Our Product Research Team
At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere.
That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box,
verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs.
We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.
Features
Overview: The overall response
of your audio system will be enhanced with the use of capacitors due to their
ability to quickly supply a large amount of current to your amplifier's power
supply during high current demand (low bass). This makes the Lightning Cap a
logical addition to your system due to the fact that automotive electrical
systems aren't designed to deliver the current to satisfy the requirements of
high-powered audio components. It can also filter AC voltage induced in the
system by the amplifier's power supply which could cause objectionable noise. A
one Farad capacitor is recommended for each 1000 watts of amplifier power,
although you can never have too much capacitance for any system.
LED Digital Display (With Auto
Turn-On): The capacitor's monitor top features a blue digital LED display.
The current DC voltage readout appears on the 1" x 1/2" display. The
display senses voltage fluctuations during normal operation and turns itself on.
After 5 minutes of non-use (no fluctuation), the display automatically reverts
to sleep mode.
Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR):
The Lightning cap is able to deliver its power quickly because its super low
ESR. Each capacitor has up to 18 ultra-sonically-cold welded tabs that connect
the foil winding to the terminals at the top of the capacitor with almost no
resistance.
High Gain Foil: Lightning
capacitors use a high-gain foil. High-gain foil is created by passing the foil
through several high-current (10,000 amp) chemical baths that "etch"
the foil and create surface area. This allows for more capacitors in a smaller
area.
Through-Post Design: The
monitoring circuit is wired in parallel with the capacitor, not adding any
resistance or inductance which could prevent the cap from doing its job.
Reverse Voltage Warning: A
buzzer will sound if the capacitor is connected backwards.
Mounting Brackets: The
Lightning cap is equipped with two translucent plastic mounting brackets. The
brackets allow the cap to be mounted in virtually any position on a vertical
wall or a horizontal surface.
Installation: In addition to
the wires and connectors for your amp installation, you will need a short length
of ground wire and 2 pairs of ring terminal connectors with 5/16" holes (1
pair for the power wires and 1 pair for the ground wire) to properly install the
capacitor. One length of power wire connects from your battery to the
capacitor's positive terminal, while a separate length of power wire connects
from the capacitor's positive terminal to your amplifier. (It is recommended
that the capacitor be wired no less than 18" from the amplifier.) The
ground wire connects from the capacitor's negative terminal to the chassis of
the vehicle.
Specifications:
- Size: 1 Farad
- VDC: 16V, 20V surge
- ESR: < 0.00198 ohm at
120Hz 25c
- Terminals: 1/4"-28
thread
Packaging Correction: Some of
the packaging may incorrectly indicate that this capacitor has a distribution
top. It has a standard top with a single positive and a single negative
terminal.