Capacitor

Ok I really have no idea how they work. I have one and it is right now disconnected from the battery in my car. When I hook it up the display on the capacitor comes on and shows a number somewhere around 12.5. What will happen if I leave it connected to the battery? Will it drain my battery? What do the numbers mean? I'm assuming that the number is how many volts I have, but does the battery have 12.5V or does the capacitor? And last but not least, what does the capacitor due and if I were to leave it hooked up for a long period of time with out starting the car will my battery go dead?

You have to set the mm/dd/yyyy then bring the car up to 88mph with the flux capacitor turned on and thats how it works.

:-)

You have to set the mm/dd/yyyy then bring the car up to 88mph with the flux capacitor turned on and thats how it works.

:-)

Lol, that was great.

Seriously though, Throw The Cap Away, You don't need it, they're pretty much useless

Ok I really have no idea how they work. I have one and it is right now disconnected from the battery in my car. When I hook it up the display on the capacitor comes on and shows a number somewhere around 12.5. What will happen if I leave it connected to the battery? Will it drain my battery? What do the numbers mean? I'm assuming that the number is how many volts I have, but does the battery have 12.5V or does the capacitor? And last but not least, what does the capacitor due and if I were to leave it hooked up for a long period of time with out starting the car will my battery go dead?

Try to think of a capacitor as an empty battery. Without a charge it is just that, an empty battery. The 12.5 volts is supplied by your car and stored in the capacitor. (i'm guessing this is in the case of car audio) In the case of car audio, if at any time your system pulls a big load IE you bumped dat shit hard, the capacitor will discharge to reduce the strain on your electrical system. It will then recharge itself if you have it hooked up.

If you are using it in an audio system then you leave it hooked up all the time. In easy terms, it is what stops your headlights and crap from dimming when you have a powerful system in your car. Leaving it hooked up does not drain the battery, being that when you shut the car off the Capacitor will retain a full charge.

I used to use one on my 3g eclipse because it had a weak alternator and I was running alot of audio equipment. It really saved the life of my alternator.

Lol, that was good. you can leave hooked up, like defiancy said it just stores power for whenever you need it. hook it up to the battery for 2 seconds and then leave it disconneced. If its a good capacitor it will last well over 10 minutes before it loses all its power, oh yeah it might start beeping like a bomb ready to go off but its just starving, no beg deal.

oh yeah it might start beeping like a bomb ready to go off but its just starving, no beg deal.

Yeah that happened and I was like "O no what I do?" Is the display suppose to stay lit?

Yeah that happened and I was like "O no what I do?" Is the display suppose to stay lit?

Goes to show you how much those caps really work, like i said it should go off after like 10 minutes. You don't need it unless you're pushing a big ass sound system.

hook it up to the battery for 2 seconds and then leave it disconneced. If its a good capacitor it will last well over 10 minutes before it loses all its power

Sorry if I'm acting a bit retarded by asking what you may or may not have already answered, but are you saying that the display will go out once the capacitor loses all of it's power? So when I start the car, the capacitor starts charging via the alternator and the battery. Now when I turn the car off the capacitor will remain lit? until it runs out of power? right? Or will the display turn off when I turn the key off? Also when I have the key removed from the ignition, is the capacitor still pulling juice from the battery?

Sorry if I'm acting a bit retarded by asking what you may or may not have already answered, but are you saying that the display will go out once the capacitor loses all of it's power? So when I start the car, the capacitor starts charging via the alternator and the battery. Now when I turn the car off the capacitor will remain lit? until it runs out of power? right? Or will the display turn off when I turn the key off? Also when I have the key removed from the ignition, is the capacitor still pulling juice from the battery?

When you start the car the capacitor starts charging yes. I'm not sure on the second part since my capacitor was one without a screen. But guessing that since the cap is what powers that screen, that the screen dies when the cap runs out of juice.

The capacitor does not draw any power from the battery when the car is turned off, and hooked up.

Imagine that... we have a subforum specifically for audio questions!

Ned, a capacitor is a device that stores power until needed. If you have it connected and you cut our engine off, the display should cut off in like 30 seconds (and it won't draw any power.) If your engine is running (driving or not) and you are at the same engine voltage it will also cut off. The only time it might come on is if you floor it all of a sudden and the engine requires more power. But you can leave it hooked up, it won't harm your car.

Imagine that... we have a subforum specifically for audio questions!

Sorry dude, I'll post in the correct subs.:runaround:

I say just get a nice (yellow-top) Optima battery and skip the Cap.

just my opinion

You don't really need the cap but you can convince little kids that it is actually a nitrous tank, lol.

I say just get a nice (yellow-top) Optima battery and skip the Cap.

just my opinion

+1
AGREED

I just bought a regular battery like 2 days ago so I'm not going to buy another one other wise I might of just done that.