Ok I have two amps and a cap that i want to hook up. How do i do it?

Do I hook the main power wire(4gauge) from the battery to the Cap and have an(8gauge) wire coming from the cap going to a Distribution Block and an eight gauge wire to each amp.

Or should I run the 4g wire to the cap and 2 4g wire coming out the cap and straight to the amps. Without using the distribution block.

What should i do?

 

like this.. pardon the artwork.. I drew it in 5 minutes at work.

 

ok so i have to hook the cap after the distro block not before or does it matter where the cap location is?

 

To your question ;
you can hook your Cap (+) side to any point
before or after the distribution block, preferably after your primary fuse, because electrically, any point on that line is the same
just make sure the (-) side of the cap goes to a good ground,i.e.
chassis, even if you have to clean rust or paint off prior to landing.

Remember that most caps come with procedures for charging (initially)
as it takes a short time for them to charge and initally the cap appears as a dead short, so most caps come with a resistor to use
to put between the cap and ground.

good luck


Dave

 

but is that really what you meant to draw? The Cap you drew is not in line with the amps... Wouldn't this be the ideal method:

4guage wire from amp
in line fuse
wire to cap
4 guage to distro block
2 8 guage comming from distro and going to the amps...


Correct me if wrong, but tell me why so I can learn!

PJ

 

That's exactly how I meant to draw it. current doesn't only flow one way in a power wire.. the cap can either "push" current or "pull" current.
you want to install it like this, and you want to install it as close to your amps as possible. i.e. the shortest wire length you can do without problems. the longer the wire, the more resistance in the cable, so the cap loses efficiency basically.

If you'll open up the owner's manual on the cap, they'll show you to install it this way as one of your possibilities.

 

cool i never knew that. GOOD info in here

 

The best way to do this would be to do as you said.
run 1 4 gauge back to the cap, then split off the cap with 2 4 gauge running to the amps, also run two 4 gauge grounds to the cap then another 4 gauge to a good solid ground. you would not want to add a distribution block in there unless you need to, it just decreases the amount of power getting to your amps. You could also use 8 gauge between the cap and the amp but i would stick with 4 gauge if you can it will flow easier with less resistance.

 

So there is no need for a dist. block. What are the disadvantages and advantages of have a dist. block?

 

Matt has the correct drawing. His setup is exactly like mine. This way the cap is working for both amps and not just one. Like Matt said, current does not flow in only one direction, it can be pushed or pulled.

C.D.