ok in my box i have kept the factory head unit because i want it to look as stock as possible when peaking through the windows. i wanted to do a sub and amp in the back so i got a line out converter and spliced it in to my rear speakers and stuffed it back in behind the stock HU. hooked up my amp and 2 JL 10" W3s in a sealed carpeted box for behind the back seats. well i purchased a capacitor to install as well and just got done installing it. i just mounted it to the side of the sub box (the amp is mounted to the back of the sub box). well i charged it like the manufacturer says and then tested it out with the stereo and everything is working great. the problem is the cap has a blue LED light behind the little glass lense cover on the top that will not shut off along with the LCD display.

here's a pic of one...not mine to show you kinda what it looks like


the LCD number display which is reading about 12.5 volts and bright blue LED that signified the cap was initally charged after i charged it remain on even after the stereo is shut off and the car is shutoff. i really dont need to get my stuff jacked because some thieves saw a blue glow coming from the back windows of my box while its sitting somewhere parked. is there anyway to shut the cap off when not being used? thanks guys if you can help me

 

would a switch work?

 

not really. the main power wire that goes to the amplifier for my subs is like 4 guage wire. it goes straight from the positive battery terminal through a 40amp fuse to the positive terminal on the capacitor. the amps positive power wire is then spliced off the capacitors positive terminal as well. that wire is 4 guage wire. it wouldnt be practical to break that main 4 guage power wire to put an inline switch since the wire is so thick. if i was even gonna go that route i would just put in a 12v relay but that would really be a pain.

im working on all this in the garage right now and the Blue LED does go off eventually. just takes about 2 minutes for some reason after the car is off for the cap to shut off as well :-( oh well

 

The caps circuitry discharges letting the lamp go out...it is normal. goes out in 2 mins you say...Oh Well. I got a pic for you. when you decide to upgrade your HU rip the old one apart and save the faceplate do this with it:




looks pretty stock when installed over the Kenwood DVD/NAV doesn't it

 

yea i guess im just stuck with the light being on for a few minutes after i walk away from the car. i dont like that though. ill probably just end up taking the cap back out i dont really need it. i was just worried about the alternator. oh well

so that stock faceplate... you just set it in there over your new HU when you leave the vehicle? im confused...

 

Exactly!! Completely covers and hides it. When you look in the window it looks like a stock HU. Of course in my pic the HU is on:0 With it off you can not tell from outside the car that it isn't stock

 

there is absolutly no point in using a cap when your system isn't set up for SPL. caps only give security on the main power for a few seconds, thats what they are designed for, a massive discharge all at once that is about 1-2 seconds long.

there is a guy i know of though on EliteCarAudio.com forums, his name is Dom. he can rewire the stock xB altenator to idel 100amp and max charge of 200amp. for a sound aulity system like yours, if you use a Kinetik Audio HC600 just near your amp *very small battery but enough to keep a stable main* it will work wonders. all you need is altenator juice, the HC600 will be a much better choice of power main siffening then a cap, it's only 3" wide, 7" long and 6" tall... Very small battery but is perfect for keeping a stable main.

it's exactly what i'm doing with my system and it will work just fine.

 

As stated, the capacitor is storing charge from the running system. When the system is shut off, the capacitor will eventually discharge, turning off the display and accompanying lights. If the display is well-built into the cap, and there is no way to physically bypass it, then you are stuck with it.
My advice would be to either hide the cap or ditch it alltogether. I know this is more than likely going to start another "Caps are necessary...blah blah blah..." flame war, but you would be better off selling the cap and putting that money towards the purchase of a larger CCA battery.

 

for the system he is doing, there really isn't much need for a battery much bigger then the HC600. 99% of the juice would come from the altenator and the battery would act as a super stiffener, supplieing enough power when theres an unregular voltage say... when you rev the engine up and then let go of the gas, when the engine RPMs go back down, they will go below normal idel rate for about a second due to the exaust back draft going on. this is true for any vehicle, and because of this, you get a voltrage eregularity and it could cause your amps to flip out and go into protection mode. having something like the HC600, though it only does 20amp an hour and 850amp max discharge, it's more then enough power to keep a steady main.

plus if you think about it, it's incredibly small, only weighs 14lbs so it's not a hinder to the xB's normal performance and it can be mounted in any way or form cause it's a sealed dry cell and wont spill.

