People with subwoofers in their vehicle...

[clamum]

I have a 12" subwoofer in my car and a cheap Jensen amp. When the bass hits on songs my CD player's display will dim... it didn't do this before but it does it now. I've read that it may be a grounding problem somewhere? Does anyone have any info on this?

 

Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

 

[fredtam]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

yep

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

You might also want to see if your battery and/or alternator need replacing.

 

[MikeMike]

problem is is that your alternator cannot keep up w/ the draw from the amp.

a cap can help, but will not always solve the problem

a high output alt will, but a cap is cheaper.

MIKE

 

[JulesMaximus]

How and where do you install the capacitor? My car does this when I'm really cranking it.

 

[qaa541]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

Yep, especially if you have one of those econobox cars with the smallish batteries. Your amp draws a surprising amount of power which your battery may not have the power to give all at once especially when a deep bass note hits. A cap(acitor) should solve your problems.

Cheers!

 

[fs5]

cap + optima battery

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: blazert40

Originally posted by: SampSon
Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

yep

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
cap + optima battery

cap + Odyssey battery > cap + optoma battery.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
How and where do you install the capacitor? My car does this when I'm really cranking it.

How much power are you pushing? The "general" rule is for every 750w, you'll get a 1 farad cap. If you have multiple amps, you'd hook up the cap after the distribution block. Power will go directly to one amp and then the power will go directly from the other lead on the dist. block to the cap, which in turn leads to the amp.

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
How and where do you install the capacitor? My car does this when I'm really cranking it.

How much power are you pushing? The "general" rule is for every 750w, you'll get a 1 farad cap. If you have multiple amps, you'd hook up the cap after the distribution block. Power will go directly to one amp and then the power will go directly from the other lead on the dist. block to the cap, which in turn leads to the amp.

If you're just doing one amp, place the cap inline to its power wire as close to the battery as you can.

battery -> cap -> amp

If that doesn't solve your problem (check w/ multimeter too), then look into a new battery or alternator to keep pace.

 

[Vic]

Cap is a good idea. Also should do a single point ground mod, $10 bucks for the 8 guage wire and connectors at Home Depot.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

First off, a cap WILL NOT solve your problem. Your electrical system is weak, I suggest replacing your battery with a good deep cycle marine battery from Interstate, or a Optima Yellowtop. Look into aftermarket alternators if the problem persists, as this will definitely solve your problem. Cap should be the last thing you want to add. Also, you might want to do some reading on the Big 3 on some caraudio forums.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: Sudheer Anne
First off, a cap WILL NOT solve your problem. Your electrical system is weak, I suggest replacing your battery with a good deep cycle marine battery from Interstate, or a Optima Yellowtop. Look into aftermarket alternators if the problem persists, as this will definitely solve your problem. Cap should be the last thing you want to add. Also, you might want to do some reading on the Big 3 on some caraudio forums.

no his problem will be solved by a cap. i know what caps do, and i know they still take power from the alt etc. however, it seems like his problem is only when bass hits, and that is what a cap is for, its a cheap investment, sorta like a bandaid over stitches, however in his case it should work. if not, then he spends the money on the rest. i will not suggest him to do the alt, etc for just the small problem he has.

MIKE

 

[clamum]

Ok...

The beast in this pic (top one) is my amplifier. So I would need a 1 farad capacitor?

Vic, what is a single point ground mod?

 

[jagec]

I means you need to turn it down, you're damaging your hearing and annoying those around you.

 

[clamum]

Haha no I don't play it that loud... just makes the music sound better

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: clamum
Vic, what is a single point ground mod?

Wiring up various new grounds under the hood that all "single-point" back to the negative battery terminal.
It generally strengthens the electrical system and smooths out voltage irregularities, plus is more safe than the single ground that most cars come with.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: clamum
Vic, what is a single point ground mod?

Wiring up various new grounds under the hood that all "single-point" back to the negative battery terminal.
It generally strengthens the electrical system and smooths out voltage irregularities, plus is more safe than the single ground that most cars come with.

Aren't you gonna recommend something like this?

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: clamum
Vic, what is a single point ground mod?

Wiring up various new grounds under the hood that all "single-point" back to the negative battery terminal.
It generally strengthens the electrical system and smooths out voltage irregularities, plus is more safe than the single ground that most cars come with.

Aren't you gonna recommend something like this?

That's the "hottest" mod among the 7th Gen Accord owners for some reason, I can't figure out why.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: clamum
Vic, what is a single point ground mod?

Wiring up various new grounds under the hood that all "single-point" back to the negative battery terminal.
It generally strengthens the electrical system and smooths out voltage irregularities, plus is more safe than the single ground that most cars come with.

Aren't you gonna recommend something like this?

How in the hell does that increase power to the wheels?

Does it cause less load on you alternator or something?

 

[glen]

Originally posted by: SampSon
Battery is taking a beating.
Get a capacitor.

 

[clamum]

Something like this?