What is an Energy Storage Capacitor (Stiffening Capacitor™) used for? How do I select one for my audio system?Are you wired stock or engineered to rock?
Your vehicle's electrical system was designed to operate stock; the way it rolled off the showroom floor: Any additional drains on the stock system destabilize the stock engineering. When you add any electrical device like an amplifier or other accessories, you need to boost your electrical system to prevent problems and maximize performance. Rockford Fosgate Capacitors are designed to help stabilize and re-engineer your electrical system to handle your additional components. By providing intermediate power (small current bursts,) a Rockford Fosgate Capacitor reduces the pressure (current demand) on your electrical system. This helps to improve the performance of your vehicle and your system, getting you the most 'bang' for your buck. Rockford Fosgate believes that in a car audio application the lowest possible ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) is required. Take the statement, “Current will take the path of least resistance.” For instance, the typical fully charged car battery (flooded) would have an ESR of 12-15 milliohms. All Rockford Fosgate capacitors have ESR’s of 14 milliohms or less, with most of them below 1.8. It would make sense that based upon the statement above, the lower the ESR, the more effective the capacitor will be. The larger the capacitor and lower the ESR, the less work the battery will have to do.
Audio Precision Tests with Capacitors Two tests were developed to provide conditions that simulate as close to real world conditions as possible. The first test was conducted using a 1500-watt amplifier at 14.4 volts employing a non-regulated power supply while playing a musical track from the musical group “Yello.” The power supply voltage (B+) supplying the amplifier was measured during this test. The first test was conducted with one amplifier under the following three conditions; with no capacitor attached to the B+, a 1-farad capacitor attached to the B+ and a 50- farad capacitor attached to the B+. The second test was conducted using a 1000-watt amplifier at 14.4 volts employing a non-regulated power supply on the “Power-Cube” measuring system. The power supply was current limited to represent the average vehicles charging system. It’s a simple fact, the higher the B+ the more power an amplifier will make. In conclusion, when using a 1-farad cap, the amplifier made 107 watts more than having no capacitor and 375 watts more, or 40% more power when using a 50-farad capacitor. More voltage equals more total output power from an amplifier.
Quick Reference Capacitor Selection Chart
* Competition Cap is a Connecting Punch™ Carbon Capacitor (SuperCap)
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Your vehicle's electrical system was designed to operate stock; the way it rolled off the showroom floor: Any additional drains on the stock system destabilize the stock engineering. When you add any electrical device like an amplifier or other accessories, you need to boost your electrical system to prevent problems and maximize performance. Rockford Fosgate Capacitors are designed to help stabilize and re-engineer your electrical system to handle your additional components. By providing intermediate power (small current bursts,) a Rockford Fosgate Capacitor reduces the pressure (current demand) on your electrical system. This helps to improve the performance of your vehicle and your system, getting you the most 'bang' for your buck. Rockford Fosgate believes that in a car audio application the lowest possible ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) is required. Take the statement, “Current will take the path of least resistance.” For instance, the typical fully charged car battery (flooded) would have an ESR of 12-15 milliohms. All Rockford Fosgate capacitors have ESR’s of 14 milliohms or less, with most of them below 1.8. It would make sense that based upon the statement above, the lower the ESR, the more effective the capacitor will be. The larger the capacitor and lower the ESR, the less work the battery will have to do.
Audio Precision Tests with Capacitors Two tests were developed to provide conditions that simulate as close to real world conditions as possible. The first test was conducted using a 1500-watt amplifier at 14.4 volts employing a non-regulated power supply while playing a musical track from the musical group “Yello.” The power supply voltage (B+) supplying the amplifier was measured during this test. The first test was conducted with one amplifier under the following three conditions; with no capacitor attached to the B+, a 1-farad capacitor attached to the B+ and a 50- farad capacitor attached to the B+. The second test was conducted using a 1000-watt amplifier at 14.4 volts employing a non-regulated power supply on the “Power-Cube” measuring system. The power supply was current limited to represent the average vehicles charging system. It’s a simple fact, the higher the B+ the more power an amplifier will make. In conclusion, when using a 1-farad cap, the amplifier made 107 watts more than having no capacitor and 375 watts more, or 40% more power when using a 50-farad capacitor. More voltage equals more total output power from an amplifier.
| Amp With No Capacitor |
| Test #1 - Condition #1: Voltage drops from 14.4 volts to 9.5 volts. |
| Amp With 1-Farad Capacitor |
| Test 1 - Condition #2: Voltage improved from 9.5 volts to 11.5 volts 2-volts over no capacitor. |
| Amp With 50 Farad Capacitor |
| Test #1 - Condition #3: Voltage improves from 11.5 volts to 14.2 volts, 2.7 volts over a 1-Farad capacitor. |
| Audio Precision Tests | |||||||||
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Test #2:
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Quick Reference Capacitor Selection Chart
| Which Rockford Fosgate Capacitor should I use for my system? | ||||||||||||||||
The general rule-of-thumb when selecting capacitors is 1 Farad Per 1,000 Watts. This rule is not exact for every condition and primarily designed to assist you with selecting capacitor-to-amplifier combinations.
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