Will a cap keep a car in power?

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Forum Name: General Discussion
Forum Discription: General Mobile Electronics Questions and Answers
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=37016
Printed Date: April 28, 2024 at 5:25 AM

Topic: Will a cap keep a car in power?

Posted By: lilboi
Subject: Will a cap keep a car in power?
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 8:51 PM

I have a 2.4 farad cap, I'm wondering, if someone decides to pull my battery, will the cap provide enough power for the car to stay on for the alarm to do it's thing. Or even for my radio to keep it's settings?

Replies:

Posted By: xtreamcc
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 9:19 PM

no, a capacitor is not a battery, in that if it loses the volatage provided by the battery it will store only enough power to actually power something like an alarm or a radios memory settings for about a second before it's drained. So if someone pulls ur battery, then their gona be able to do w/e they want w/o setting off the alarm and ur settings on the radio probably won't matter as they'd probably steal it lol.

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02 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Monster System on its way.

Posted By: lilboi
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 9:23 PM

Well that whole radio thing is cause i pull my battery somtimes. I just want to know, say in an hour, will my settings be there?

Posted By: auex
Date Posted: August 08, 2004 at 10:17 PM

Nope. Caps discharge very quickly.

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Posted By: lilboi
Date Posted: August 09, 2004 at 2:11 AM

really? Does it really help with keeping your alternater alive?

I have a 2.4 farad cap, would there be much difference from a 1 farad cap?

Posted By: ice4life8269
Date Posted: August 09, 2004 at 10:08 AM

your alternator charges you battery, and your battery charges the cap.... without the battery the cap would be useless. and no, you would get the same result with a 1 farad cap. what exactly are you trying to do? why do you pull the battery sometimes?

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Posted By: lilboi
Date Posted: August 09, 2004 at 9:23 PM

Sometimes i do some wiring, and i don't want to electricute myself. so i unplug it.

Posted By: xtreamcc
Date Posted: August 09, 2004 at 11:11 PM

haha, I gave up on pulling batteries. The only time its really nessisary (IMO, since I know the careful freaks will say I'm phycotic) to pull the battery or disconnect it is when working on sensitive wiring, like installing an alarm or working with airbags. Anyway, the only thing that you really have to aviod while working with power is touching the power and ground together. You can touch the power and the ground with ur hand at the same time w/o electicuting urself as 12volts is not enough power to do more than cause a tingle because ur body actually acts as a resistor slowing the current down so much that it usually isn't noticable. Anyway, I'm a phyco so take what I said how ever u wish posted_image

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"Shiny chrome when used in conjunction with bikini models is particularly effective in inducing brain deficit disorder"

02 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Monster System on its way.