I was dinkin with my stereo today. i usually run my kenwood 900/1 to my 2 12 inch kicker L5s. they hit pretty dang good. i got curious and daisy linked my alpine 350/1 ( I know its probably a bad idea to link mis matched amps like that but i was bored ) and hooked up my 2 10 inch rockford fosgates. it was VERY loud. i had it all the way up and looked at my alt gauge and it had dropped from over 14 to nearly 9 volts. just for future reference since i plan on buying a matching kenwood amp to what i have and running both, should i use a capacitor or just get a second battery? my alternator is pretty new and i have a brand spankin new 800 cca battery. my amp is wired with #2 extra high strand welding lead which is the equivalent i believe to 2 awg or bigger. resistance is not an issue and is futile

If you're experiencing a voltage drop a capacitor will not fix your issue; at least not a practical amount of them. You would likely need 100's if not 1000's. This is just one of those things where if anyone has one or is telling you to get one they are either flat out wrong or just trying to get you to buy their product. 

 

A larger/second battery MAY fix your issue. How everything is grounded and the general conductivity of your electrical system may also be a factor. 

Caps are worthless. I would say an h/o alt is a good way to go. What load are your subs wired to?

Caps are worthless. I would say an h/o alt is a good way to go. What load are your subs wired to?

X2

Linked 2 completely different amp? Yikes.

Time to take two steps back

look into a bank of ultracaps.

here is a picture of a few bans together of ultracaps that was used at finals this year
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=646642788689895&set=a.619698871384287.1073741826.492850837402425&type=1&ref=nf

If you are dropping  to 10-11 volts I would get a more powerful alternator or make plans on charging up every day with an outboard charger. If you don't you will go through batteries and alternators.

What vehicle do you have?

 

Have you done the big 3?

look into a bank of ultracaps.

here is a picture of a few bans together of ultracaps that was used at finals this year

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=646642788689895&set=a.619698871384287.1073741826.492850837402425&type=1&ref=nf

Please stop. That is not a good idea for the OP, not even close. Read the thread before responding. Also surprised you came to that conclusion after your thread regarding the ultracaps which really highlight they don't make sense for you either.

i got further advice from other ssa members outside the forum that said it would help me

Stiffening Capacitor = Line Filtering. If you're getting line noise from your power wire, it can end up being what fixes the problem, but it is by no means anything more than a bandaid for not having enough power.

 

Second battery? Has possibly the same result. Upgrading the alternator and performing the Big 3 tend to produce bigger gains.

what is the big 3? my main amp power lines are huge for the sake of upgradability. my ground wire is bolted to the unibody where i ground all the paint off and i put a larger ground wire from the unibody to the battery. I dont ever plan on leaving the mismatched combo of amps, i just had the smaller amp and 2 tens sittin around awaiting installation into my wife's car. under normal condition with just my kenwood amp running i barely experience any voltage drop unless i'm running the drivers real hard, which makes my headlights dim slightly. its all hooked up in my 94 grand cherokee. i figured that maybe an even larger battery like a 1000 cca optima MIGHT cure my voltage issue in the current setup, but like i said i plan on getting another amp like the one i currently have and possibly upgrading to a good set of 15 inch drivers. i just dont want to fry my alternator if i can avoid it.

 

after a quick websearch i think my issue is that my currentalternator is only capable of around 70 to 90 amps.

what is the big 3? my main amp power lines are huge for the sake of upgradability. my ground wire is bolted to the unibody where i ground all the paint off and i put a larger ground wire from the unibody to the battery. I dont ever plan on leaving the mismatched combo of amps, i just had the smaller amp and 2 tens sittin around awaiting installation into my wife's car. under normal condition with just my kenwood amp running i barely experience any voltage drop unless i'm running the drivers real hard, which makes my headlights dim slightly. its all hooked up in my 94 grand cherokee. i figured that maybe an even larger battery like a 1000 cca optima MIGHT cure my voltage issue in the current setup, but like i said i plan on getting another amp like the one i currently have and possibly upgrading to a good set of 15 inch drivers. i just dont want to fry my alternator if i can avoid it.

 

after a quick websearch i think my issue is that my currentalternator is only capable of around 70 to 90 amps.

And if its at idle less then that.

 

Search big three on here or google.

And if its at idle less then that. Search big three on here or google.

Or just help him out and tell him since this is a car audio forum.

The Big 3 is upgrading your wire under the hood and leaving factory wire intact:

(Add a 1/0 wire or #2 wire like you have now).

1. Wire from positive battery post to positive alternator post.

2. Wire from negative battery post to bolt on the engine block.

3. Wire from negative battery post to bolt on the frame or strut tower, whichever is easier.

.

And if its at idle less then that. Search big three on here or google.

Or just help him out and tell him since this is a car audio forum.

The Big 3 is upgrading your wire under the hood and leaving factory wire intact:

(Add a 1/0 wire or #2 wire like you have now).

1. Wire from positive battery post to positive alternator post.

2. Wire from negative battery post to bolt on the engine block.

3. Wire from negative battery post to bolt on the frame or strut tower, whichever is easier.

.

 

This wire should be as close to the alternator as possible if not on the actual casing if there is a bolt for ground.

 

This wire is used in conjunction with the upgraded power wire to battery from alt to properly supply power to the front battery without voltage drop.

oh ok thats easy enough to start with. like i said i already did the chassis ground so at least i was on the right path i just didnt do the whole thing. i'll do that and see if it helps my light dimming problem with just one amp running before i ask more questions. but any other suggestions would be awesome

Thanks shizzzon for that little tid bit of information, makes sense.

i got further advice from other ssa members outside the forum that said it would help me

And I had a bum tell me that if I gave him $10 I would win the lottery.

Well nic watts and mike poundstone

You keep pushing this advice as if it's the answer for everything.  That's why you keep getting shut down.

 

Caps are for burst power, not for reserve.  

 

They have the potential to be unsafe, extremely expensive, i can go on and on.

 

Until UCs have the ability to replace batteries, then it's not interesting.

 

Most people are after reserve in this hobby and those that only want short bursts of power will want UCs.

 

The only reason why our local guy gets away with 16 banks of them is because of his alternator ability.

 

He's pulling just under 3,000A for 5sec or less before they drop to ~10.5v and shut amp off.

going through XS power and spending just over $1k will net you the same ability.

 

Caps may have an edge on the meter in this scenario but batts will recover.. caps wont.

 

No Reserve.. not worth it.

Sort of like saying jet fuel is good for a jet so I run it in my car.

ok, not quite. More like saying my car runs fine on 87, let's put that in a 747.

I never said it solves everything I'm just saying could be a cheaper alternative to a second battery

its not an alternative to a battery its a different item for a different usage.

And certainly not cheaper!

 

It would take 6 2.5 to 2.7v caps in series to equal required voltage.

Thats $420 purchased  new.

 

A g31 is plenty of battery and way cheaper than that.

 

Also caps should use balancing circuits which is even more cost...