grounding, cap
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Car Audio
Forum Discription: Car Stereos, Amplifiers, Crossovers, Processors, Speakers, Subwoofers, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=115973
Printed Date: May 18, 2024 at 6:16 AM
Topic: grounding, cap
Posted By: imupabove
Subject: grounding, cap
Date Posted: August 28, 2009 at 9:31 PM
should i ground my mono amp to my cap or ground it to the chassis of my car? which option would be best?
Replies:
Posted By: haemphyst
Date Posted: August 29, 2009 at 1:17 PM
It generally won't matter... I personally ground to the cap, because it's fewer physical connections in the current path between the cap and the amplifier.
*IF* a cap can do anything truly helpful in any system, then ELECTRICALLY you want as few physical connections between the current source (the cap) and the current sink (the amp) as is possible.
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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."
Posted By: DYohn
Date Posted: August 29, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 29, 2009 at 10:33 PM
is using a voltage meter necessary? i grounded my amp to he amp i think it sounds a "little louder". not sure though.
would it be a good idea to get a distribution power block so i can connect my 4 channel's power wire directly to the block instead of being connected to the cap? because right now im using 8 gauge wiring for both amps (mono amp & 4 channel amp), and they are both twisted inside the cap. and i can upgrade a 4 gauge power wire from my mono amp to the cap. good idea or what? thanks.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 29, 2009 at 11:12 PM
If it were me, i would ground each device with the shorted possible wire. Ground the cap as close to the cap as you can, and ground the amp as close to the ground input terminal as you can.
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 12:27 AM
how short are we talking here?
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 10:00 AM
How short can you make them?
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 12:16 PM
they are about 1-2 feet.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 12:27 PM
let;s try this again. I asked how short you could make them. You told me how long they were. So if I ask you how long are they, are you going to tell me how short you could make them? One foot is not bad, 2 feet is only half as good as 1 foot.. But the shorter the better. Length = resistance Resistance = voltage drop. Voltae drop = less power
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 12:30 PM
sorry misread that part. ill see if i can make them shorter some how.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 1:19 PM
If you have switched to the Pioneer radio already, MAKE SURE YOU DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL before you shorten your ground wires. The negative battery terminal as in the one on your battery. The battery located under the hood of your vehicle.
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 1:58 PM
huh? are you referring this to me?
btw, is it always a good idea to disconnect the negative terminal battery when ever installing amps/caps/decks/re-wiring etc?
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Yes I was talking to you. Yes it should always be done. However if there is a Pioneer radio involved disconnecting the battery IS A MUST
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 2:21 PM
okay gotcha. last time i disconnect the negative battery terminal and when i was i connected it and i seen a little spark, is that normal?
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 4:51 PM
Yes that is normal. When you disconnected it, the capacitors inside your amp and the cars computer discharge themself. When you reconnect the ground, the capacitors recharge themself. That is where the spark is coming from.
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 7:22 PM
i just found out .. . the ground wire from the cap to chassis is 3 feet and the ground wire from the mono amp to the cap is around 1-2 feet. :[.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: August 30, 2009 at 7:28 PM
That would have been a good answer, had I ever asked how long are the wires.
Posted By: imupabove
Date Posted: August 31, 2009 at 1:42 PM
sorry i misread your reply. should i shorten the grounds? any suggestions would help.
Posted By: i am an idiot
Date Posted: September 01, 2009 at 9:46 PM
imupabove wrote:
i just found out .. . the ground wire from the cap to chassis is 3 feet and the ground wire from the mono amp to the cap is around 1-2 feet. :[.
So there is a 3 foot ground wire on your capacitor. And the amp is grounded to the cap with a 1-2 foot wire. So that means that the ground wire on your amp is 4-5 feet. I don't know if I have said this yet, but the shortest possible ground wire is the best option. So if 4-5 feet is the shortest you can make it, I guess that will have to do. I think I remember asking about how short the ground wire could be. Must have been a different topic that I asked that question.
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