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Tidbit96

opinions on best solutions to fix light dimming; Capacitor? Big 3Upgrade?

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i have a 2003 LincolTC, my system is a Soundqubed HDS315-D2 1200RMS powered by an Orion cobalt 2500.1D 1ohm stable amp, which is what i have it wired to. Ive only got 4ga 100% OFC, not that cheap oxidizing CCA junk, ran as power & ground which Im sure you'll all say thats too low ga. of wire which i already know & agree on that fact, just my financial circumstances are unable to afford me the luxuries of a larger ga considering I already owned the 4ga wire i used lol & considering the 15'+ of 0/1 or 0/2 ga OFC i would need for the length of my boat of a car i am just going to stick it out w/ what i got for now cuz i wont run that cheap cca crap. 

   so anyways my current issue im having is when the heavy bass hits my headlights & even dash lights will dim.... sometimes worse than others, obviously depending on the song & how heavy of bass it produces..... ive read up quite a bit on the big 3 upgrade & have plenty of extra 4ga OFC left to use if i decided to go that way however i dont know a terrible amount about capacitors. obviously i know enough to understand what they do & realize one would probably be a solution to my problem, however i do chat on quite a few different forums & have heard mixed opinions on the subject of capacitors. so i figured since SSA is where i ordered my sub from i may be smart to ask a few opinions on their forum, hence our arrival to this point lol. in, whoever replies to this post, opinions, which of these 2 possible solutions do you believe would be my best choice? or do any of you maybe have any other ideas or possible solutions? (CHEAP) lol keep in mind my financial situation is just a few dollars above trading food stamps for spare speaker wire on the streets lol ok its not that bad but just wanted you to remember all the variables of the problem on a way to the solution. lol i have looked at capacitors & figured i can probably splurge to the point of $80-$100 tops on a so so reputable brand of capacitor if thats believed to be my best choice. 

well i hope ive included all the right info and variables in order for a few good opinions on possible routes to go down in my attempt to solve this current annoyance i have been dealing with. if anyone has any questions for me regarding my setup or incase i maybe left some crucial needed info out, plz feel free to enlighten my novice butt lol id be more then happy to give whatever else info is needed if your willing to help me make up my indecisive mind on what to do lol. very much appreciated everyone!

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Something is wrong.  Recheck your wiring.  If it isn't the wiring you are too hot on the gain.

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no kidding? I checked all my wiring & double checked my connections & as far as it looks, everything is connected straight.... so you think that it could seriously be just my gain being turned up too high? That's the 1st I've ever heard of this as a possible solution? Crazy, I guess that's where the saying, "learn something new every day" comes into play lol. I had never really heard gain adjustment being a possible issue for anything more then clipping issues until now. 

It would make sense though if that is what is causing the issue cuz this Soundqubed HDS 15" is rated to handle 1200RMS &, although this Orion 2500.1D Amp is said to be able to produce I believe 1250 RMS @1 ohm which is what i have it wired to, I have watched youtube videos on this amp that say its closer to 850-900 RMS @1ohm. I did a rough attempt of my own clamp test & at my most accurate attempt it seemed to be roughly between 750 & the 850 the youtube video suggested. So my solution at getting everything i could to the sub was by cranking the gain.... 

well tomorrow evening ill give adjusting my gain a shot & see if this changes the light dimming issue. & if so i guess i better start saving a couple hundo more bucks and upgrade to the soundqubed 1200.1 monoblock amp that appears to be more than capable of producing my desired RMS & hopefully then lll get the correct sound & performance along w/ steady supply of headlight output lol.

thanks for the advice....if that does not correct it, however, you'll deffinatley be seeing another post of me crying about my terrible issues I just cant seem to ever fix lol but most likely your exactly right, much appreciated!  

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Depending on listening habits, a second battery would most likely solve the problem. Even without doing the big3. For that matter a higher cca primarily battery might fix it. Usually one can fit a bigger group battery in the factory local. 

PLEASE dont waste your money on a cap. 

As the saying goes, it takes power to make power!

