I currenty have (2) 8 gauge power cables connected via o-ring to the
bolt on the factory battery clamp. There is an in-line fuse in each
line. Each line connects to a single amp. (2 amps total) Each amplifier
sits under each front seat in a compact sedan.

I am going to replace the battery terminals with nicer, more conductive
terminals. This will let me wire the system more neatly as well.

I am installing a capacitor. I have a few questions about the capacitor
installaion:
1. Should the capacitor be installed close to the battery or close to
the amps?

2. In the following diagram, where should it be fused?
Battery
STEP A
Capacitor
STEP B1/B2
Amp1/Amp2

Like should it be
Battery
DIRECT POWER
Capacitor
FUSED LINE/FUSED LINE
Amp1/Amp2
or
Battery
FUSED LINE
Capacitor
DIRECT/DIRECT
Amp1/Amp2

3. Since the new battery terminal has connections on it, can i plug the
capacitor into the battery terminal and then plug the 2 power lines
into the availble receptors on the terminal as well?

"Neufusion" wrote in message
oups.com...
I currenty have (2) 8 gauge power cables connected via o-ring to the
bolt on the factory battery clamp. There is an in-line fuse in each
line. Each line connects to a single amp. (2 amps total) Each amplifier
sits under each front seat in a compact sedan.

I am going to replace the battery terminals with nicer, more conductive
terminals. This will let me wire the system more neatly as well.

I am installing a capacitor. I have a few questions about the capacitor
installaion:

The capacitor should be as close to the amps as possible.

The system fuse(s) should be as close to the battery as possible.

-Bruce

Put the CAP as close as you can to the amp running the subs


"Neufusion" wrote in message
oups.com...
I currenty have (2) 8 gauge power cables connected via o-ring to the
bolt on the factory battery clamp. There is an in-line fuse in each
line. Each line connects to a single amp. (2 amps total) Each amplifier
sits under each front seat in a compact sedan.

I am going to replace the battery terminals with nicer, more conductive
terminals. This will let me wire the system more neatly as well.

I am installing a capacitor. I have a few questions about the capacitor
installaion:
1. Should the capacitor be installed close to the battery or close to
the amps?

2. In the following diagram, where should it be fused?
Battery
STEP A
Capacitor
STEP B1/B2
Amp1/Amp2

Like should it be
Battery
DIRECT POWER
Capacitor
FUSED LINE/FUSED LINE
Amp1/Amp2
or
Battery
FUSED LINE
Capacitor
DIRECT/DIRECT
Amp1/Amp2

3. Since the new battery terminal has connections on it, can i plug the
capacitor into the battery terminal and then plug the 2 power lines
into the availble receptors on the terminal as well?

I currenty have (2) 8 gauge power cables connected via o-ring to the
bolt on the factory battery clamp. There is an in-line fuse in each
line. Each line connects to a single amp. (2 amps total) Each amplifier
sits under each front seat in a compact sedan.

I am going to replace the battery terminals with nicer, more conductive
terminals. This will let me wire the system more neatly as well.

I am installing a capacitor. I have a few questions about the capacitor
installaion:
1. Should the capacitor be installed close to the battery or close to
the amps?

2. In the following diagram, where should it be fused?
Battery
STEP A
Capacitor
STEP B1/B2
Amp1/Amp2

Like should it be
Battery
DIRECT POWER
Capacitor
FUSED LINE/FUSED LINE
Amp1/Amp2
or
Battery
FUSED LINE
Capacitor
DIRECT/DIRECT
Amp1/Amp2

3. Since the new battery terminal has connections on it, can i plug the
capacitor into the battery terminal and then plug the 2 power lines
into the availble receptors on the terminal as well?


Check out the capacitor section of the FAQ for this newsgroup:
http://www.mobileaudio.com/rac-faq/rac-faq_2.html#SEC21

Basically, you can put the capacitor wherever you want to, assuming it (like
the amps) has a low resistance connection to the battery/alternator. In
other words, as long as you use a big enough power wire, you can put it up
near the battery or back with the amps. Functionally, it's virtually* the
same, since everything is connected electrically. But I know that some
people prefer one over the other because of space, accessibility, looks, and
so forth, and that's fine.

