On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 18:22:31 -0500, "Mark Zarella"
wrote:


So I go back to my original assertion - if moving the
capacitor from the trunk to the headlamp terminals results in
noticeably less flickering, then your headlamp wiring is cocked up
somehow.

Noticeably? I'm not entirely sure it's noticeable. It's probably awfully
close to the threshold. I don't know - is there a noticeable difference
between, say, 1F and 2F? I think there are a lot of variables at play. But
the entire point of my initial assertion was that the capacitor is most
effective electrically "close" to the headlights. This is a direct
contradicition to the traditional "put it as close to the amplifier as
possible" advice. That's my main point. But note also that I said
previously that if there are additional reasons for using the capacitor
(aesthetic value, for instance), then mount the thing wherever you want. So
I'm not trying to convince anyone that it's crucial. I'm just saying that
there IS an electrical benefit and that the advice of putting the cap close
the amp is wrong.



You're right, there IS an electrical benefit to having the capacitor
closer to the headlamps, just like a signal-to-noise ratio of 106 dB
is better than a S/N ratio of 100 dB. The benefit is there, and it's
measureable, but I still don't think it's noticeable.

We agree on all of the big points regarding the use of capacitors, so
I'm not interested in arguing this relatively insignificant point.

I'm just hoping that people start to realize that there's a lot of
misinformation out there regarding caps, both pro AND con. For every
person that says caps made their system louder, cooler, and made their
teeth whiter, there's someone on the other end of the spectrum that
says caps are useless "band-aids" that have no place in car audio.
Such extreme views don't do anyone any good.

Scott Gardner