonneau, Bel Radar Detecter
** Pioneer CD Player, Infinity 57.1CS components up front, Polk 572a's in back, MTX 5000 Thunderform subs, 300 Watt Soundstream Amp for sub, Rockford Fosgate 400a4 for front/rear, Audio Control EQX.

 

Hey ALA G8R,

It is my understanding that all ORP are 130. If you want to make sure check the # on your anternator the last part will be 95 or 130.

BTW : As far as the center channel you may want to look into Bose. They are very small and they sound great. Or any other quality center channel made for home entertainment.

Good listening,

Todd

------------------
97 White F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP, 4.6, SuperChip, Stillen Air Intake, Gibson Exhaust, Hellwig Sway Bar, Weld Wheels, 33" Bridgestone A/T Duelers, 3" Body Lift, Rancho 9000's, Billet Grill, SmittyBilt Nerf Bars (Stainless), SnugTop Shell (Expo), Sony ES CDX780 Head Unit, W/CD, Sony ES 10 Disk Changer, Sony ES XDP 210 EQ, MTX 4X75W AMP, Kenwood 300W AMP for Sub., 1 Fared Lightning Monitor Cap, Optima Yellow Top Battery, MTX ThunderForm W/2-8"-4ohm Fosgate Punch XLC, Infinity Kappa components in front, Infinity Kappa 5X7 rear. On Order: White face gauge? Still looking.......

 

Has anyone else tried mounting tweeters on the dash firing up into the windshield? Mine sound great and are not too noticeable way up next to the A-pillars. Just a thought.

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stock 98 XL, Reg. cab,4.6, Auto, Tow package, 255/70R16 on styled steel wheels,3.55LS, Black with chrome grille and bumpers! MODS: custom stereo by me, building speaker box was a !@#$%. K&N air filter.

 

Hey 98 sleeper,

Did you drill into the dash and mount the tweeters? I was thinking about installing some there also.

Thanks,
Mark