Charging a cap?

[quality control]

Charging a capacitor. I recently was given a cap. My problem is I do not have the mounting hardware, nor the charging bulb/resistor!

Does anyone know how I can charge this with buying a resistor?

Thanks for any help!

[y2jay]

your safest bet is to just go to a electronics store and buy the bulb. Shouldnt be more than 5$. Don't go wasting your money on these charge LED indicator things. Also, it's very difficult to tell using a resistor if your cap is fully discharged or charged.
other than that, the charging and dischargin procedure is as follows with everything hooked up except power wires at ur battery:
charging: put the charging bulb (use needle nose pliers cuz it gets hot) to the power wire (+) and touch the (+) lead of your battery. Make sure a good connection is established. Wait for bulb to 'burn' out completely (usually 20-50 sec depending on the capacity of your cap).
discharging: same procedure but place the power cable to the (-) lead.
connect power and your ready to pump up the juice.

*edit* you need a resistive load of some sort (i.e bulb) or else the capacitor will see the connection as a direct short. BAD

[quality control]

cool i will have to find a place that sells those bulbs. Does anyone have one of these bulbs I could borrow to charge up my cap?

[CrazyCaker]

If it's only 1F or less I just hook it up and then connect at the battery. A small arc will occur, it's not a big deal I've done it's countless times. Anything more you can just get a resistor for like $0.20 from an electronics surplus store.

[quality control]

yea its just a 1.2 farad cap? Now it will charge by itself?

Maybe when we meet up to exchange fog lights we can install it. I am a bit hesitant as I really don't want to screw anything up and an experienced guy like you? hahaha

anyways we will talk I gotta get ahold of oldyeller.

I will fill you in joe

[quality control]

Joe one last thing, because I don't have any of the hardware or anything where is a good place to go to just buy some power wire and some o-ring end connectors? I need to go to home depot to figure out a mounting bracket of sorts so I was wondering where I could go to get proper wire?

[y2jay]

where is a good place to go to just buy some power wire and some o-ring end connectors? ... I was wondering where I could go to get proper wire?

Sayal Electronics on Matheson just west of Dixie. If not there theres a slew of electronic stores in that plaza. Can get some decent priced wire and connectors.

[red-i]

i have a stinger 1F cap and i just tapped the power lead a couple times.. yeah it gave off a few small sparks but nothign crazy. you don't really need a resistor for 1f, the cap won't blow without one,but you will get a bit of arcing like joe said.

[quality control]

so you kept tapping it until it stopped sparking?

[CrazyCaker]

You don't need to tap it... just put it on, quicker is better since it'll arc less. But yeah >1F you're good, unless you have fancy gold/platinum plated battery terminals that you don't want marked up.

[shibby]

i put the stock dome light bulb in the amp fuse connecting to the positive battery. then reconnect.
the bulb will lightup, then die out. once it has completely died out, then the cap is fully charged.

put fuse back in and your good.

no worries of archs

[red-i]

yeah i only tapped it a bit cuz i had this vision of shit blowing up in my face. connect, and you're good.

trust it.

[CrazyCaker]

yeah i only tapped it a bit cuz i had this vision of shit blowing up in my face. connect, and you're good.

trust it.

Was this vision a result of "stuff" before hand? :p

[red-i]

Was this vision a result of "stuff" before hand? :p


http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/6570/stoner2cb2.jpg

[Black Dragon]

If you haven't got the cap charged before Thursday nights (Sept 14) Westside meet, PM me if you are going and I'll get you hooked up, OK?

[quality control]

I won't be able to make it. Friday is my companies golf tournament and I am headed out to the range before the tourny.

Sorry I will get it charged but thanks for the offer!

[red-i]

just make sure the cap is grounded before you charge it. if you look behind the rear seat, there's a bolt on each side holding the rear seats in, and they're unpainted. i have the ground from my amp going to one side, and the cap to the other. great spot to ground shit.