rae_man

iTrader: (1)

Hello!
I just had one general question to be answered:
How can I charge the audio capacitor in my vehicle?

Just for some very brief information, I have it all wired up and ready to go, but I did not insert the fuse by my battery yet, as I have read you need to charge a capacitor prior to installing the fuse to prevent a large "spark" from damaging equipment and/or scaring the feces out of you.
It is a 5 farad amp, manufactured by Tsunami.
I DO NOT WANT PEOPLE IN HERE DEBATING CAPACITOR VS. EXTRA BATTERY VS. HAMSTER WHEEL. There is enough of that in other forums and plenty of other venues for people to vent their concerns on whether it was a waste of money etc.
All I want to know is how I can charge this thing without electrocuting myself, and without having to buy expensive equipment. I am handy, but not ready to experiment with electricity. I like my hair intact.

If you need more information, ask what it is you need to know, and I would be more than happy to provide further detail to have my question answered.
Thanks!
Rae

oh yeah, if there is a link to another post to answer this, by all means refer to another post. I just have not been able to find the answer....maybe I did not dig hard enough...if I did not, feel free to ridicule me!

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

You should not hook a capacitor up without charging it. To charge it use a test light, hook the negative of the cap to the negative battery terminal or chassis ground, then connect one end of a test light to the positive of the cap and the other to the positive of the battery. The light will be bright at first, then will eventually dim to nothing, at that point it is fully charged. if you don't have a test light, you can use a resistor, but you will have to check the voltage at the cap to see if it is charged, it should read the same as the battery, around 12.6 volts. If you just hook it up directly without a load, you will get a big spark, like you touched positive directly to ground.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

check out this link too:

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/car_audi...stallation.htm


btw,

hamster wheels > people blabbing. lol


rep me if u found this info useful or if i answered ur Question

lowlife9

google is your friend so is youtube.

rae_man

iTrader: (1)

I appreciate the quick response! To make my question now more specific, can I use any 12V light bulb from my vehicle to charge the capacitor? I just don't want to go and try this and end up frying my fingers on a light bulb or get zapped.
As well, if I CAN use any 12 V light bulb from my car (such as a brake light), how doesn't it let the full 12V through all at once (how does it create resistance)?
Thanks again!

Foffie

iTrader: (3)

a light bulb is basically a resistor that lights up so yes in theory you could just use a bulb from your car. The absolute correct way to charge a capacitor properly though is with a trickle charger