Re: [DML] grounding equipment to battery?

[kayoong@xxxx]

Moderator: This stiffening capacitor issue is dedicated to the DeLorean.

Martin, Gary & Elvis:

If you all try to understand what I wrote, it is dedicated to the DeLorean 
motorcar and you will understand why I wrote it the way I did. 

We all know the factory fitted DeLorean alternators are notorious with their 
inadequacies to supply the amps that is need. There are many alternator 
upgrades that is available from the present DeLorean vendors which exceeds 
the DeLorean's demand, but not with the excessive demands of the many added 
on components, especially the amplifier with a stiffening capacitor.

Elvis, with all the material from the different catalogs the manufacturers 
offers and the different Internet sites... I do believe I understand what a 
stiffening capacitor is and why and how it works and etc ...... There are 
some "caps" that do put such a demand on an alternator and there is a site 
that do show the reasons why, so I will not go into details.

I believe Gary got the point right, as he puts it "the use or the misused of 
stiffening capacitors" and half of the misuse is due to the salesman or the 
material printed pressing the issue *you must have it....*

Martin, BTW, the term STIFFENING CAPACITOR is used, and is STILL being used 
in the NYC/USA area. FYI ... under "Google" and you will see many sites 
using this "term." Please check them out. ;-)

Guys, I have tried many different "stiffening capacitors" in my DeLorean only 
to find the them to soak up much of the alternator's current, when "ALL" of 
the electrical is on in the DeLorean under many daily driving conditions. In 
the last three years, I have destroyed three alternators. Two 110 amps from 
Rob and I need more amps, so I had to ordered a 150 amp from John Hervey only 
to return it for a 140 amp which works better at the lower RPMs. Everyone, 
please understand that there is nothing wrong with Rob's or John Hervey's 
units, for they do work and have severed me well. So, I am doing something 
wrong? I don't think so. My DeLorean with all the other added on electrical 
components along my driving conditions have worked all the alternators to an 
early demise. All the different stiffening capacitors that I tried didn't 
help relieve the alternator and did very little improvement for the amplifier 
and the sound.... Different stiffening capacitors and amplifiers in 
combination do produce a different sound quality as well as a different 
demand from the DeLorean's electrical system.

Despite all the "science" data that the many of you had brought forth, there 
is still the task to get all the different science data and all the various 
equipment in combinations to work together properly and to sound good in a 
motorcar is an "art" -- especially in the DeLorean. 

I have heard many different audio systems in a DeLorean and many of them do 
not spark an interest in me. Many of these system have the wrong sound or 
the "younger people" sound. That type of sound is classified as "sound 
re-enforcement," which is usually excessively loud, boomy, sizzling and 
undefined. Since I am over 50 years old and what I am interested in is 
"sound reproduction." This type of sound should be clean, adequately loud, 
with good harmonics, timbre, placement, detail and size. As a high end 
audiophile and manufacturer taught me, a cello on a good system should sound 
like a cello and not a viola or a bass. A piano should sound like a piano 
and the audio system should be able to produce the piano's fortissimo and not 
just the psycho acoustic like many system do. 

Recently, I have removed the stiffening capacitor since I installed my new 
high power amplifier, a real 120 RMS per channel into 4 channels. The new 
amplifier is very well engineered and made, therefore a stiffening capacitor 
is not necessary. Since the removal of the stiffening capacitor the 
alternator is working "correctly" and the sound is NOT suffering nor is there 
a lost of the bass at the lower RPM, when the alternator is not charging at 
full output. 

In closing, purchasing equipment is not a problem, but removing and 
installing them is. It is time and energy consuming, beside adding more 
alteration and destruction to the DeLorean. In the almost seven years and 
the 87,000 miles I have put on it with many of the trips to be over 14 hours 
of straight driving, I wanted my sound to be as good as possible and I have 
changed my audio system four times in the quest to achieving this goal. I 
think I am getting close to it with the recent released equipment of the 
newer technology. Changing systems means head, amplifiers, CD Changer and 
etc. Presently, I have my eyes on Denon DCT-Z1 CD head unit and the DCH-470 
CD changer, which are the rave of the hi-end auto audio world and the 
"silver" finish matches our DeLorean perfectly if some of you are interested, 
not cheap in price.

<A HREF="http://www.redmountainaudio.com/default.asp?id=35";>http://www.redmountainaudio.com/default.asp?id=35</A>

If anyone can add their input from experiences, I am open to constructive 
criticisms and I would like to learn from your experiences. If you have a 
system in your DeLorean that you want to show, please let me know. If you 
are in the neighborhood, you are welcomed to audition my system too. Rob and 
a fellow DeLorean owner who I had giving a ride back from PJ Grady to the NYC 
bus terminal, to take a bus back to Pennsylvania, had auditioned my system 
several weeks ago and they both liked it.

Seeing is believing and hearing it should be a reality. 

Martin, Gary & Elvis, again, thank you for your input...... :-)

Kayo Ong
#5508
Lic 9D NY


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