i tried charging a 1.2farad cap yesterday afternoon, and after a minute or two the voltage peaked at 8.x volts. i am using a 1k resistor running parallel with the power cable and i ground the cap as well.

after trying to charge the cap the first time with out success, i discharged it and tried it for a second time....same result, with the third try i also had no success. i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. this is the second time that i have ever used a cap, the first time was smooth and successful.

can any1 help?

 

try charging it using a lightbulb (brake, dome, whatever) or a standard test light.

- connect ground
- wire bulb inline on positive lead, hold to positive terminal until bulb goes out. you should be charged but check voltage using multimeter. if its not around 12v your cap is toast.

 

yeah.... it was a bad cap, returned it...i think i'm going to get a yellow top instead....about the same price.

thanks for the help.