I say this all from experience. I have about 3200watts in amp power, with a dual battery setup. No big3. No dimming. 

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Indeed I misread somehow and thought he had a real primary battery.

If it were only your headlights and not the dash I'd ask if you put in aftermarket bulbs.

Caps aren't useful, the only "benefit" they have is they hide voltage problems from your eyes.  

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hey thanks for all the advice guys...

I do have a couple questions if yall dont mind helpin me out with,1st- to J-ROADS... what did you mean when you said higher CCA  primarily battery? i dont have ANY experience with adding extra aftermarket batteries.... so is that a type of bateriy or did you mean a higher ga wire when you said CCA? & then the primary battery might work? cause if so, i was debating on that moving to 2 or 0 ga but only OFC though, thats all ill run, CCA isnt worth running power to my conmputer speakers in my opinion..... but as for adding an extra aftermarket battery, as i mentioned i have no experience with adding extra batteries...obviously they will need a power charging supply as well right? so does that mean I would need to replace my stock alternator with a more powerful one or is it possible to power both batteries with my stock alternator? & in the event I go that direction of adding an extra battery do I hook it up basically the same way as the stock battery, just using its own set of power & ground wire run to it from the alternator & grounded to the chassis? or is there any special directions for hooking up a secondary battery? if so I could really use the advice if yall have time to school a fellow audio lover... currently id say im a skilled novice at best when it comes to aftermarket audio & audio accessorizing but am always eager to learn more.

thanks again for the advice fellas its greatly appreciated. I cant tell ya how happy I am I didnt idiotically waste my money on a capacitor, I nearly did a couple times now but something in my gut said ask someone/anyone who might know more bout this area before taking a chance on something i know basicaly nothing about!  so thanks again for the advice & the heads up on how useless caps. are!

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  Batteries have three ratings that are a good indication of how the will preform.  

“CA”, which stands for “cranking amps”

“CCA” stands for “cold cranking amps”

and “RC” which stands for “reserve capacity” time.

Next there are the 2 most common types of battery designs. There is a “wet lead battery” often referred to as a starting battery. And there is a “deep cycle/AGM” type. 

A “starting battery” or “lead battery” is what is typically in a vehicle from the factory. These batteries deliver a large burst of power for a short time as needed for normal engine starting. The battery is then GRADUALLY recharged by the alternator. Unlike a “deep cycle” or “AGM” battery, starting batteries are not designed to withstand multiple discharge/re-charge cycles, and draining it can significantly short it’s life.

 The “deep cycle” or “AGM” batteries on the other hand are designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. Deep cycle batteries can be repeatably discharged and re-charged without causing damage or shortening their life. Also by design they are able to  discharge/recharge VERY rapidly. (Thinner plates in the battery but a lot more of them)

 Your car has a group 65 battery.  Unfortunately there is not really a “group” size bigger that you will probably be able to fit in its location. Not really that big a deal as a group 65 battery is f’ing huge.  But if you have a basic lead battery that is say 650 CA, with an reserve time of 75 minutes.  You would greatly benefit from upgrading to a deep cycle with say 1000 or 1100 cranking amps and 150 minutes a reserve time. Basically it would be the right tool for the job.  I would not waste my money on any high dollar deep cycle  such as an Optima.  The super start platinum‘s from O’Reillys will perform just as well. (bonus is if you have a business account there you’ll get a nice discount also)

 Your amplifiers max amperage draw is 250 amps. While the four gauge wire you are using is not up to the task of delivering the amount of amps needed,  it WILL NOT cause headlight dimming. Will only shorten the life of your amp as it is not getting the power it needs to work properly and therefore is struggling.  If you are sitting on a grip of four gauge wire then I would just run two stretches from your battery to amp. That will take care of that.  Don’t forget to double up the ground Wire also.

 The big three will not hurt,  but is not always necessary imo. If anything do the two ground wires portion. The power wire from the alternator to the battery is generally as big as the alternator needs anyways.

 So yeah before I added anything else I would fix the deficiencies you already have.  Then wash, rinse, repeat as necessary. :)

 

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