Rep Power: 0

I searched and didn't find anything, so sorry if this is a repost.

I just purchased a Rockford Digital Cap, and I am confused. I understand the hooking it up to the battery/amp, but I got this circuit board with a power/ground wire attatched to it to charge and discharge. Does this circuit board need to be attatched to the top posts with the power/ground terminals? Wouldn't the Cap charge and discharge itself by using the remote turn-on wire? The capacitor shouldn't pull power from the battery once the remote turn-off is turned off correct?

Circuit board has instructions on it to charge(connect both wires to 12v+)/discharge(touch both wires together). Do you need to hook this up and perform this operation everytime I use my car?

I know this is probably a stupid question, but I'm hoping someone can explain to me if I need this piece or how/why this piece is used? The rockfor instructions don't go into much detail about it.

 
Rep Power: 337

Just take out your fuse up front, install the cap as the directions say, and reinstall the fuse. There will be a small one time spark. Your cap is now charged. The charging card is there so that the spark will not happen. If you want to use the card, it is just used to charge the cap. Take it out when your done. You only need to do this one time. The cap will charge to the potential of the battery. trust me, just hook it up and install the fuse and your good to go

 
Rep Power: 0

A capacitor has to be charged slowly before using it. The circuit board that came with it is basicly just a charger. Attach it to the cap as directed, then connect the red to 12v+ and the black wire to ground. I cant remember if the light goes on or off when finished. Then take the circuit board off the cap, and you are ready to hook it up. It only has to be charged once.

 
Rep Power: 0

the light will go off when the charging is complete, the remote wire is used to turn on the digital multimeter

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok cool. Now I understand.

Just one final question. I'm assuming I can connect the wires to the battery terminals to charge the capacitor while the car is on. Correct?

 
Rep Power: 337

nope, yoru battery reads voltage no matter what, whether the car is on or off makes no difference!

 
Rep Power: 346

I have always wondered why every time I disconnect my main fuse and reconnect it I get a spark? i wonder if I did something wrong hooking it up...or if I didn't charge it enough in the first place? My Cap has been the most confusing item of hooking up my own system...anywayz

edit: Oh, and it is a RF Cap...so Alex you would be ideal to answer my question

 
Rep Power: 0

everytime you disconnect the main fuse, the cap will discharge itself eventually. a cap cant hold its charge for that long if its just standing by itself without being hooked up to a power source to stop hte spark without the charging card, i just use a test light and short the two terminals in the fuse holder before i replace the fuse

 
Rep Power: 337

a capacitor, especially a 1 farad, can hold charge for a really realy really really really really really really long time...........

 
Rep Power: 346

So basically my cap is not charged all the way?

 
Rep Power: 337

so basically, when you start with a brand new capcacitor, it is at ZERO charge, which means it is at zero resistance, which means if you hook it up directly to teh battery, you get that spark becuase more or less INFINITE current is being supplied to the capacitor all AT ONCE. thats what the resistor is there for, to slow down teh INITIAL charge that enters.

not using htat card MAY OR MAY NOT (and this has hapened before, we do it in chemistry class here as freshmen) explosivly destroy the capacitor. infinite electrons trying to put charge on a plate all at once.... you can imagine the drama.

once its charged the first time, its fine to be plugging it in and unplugging it, becuase its still got a small charge to it. and this some inherrent resistance in there, it wont be drawing SO MUCH that itsll be dangerous.

but after discharging awhile it will still need a hefty amount of current, which is why yoru fuse sparks.

it is also the reason yrou amplifiers spark when you hook teh power wire up, the caps inside are charging up, and have a moment of zero resistance.

so to answer yrou quesion, basically, once initially charged from zero, your cap is more or less never DISCHARGED all the way

as to being charged all the way, no matter what, it is never charged up all teh way, but that has no bearing on this thread, its more of a theoretical physics discussion Richard Clarck used to prove that capacitors do nothing to help out a weak electrical system. and he was right. you cna check out his discussions on www.elitecaraudio.com, or wahtever the url is for elite. fascinating topic.

 
Rep Power: 346

Wow, that flew way over my head, but TY

I bought the cap, so I just keep it in the car...and I Really like the volt meter

Basically, in a yes or no question format...Do I need to charge my cap again using that lil board with wires?

edit: I tried re-reading it a few times and I think I got it...like I said, the whole cap thing has been the most confusing part of installing my system...which is always why I have dumb questions about it.

 
Rep Power: 0

Caps when not under load will theoretically horld a charge forever..

to take all of what rabbit said and put it in leymans terms.. the circuit boards a resistor which is there to protect the capacitor on initial charging.. most installers just use a test light .

Also as for a spark whenever reconnecting your main fuse.. that shouldn't happen unless you turn on the car with the fuse off and have the remote turn on lead connected to the amp.. your amps will momentarily draw charge from the capacitor and can even play for a wee bit. Usually though you just get a little thump noise and the cap discharges below 10.5 volts and the amp shuts off.

 
Rep Power: 346

So basically I need to break out my lil circuit board?

 
Rep Power: 0

yeah to avoid that little spark.. but the cap can just as easily charge without it..

When you get that spark your not going from zero to 12.6 volts in a seconds..your charging from 10.5-12.6 which isn't going to damage the cap.

 
Rep Power: 346

ty