 

hey thanx guys. yea i am pretty sure i DONT need the cap. i just have one so i figured it woulnt hurt to have it in there. my system consists of the stock head unit, an LOC for RCA outputs, this amp...


and 2 of these 10" subs...


in a sealed box. should i just take the cap out?

 

ya just toss the cap, no need for it in there. atleat though replace your main battery with a yellow top or Kinetik HC1800. you'll be set after that.

 

well what if i dont want to get a new battery? i want to keep the stock battery. should i keep the cap in there then if im gonna keep the stock battery. i really dont see a problem with it but ya know im not the car stereo expert just know the basic electrical principles of it

 

well taking in consideration that your not upgrading the altenator, atleast upgrading the battery from a stock wet cell to a high power dry cell battery is something that you really want to do. while driving down the road at night and you have your tunes up pretty high, you will notice your lights dimming on stronger bass hits. you really don't want this, you can short out vital components of the vehicle. having atleast a more powerful dry cell battery will cut this down dramaticly. a Cap will only cause more dimming as you play your music, because as your music is playing, your altenator will be straining on trying to charge that cap back up again over and over. thats why you should either replace your main with a Yellow Top from Optima or with a Kinetik HC1800... OR, do what i sugjested before, use a very small Kinetik HC600 near the amp it's self in the back and with that you will cut alot of the problem down. and because it's so small you can hide it under the cargo floor cover on the right side and you can lay it anyway you want because it's a dry nonspill cell so you can place it sideways, upsidedown, inside out who cares you can do it.

 

I would say run it with or without the cap as you like. I see no reason why you really need a cap for what you got. I also feel there is likely no reason to upgrade the battery, either. My system . Running 2 JL amps and 2 10's doesn't seem to tax anything. I would run it woth or without the cap and watch what the system and the car does. If you see nothing odd keep leave it. If you lack some power then upgrade the alternator or battery or both. If the amp seems to drop out (go flat) on big bass hits then maybe the cap would be useful.

 

ok thank you guys for helping me. im gonna leave it in and go for a drive. if i notice nothing different than without the cap than im gonna take it back out. appreciate the help

 

Let me just chime in here a minute. I've been around cars and car audio for a few years now, and dealt with some pretty serious systems in my day. I did take a break from audio for awhile, but I don't think the basics of car electical systems have changed that much. Here's what I know. A battery is a storage cell for electricity and usually is only called on for power if your car isn't running or if the alternator can not supply enough voltage for what's taking place in the car. This is the reason that batteries are rated in Cold Cranking Amps, not Driving Along With a Big System in your Car Amps. While you are driving, the alternator is the primary supplier of voltage/amperage to all of your operating systems, and by adding more batteries/caps all you are doing is creating a larger load on your alternator. Caps have become popular because they are supposed to be able to discharge and recharge quickly to keep up with heavy base hits and not tax your alternator, which can cause dimming lights.
In other words, the cap COULD help you if your are playing at high volumes with big bass hits, however, if that's not the case then the cap probably isn't discharging and should be of little consequence to your electrical system. However, caps will place some resistance on your electical system just by nature.

What I'm trying to say is, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. A new/bigger battery is only going to lighten your wallet and place a heavier charging requirement on your alternator. It will allow you to listen to your system longer with the car off and will allow you to crank over your car with a lot more power though.

Ted, can you back me up on this, or have things changed in the past couple years?

 

Considering your current setup, you do NOT need the cap. That amplifier is not going to draw enough current to warrant installation of the cap, purchase of a new battery or alternator, or anything else for that matter. Take out the cap. Give the car a drive without it. I'm willing to bet you don't miss it at all.
If you continue to build and add on to your existing stereo system, it may be necessary to purchase a larger battery/alternator setup in the future, but for now, you don't need any of it.

 

that amp will not push those subs to the best of the subs capabilities!

 

thanks for your help guys. yea i know this is a cheap amp lol but its in like brand new condition. i got the amp and 2 subs sealed in a nice carpeted box for $200 and thats why i got it. it sounds great in the box for what i listen to. i was never trying to create a major sound system, thus why i dont want a new HU. i like the look of stock with a little extra low notes is nice.

i have already removed the cap...and what do you know, just as you all and i expected, no difference in sound. less space being taken in the back and no blue glow coming from my back windows at night. i always felt like a tool driving knowing people are seeing a blue glow coming from inside my car cuz i dunno thats kinda lame.

thanks for all your help. anyone wanna buy a cap? lol

 

Didn't figure you would really need the cap...my guess is you need nothing extra .