* I know the others who have replied were pretty emphatic about putting it
near the amplifiers. Well, technically, in order to minimize the resistance
between the capacitor and the electrical device that needs the juice, you
want to put the capacitor as electrically-close to that device as you can
(ie. wire-length). But this is where we get into the gray area... what
are you installing the capacitor for? Some believe that you can actually
affect the sound by installing it. That's a whole 'nother topic that's been
discussed here since Richard Clark first starting using caps (I include this
just to **** off Eddie Runner). Others are installing it to minimize
headlight/interior light dimming. In that case, you'd want it to be as
electrically-close to the headlights as possible. Installing it directly on
the headlight wire isn't recommended without other modifications as well, so
the battery itself is the next best thing. Anyway, I'll leave all the
electrical explanations out of this response...unless you're actually
wondering.

As for the fusing - you need to fuse everything. So you have two choices.
First, if you install the cap with the amps, then you could just attach it
to a distribution block (if you don't have one, you'll need to get one).
The main fuse should be as close to the battery as possible. Each wire
coming out of the distro block should be fused if the wire gauge decreases,
as is often the case with most distro blocks. Thing is...I personally don't
always use fused distro blocks. It's ok to do this as long as the fuse
value you use doesn't exceed the current-handling capacity of the smallest
wire in the chain.

If you choose to install the capacitor near the battery instead, you could
just use that extra battery connection you've got. It's a good idea to fuse
this connection as well. Sounds to me like this option is easier, and it's
just as effective.

Ultimately, I think the choice should depend on where you want to physically
install the cap. Where do you have a spot for it?

[sq4u]

battery-wire-fuse--wire--------------------cap---amp------speakers. done. Remember, ground the amps and cap at the SAME spot to eliminate ground loop noise. DO NOT fuse the ground....DO NOT double fuse positive the cap. DO NOT fuse power from cap to amps. keep CAP bout 3 feet from AMP(s). for quick response time. You dont want 14.4 volts flowing all around your ride do ya? I didnt think so.

DO NOT fuse power from cap to amps.

Bad advice, dude. If he's stepping down the wire gauge, then he's supposed
to fuse the new wire. There's nothing wrong with doing so, though I can
think of some instances where it's not necessary.

keep CAP bout 3
feet from AMP(s). for quick response time.

Um...electrons move pretty fast. A difference of a few feet isn't going to
make much a difference.

You dont want 14.4 volts
flowing all around your ride do ya? I didnt think so.

Huh? That's what's happening when the car's engine is on anyway. When it's
off, it's about twelve and a half...

"MZ" wrote in message
...
DO NOT fuse power from cap to amps.

Bad advice, dude. If he's stepping down the wire gauge, then he's
supposed to fuse the new wire. There's nothing wrong with doing so,
though I can think of some instances where it's not necessary.

keep CAP bout 3
feet from AMP(s). for quick response time.

Um...electrons move pretty fast. A difference of a few feet isn't going
to make much a difference.


This doesn't have much to do with the original post but electrons in a wire
move pretty slow actually. Electron drift speed is on the order of
millimeters per second eventhough the electron itself is moving at nearly
the speed of light. For high current applications a few feet could be a
night and day difference though I would really consider car audio as such.

-Bruce

"sq4u" wrote in message
...

battery-wire-fuse--wire--------------------cap---amp------speakers.
done. Remember, ground the amps and cap at the SAME spot to eliminate
ground loop noise. DO NOT fuse the ground....DO NOT double fuse
positive the cap. DO NOT fuse power from cap to amps. keep CAP bout 3
feet from AMP(s). for quick response time. You dont want 14.4 volts
flowing all around your ride do ya? I didnt think so.


--
sq4u

Since the capacitor isn't part of the signal chain in any way, there's no
possibility of introducing a ground loop by grounding it separately from the
amplifier.

This doesn't have much to do with the original post but electrons in a
wire
move pretty slow actually. Electron drift speed is on the order of
millimeters per second eventhough the electron itself is moving at nearly
the speed of light. For high current applications a few feet could be a
night and day difference though I would really consider car audio as such.

My response was not really serious, but more of a jab at the notion that the
"speed" was an issue. It's not. The speed of electricity is too fast for
there to be any measurable difference in the two applications. Rather, what
he probably meant by "speed" had to do with the inductance. I apologize for
not being clearer in my post.

The inductance of the 3 ft cable vs the 10 ft cable is not going to make any
difference in the effects of the capacitor. In fact, I'd argue that it's
more beneficial since the only noticable symptom will be at the headlights
or interior lights, in which case the battery is more electrically-close
(ie. lower Z) than the alternative.