i got four Alpine R coaxials, a 12" JLw6 and two Kenwood amps hooked up to my car. when i amp up the system to satisfy my hearing needs, my headlights; no, actually, every light inside and outside of my E dims when the subwoofer hits.

how do i fix this?

so far, i read of two solutions,

1.get a better alternator

2.get a capacitor


for 1, I CANT FIND ANY ALTERNATORS THAT FIT THE ELEMENT


for 2, what the heck does a capacitor do?

A Capacitor basically stores electrical Energy. This helps to even out the strain when that bass hits hard (DAGGG you must like it LOUD!)

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Group/ProductMenu.aspx?search=Capacitor&skipvs=T&g=725

Capacitors

The first thing to do is to add a stiffening capacitor. A capacitor acts as a secondary battery that reacts very quickly to sudden current demands (i.e. music transients). A rule of thumb is to have 1 farad of capacitance for every 1000 watts of power. The sound system will sound a bit smoother and hopefully the light dimming problem will be either fixed or reduced. Your lights don't necessarily have to be dimming for you to have to add a capacitor. Stiffening capacitors always help a sound system.

Capacitors should be installed as close to the amplifiers as possible, with the positive lead going right into the positive lead of the amp and the ground to a metal part of the car (not to the ground terminal of the amp).

When a capacitor is first installed, it has no voltage in it, so if it is hooked up to a battery, it will act as a short circuit and draw a LOT of current (not a good sight). Capacitors need to be "charged up" first. This is simply done by either putting a resistor (1k-ohm or more) or a test light between the positive post of the battery and the positive terminal of the cap (with ground hooked up to metal). After a few minutes, the capacitor will be charged up, and it can be connected. Every time the capacitor is "drained" i.e the lights were left on in the car and battery is dead, the capacitor should be DISCONNECTED, battery charged, and then capacitor has to be recharged and reconnected.

Capacitors might help, but they do not take care of the fact that your car's system is underpowered. They are a "patch" for a more serious problem

(stolen from http://www.carstereo.com/help/elect_upgrade.cfm)

I'd also suggest a beefier battery, just to handle the extra strain on the electrical system.

For alternators, you could try searching for alternators for the Accord 2.4L or the CR-V. It may be a close enough match to work.

A capacitor is an electrical energy storage component. If a battery is a hard drive, the capacitor is more like RAM. Or, think of it a bit like the bag on bagpipes. A bagpipe player blows into the bag as he is able, but the bag provides a steady source of air. You could use it to basically even out the flow from the battery so that during moments of heavier draw, it would use the stored charge in the capacitor, and during moments of lower draw, the capacitor would recharge.

And (hopefully not sounding like an old man here... I'm certainly not) watch your hearing. You may decide 10 years down the road that clearly hearing your music means more to you than having that serious thump does now. I do understand that the thump is addictive. I high school/college, I had 800 watts powering two 12"s in the back of my Accord, and loved to watch my graduation tassel dance to the bass as it dangled from the rearview mirror.

What Flo said... (watch your hearing)... also along with a beefier batt... check out this thread on Caraudio.com (i hate posting links to other forums... Sorry but its a dedicated car audio forum) its called "The Big 3" (http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=152355) and it has to do with beefing up the wires from the Alt to the Batt, the batt to the chassis, etc.

Why am I the first one to post this!?

You need a flux-capacitor!:D

Just don't eat it...:rolleyes:

Thank you, I'll be here forever.

I need more caffine.

First thing I would do is the "BIG 3" upgrade. That consists of beefing up your grounds and you charging cables. You can google "big 3" foir more info. If that doesnt resolve your issue you can upgrade the battery to help some.

As far as capicitors go some belive in them and some dont. I have seen some big name car stereo competitors really prove that they dont do much. I think if you do the suggested items above you wont need one.

John

I had the same problem in my '89 Prelude. I ran 2 10" Crossfire "2's" off a 500w Pioneer Premier amp, and Kicker components up front off a 400w Pioneer Premier as well. When I "turned it up to 11", I was putting out around 1200w and about 130db. Needless to say, my entire electrical system would dim and on occassion, my car would stumble! :lol:

First thought was battery, so I replaced it....didn't help.
Then, my alternator went on strike...replaced it....didn't help.
Then I put in a 1 farad capacitor...PRESTO CHANGO!!!

So I vote you throw in a 1 Farad capacitor. A beefier battery wouldn't hurt either. And I second charging the cap through a resistor...sparks are cool, but fire is bad mmkay.

thanks, a 1 farad cap it is then.

I am telling you to do the "Big3" first. The cap wont help you out. I will post the test info later about how good a cap works.

John

I agree that the weakest link is the weenie ground that the E has going to the battery and engine. Many people will run a huge power wire to the amp then another from the amp to the body. Most people forget to replace the wimpy ground wires to get the current back to the battery and alternator.

I am not so sure I am sold on "caps"......

I run 8 kicker amps pushing 4500watts and I have a stock alt. and only two batteries.

