How Do I Choose A Capacitor?
 

hi i was wondering how do i choose a capacitor that is suitable for my sony mono block amp model xm-6001gxd?

its operating voltage is 10.5-16V allowable

so what if i get a cap that has a bigger voltage surge than 16 V? will it fry my amp?

what does this mean:

Capacitance -/+ 5%
20-24 Volt Surge, 105°
Ultra low ESR <0.002 ohms, +/- 20% tolerance

what is capacitance? what does the percentage mean? the higher the better or lower the better? what is ESR and +/- tolerance?

someone explain to me thanks:p

I don't know what those numbers mean... but choosing the right capacitor depends on the RMS power of the amp. How much RMS is your Sony amp putting out?

0.5 farad cap can handle 500 watts RMS
1.0 farad cap can handle 1000 watts RMS

I'd go with a 1 farad cap... a 20-24 volt cap is a better cap, capable of more voltage... thats not its operating voltage, just its rating.

The ESR is the resistance of the cap... less resistance, the more efficent the cap is. Most caps on the market vary so little, its nothing really important.

The temperature is just its maximum operating temp..

I suggest the 1 farad cap, so if you ever add another amp, or get a different one pushing more power, you'll already have a cap that is most likely to be big enough... plus the extra holding capacity dosent hurt.

it doesn't matetr what its capable of charging to .It will never charge higher than wahat you alt can supply. Which is 14.4. So the 24V cap has no advantage over the 20V cap.

The voltage rating on a cap means that's the maximum voltage that can be applied to that cap safely without failure of the cap.
The esr is the internal resistance the cap has and dictates the peak current the cap can supply while being discharged into a load.

I would probably opt for the 1 farad cap for your amp.