raptor 5 farad led fails to illuminate

This is a hybrid cap by raptor, which does the capacitor funtion, AND as a distribution block.http://www.raptor-online.com/product_individual.php?id=210 on that page, mine is like the

		ALL 5 FARAD Hybrid digital CAPACITOR 20 VDC, 24 VDC Surge, Low ESR C5H • 5 Farad, 20Volts DC with digital voltage meter • High-tech hybrid technology • Unique extruded shape • Chrome plated finish • Red digital voltage display • 16 Voltage-activated flashing blue chase LED's • Working voltage 20/24 volt surge • ESR less than 0.002 Ohm • Satin nickel plated brass distribution blocks

Leonard

bayfisher wrote: Instead of having two grounds, there is one. DOES ANYONE REJECT THIS IDEA, and why?

Provided the cap -ve is connected to the vehicle's ground chassis and the amp chassis is also its GND (which isn't always the case), then IOW the amp is grounded. But usually the amp has its own GND from its GND terminal direct to the chassis. (Why depend on the typically higher resistance GND through the cap? That defeats the cap's [i[]purported purpose!) Hybrid caps are usually AGM batteries. Whether or not the Raptor is (based on its input voltage range), I wonder why anyone would want to spend over $100 on a C2FSM when a $15 AGM is likely to crap all over it, else a bigger AGM which can be used for independent audio power and an emergency cranking battery?    So your raptor has both GNDs to GND, and both positives to +12V...?

I can forgive the installation, but your first reply is another matter. The amp MUST be grounded else it will not work properly. It may work at low outputs due to alternate ground paths, but they will burn out under high power. Get the installer to do a diagram of his install, or rewire it yourself. This is a lot of trouble to go to for a display that is useless and a cap that is useless. But perhaps you have some practical use for either or both...?

So this is how you are currently connected? I personally have no issues with this, and if all of its connections are tight, there SHOULD be little to no difference (electrically) with this particular diagram or having a dedicated chassis ground for the amplifier... If it is connected this way, and the ONLY thing that is at this moment NOT functioning correctly is the display, don't worry about it. If this is the second time the display has died, then I'd say they are just crappy display circuits, but the cap itself will still be "working". Those of us that KNOW better, will still strongly recommend you remove the cap altogether, upgrade your alternator, and possibly add a small sealed gel-cell battery at the point where the cap is, and call it a day. You *do* seem bent on keeping the cap, so... to answer your ORIGINAL query, the cap is fine. It is still doing the same thing it always did (little to nothing), it just doesn't tell you the voltage at the terminals anymore.It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Yes thats the wiring. Lastly,what increase of integrity would a ground from amp to chassis do if any.losing a new cap....320 with labor is not an option,amd there is no upgrade for alternator for a 1999 nissan sentra.Leonard

Assuming it is shorter - ie, you reconnect the cap GND to the amp; or the amp GND to chassis - it can only improve. (IE - lower impedance.)

bayfisher wrote: Yes thats the wiring. Lastly,what increase of integrity would a ground from amp to chassis do if any.losing a new cap....320 with labor is not an option,amd there is no upgrade for alternator for a 1999 nissan sentra.

Really, with just a quick search I found one. They are not cheap though. http://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/Extreme-High-Amp-Output-Nissan-Alternators-s/87.htm 250 Amp XP High Output Alternator for Nissan Altima, Sentra Our Price: $609.0 But it will be well worth it.

oldspark wrote: Assuming it is shorter - ie, you reconnect the cap GND to the amp; or the amp GND to chassis - it can only improve. (IE - lower impedance.)

Lower impedance to the battery, yes, but higher impedance to the cap (due to 1: longer wire, and B: more physical connections) - the device that ideally MUST have the lowest impedance connection to the amplifier, to gain as much as can be gained from the perceived benefit of a cap in the first place... Right? Leave it wired up the way it is, forget the display (it does just as much as the cap does), and go about listening to your system. SERIOUSLY look into the alternator option. If your alternator (THE source of all the power in your car) runs short of current, all of the other devices (lights, fuel pump, windows, COMPUTER... bad news to starve your ECU of current...) in your car will feel the pinch, as well, and possibly, depending on the device, even moreso! A $600.00 alternator is cheaper than a $300.00 ECU, plus installation, plus diagnostics and the time you're without your ride...It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

He meant to say resistance, not impedance. EDIT: They both meant to say resistance.