The man who designed and installed my system told me that "cap" are more hype than anything. A second battery will store more "energy" than 100 caps.

I think it is all in what grade of battery you use. I have two Stinger SPV35s and I have no issues with lights.


Click on link in my Sig. to go to my Cardomain page to see more pictures.

I'm running a HiFonics Titan 1000 watt driving a pair of HiFonics Brutus 12's drawing off a single Optima Yellowtop. Headlight dimming was definitely an issue. 1.5 farad capacitor solved all problems.

I don't understand what issue some people have with caps. It's a $50 part, and it bolts into a distribution block that you presumably have setup for the 4 guage power line in the trunk anyway. Stick it in, if it solves the problem then you're done. Way cheaper than mounting a second battery, or swapping alternators.

There's no hype involved; it's simple physics. Well, not so simple--it's electricity and magnetism, usually the third quarter in a collegiate level physics class. (Which I flunked. But anyway...)

Mayb I should also add: Those Yellowtops are heavy, and Honda's aren't necessarily known for their torque. Anything to avoid mounting more than one... :)

Are all your amp grounds good, ie. attached tightly to good clean metal?

Are your power/ground cables large enough for the power you are drawing as well as the length you are running them? (resistance is directly proportional to length and inversly proportional with diameter)

Battery terminals and grounds up front clean?

If all are yes, then try the Big3.

Rick

Cheapest solution: Stop driving at night.

i got this set up from my audio dealer. it's a battery mounted in the back of the car that basically has 12 capacitors inside of it. but the normal car battery charges it and yeah, nothing dims anymore.

Im with Fast on this one... not only does it make a heck of a lot more sense, it will be cheaper than going the Cap route... if it doesnt work entirely youre out only a few bucks and you can still get the Cap

i used 4 gauge monstercable wiring kits



and i had my grounding wire beefed up cause i had alternator wine before.


but even then my lights dim.

so i guess i should switch my oem battery for an optima then?
or should i just get the capacitor?



also, i saw capacitors that looked like one giant AA battery with two holes on top,

and i saw capacitors that looked like a time bomb with this digital clock thingamabobber on top,

can someone explain whats the diff?
whats that number counter do for you?

It's just a built in voltage meter...more bling than function. I have a 1 farad cap that I used in my old vehicle and will probably put in my E when i put in my subs. A cap is basically a battery that charges and discharges very quickly. On bass hits like a drum or bass guitar licks, a cap will help supply the quick voltage the amp needs. On long drawn-out bass tracks like hip-hop, the cap doesn't have time to recharge so it's basically useless. All things considered, I think a battery upgrade would be best for the whole vehicle.

A cap is basically a battery that charges and discharges very quickly. On bass hits like a drum or bass guitar licks, a cap will help supply the quick voltage the amp needs. On long drawn-out bass tracks like hip-hop, the cap doesn't have time to recharge so it's basically useless. All things considered, I think a battery upgrade would be best for the whole vehicle.
Ditto!!
Caps can and do work, even on the long drawn out bass (heck I rocked out to Bass Mekanik on max for an entire hour with no "flicker")...but batteries are just as capable, they just require a different type of game plan. Obviously due to their size and weight, finding a location and mounting the battery, can bring different problems to the table.

Whereas caps can pretty much be mounted anywhere you please...usually right next to the amp, or even on the sub enclosure. So its really a matter of preference, space and money.

caps work, idont care what anyone says. The vehicles battery cannot handle the peaks in voltage, and the alt cant make up for it. This is why lights dim. Its load on the system. If you are not running two batterys, like a previous posted said, then yes you need something to handle the peaks in amps. i had the dimming i went with a 2 farad cap with a gauge, mostly cuz i liked the looks of the triangle shape over the round, and the dimming stopped all together.

Not saying whether you're right or wrong on caps, but there is no need to start the debate up in this thread. You can even just google it and find all the arguments you could ever read. If you think they work, use them. If you don't, then don't. If you're not sure, then give it a try and see what you think.

I run in MECA for SPL. I run a RF T1500-1bd amp and a 25farad carbon capacitor. The cap only works for short burst. Exactly what I bought it for. For normal daily listening the lights still dim.

This year I will be running 4 JBL P1022 subs, RF T1500-1BD, 25farad carbon cap, and two optima batteries. The factory battery is good to start the vehicle, and the optima's are strictly dedicated for the stereo.

I ran my 4 8" polks off of the stock battery and didn't have any issues, but one of the things on my list is to get a better battery as the E's is pretty wimpy. You can find good batteries out there w/o having to pay the big price you'll end up spending on an optima.

Also according to Honda Ghandi, there is no aftermarket alternator out there for the E, short of a custom built one. From what he told me the E's is pretty strong. If yours is whining it may just need replaced.

I do agree with trying the Big3 first, then a cap if you want one. Better to start off with the cheapest fix first and then go from there. 4 gauge is alright for the power cable but for the ground you may even want to go with 0 gauge.

There's a lot of different avenues to go with audio and a lot of varying opinions, but some things will remain constant. Also if your ground is against a painted surface that can affect it's strength.