ohm load do i have a clue?

sq1500 wrote: gtdhw wrote: sq1500 wrote: gtdhw wrote: sq1500 wrote: NP Last question I guess. Will this minimal amount of power (<500W) require the use of a capacitor? i do not believe in caps personally. because it is just adding another load on your alternator. now, when the amp draws power from the cap, the cap must charge back up which is the job of the alternator. now your alt. is charging both the battery and cap. but anyway, if you have a good electrical system really, you shouldn't need a cap. you may get a cap though if your lights start dimming and such, but like i said it's just another load on your alternator, which in the longrun will damage your alt. but if you do get one make sure it has a quick discharge rate Thanks sq, really, you have been a ton of help. Since you seem to be very good at this, I have a challenge if you think you are up to it. I have a mid '90's Lanzar OptiDrivePlus 50 that has been in use non stop since I got it second hand in '97. I can find next to nothing about this amp (other than Ampguts saying it is 25Wx2@ 2 / 50Wx1@ 4. This just can't be anywhere near true. I know that old school Lanzars are under-rated, but the old, small, Lanzar pushes 1 or 2 12's better than this Pioneer 760W and better than my old school RF Puch 250.2 It has pushed everything that I have ever thrown at it with absolutely 0 issues. Any way to find out what it is actually capable of? How stable it is? this isn't the model number of the amp is it? Lanzar OptiDrivePlus 50 i don't think it is. like jl's amps are jl 1000.1/v2 etc. look at the model number somewhere on the amp (might even be inside the amp) and look it up online. otherwise you can perform a bench test (to find true rms wattage) and I unfortunately do not know how to do that

Yes, oddly enough, OptiDrivePlus 50 is ALL that is on the amp, anywhere. Nothing has come off, or ever been rubbed off. During my research (also when an OptiDrive comes up on Ebay -very rarely-) that is all there is to designate them, OptiDrive, followed by a number. I believe they were just known as the Opti series. Like I said, a very hard (yet tough as nails) amp to find any info on.

Just your average 12 second station wagon.

Nothing inside either, done been there.Just your average 12 second station wagon.

gtdhw wrote: Nothing inside either, done been there.

well i'm no help with that haha. i'm sure other people on here know how to perform a bench test you can ask around. or just take it to your local audio shop they should be able to do it. usually costs $ but shouldn't be more than $10-$15 i would sayJL HD 1200.1 $700

JL HD 600.4 $500

TWO (2) JL 8W7 $600

pm me

Thanks for the info, I will call around to the local shops.Just your average 12 second station wagon.

sq1500 wrote: i do not believe in caps personally. because it is just adding another load on your alternator.....

Sorry, I just saw that, and though the conclusion is correct, it is for totally the wrong reasons. A capacitor is not an "added load" to the alternator. In fact it EASES the job of the alternator. But I've dispelled that common spousetale that caps or bigger or added batteries add a load. (That excludes battery float currents, but includes the recharge penalty that batteries impose.) If your arguments were true, car manufacturers would not be disabling alternators during acceleration. (Unless performance is more important than reliability and greenhouse gases - and that is very possible.)

oldspark wrote: sq1500 wrote: i do not believe in caps personally. because it is just adding another load on your alternator..... Sorry, I just saw that, and though the conclusion is correct, it is for totally the wrong reasons. A capacitor is not an "added load" to the alternator. In fact it EASES the job of the alternator. But I've dispelled that common spousetale that caps or bigger or added batteries add a load. (That excludes battery float currents, but includes the recharge penalty that batteries impose.) If your arguments were true, car manufacturers would not be disabling alternators during acceleration. (Unless performance is more important than reliability and greenhouse gases - and that is very possible.)

so the conclusion being what? and what would be the right reasons? and i can't tell if you're for or against caps hahaJL HD 1200.1 $700

JL HD 600.4 $500

TWO (2) JL 8W7 $600

pm me

The Optidrive amp was called a "cheater amp", IIRC... ala "Orion 225HCCA" (which I have personally owned, and bridged into .5-ohm loads. YES! That's one half of one ohm.). It's truly 25WPC at 4-ohms. It will bridge to a real world, and completely honest 100WRMS into a 4-ohm load. (Someone that remembers the Lanzar stuff better will undoubtedly correct me.) As you halve the impedance on an amplifier (as long as the power supply can keep up) the output power doubles. Bridged into a 2-ohm load, however, gives you 200 watts, and into a 1-ohm load? 400WRMS. These types of "cheater" amplifiers allowed people to compete in a "50 watt" category, even though their system was making potentially THOUSANDS of watts.

haemphyst wrote: The Optidrive amp was called a "cheater amp", IIRC... ala "Orion 225HCCA" (which I have personally owned, and bridged into .5-ohm loads. YES! That's one half of one ohm.). It's truly 25WPC at 4-ohms. It will bridge to a real world, and completely honest 100WRMS into a 4-ohm load. (Someone that remembers the Lanzar stuff better will undoubtedly correct me.) As you halve the impedance on an amplifier (as long as the power supply can keep up) the output power doubles. Bridged into a 2-ohm load, however, gives you 200 watts, and into a 1-ohm load? 400WRMS. These types of "cheater" amplifiers allowed people to compete in a "50 watt" category, even though their system was making potentially THOUSANDS of watts.

How does one go about finding a good-quality < 1ohm-stable amp? I tried looking a while back (after seeing an install with 4 quarter-ohm amps) and couldn't find anything reputable-looking. The install I saw used Phoenix Gold brand, but they don't seem to be sold anymore. Also, are they affordable? By the way haemphyst, check your PMs!

sq1500 wrote: so the conclusion being what? and what would be the right reasons? and i can't tell if you're for or against caps haha

The conclusion being to "not believe in caps". They are not an "added load". (In general they ease the strain on the alternator and battery. And they are far more efficient than a battery.) There are right reasons for a cap, but they are mainly used to make up for distribution losses, but in that case, a smaller & cheaper battery mounted next to the load instead is usually far more effective. They can also be to make up for alternator shortfalls, but ditto - battery. And noting that the above are short-term solutions - ie, the cap does NOT make up for regular alternator or distribution shortfalls & losses. In those cases a battery wins hand down - not that that is necessarily the right solution... I am for caps in the correct situation. But I almost always see them used for the wrong reasons - ie, to make someone richer, or satisfy egos. Then there is bling. I rarely witness forum situations where a cap is the right. (I've probably only seen a handful where they are - compared to hundreds (thousand?) where they are not; else merely bling.)

oldspark wrote: sq1500 wrote: so the conclusion being what? and what would be the right reasons? and i can't tell if you're for or against caps haha The conclusion being to "not believe in caps". They are not an "added load". (In general they ease the strain on the alternator and battery. And they are far more efficient than a battery.) There are right reasons for a cap, but they are mainly used to make up for distribution losses, but in that case, a smaller & cheaper battery mounted next to the load instead is usually far more effective. They can also be to make up for alternator shortfalls, but ditto - battery. And noting that the above are short-term solutions - ie, the cap does NOT make up for regular alternator or distribution shortfalls & losses. In those cases a battery wins hand down - not that that is necessarily the right solution... I am for caps in the correct situation. But I almost always see them used for the wrong reasons - ie, to make someone richer, or satisfy egos. Then there is bling. I rarely witness forum situations where a cap is the right. (I've probably only seen a handful where they are - compared to hundreds (thousand?) where they are not; else merely bling.)

ah i see. alrightJL HD 1200.1 $700

JL HD 600.4 $500

TWO (2) JL 8W7 $600

pm me