i just got a brand new stinger 1 farad capacitor. It says i need to charge it. how exactly do i do this. i don't have the bulb that it shows on the picture. is it even necessary to charge it?

 

You will need to use a resistor to charge it up before hand. If you google capacitor charging you will find the procedure.

 

i believe the resistor is to discharge it... charging should just be hooking it up... you'd want a resistor to discharge it otherwise you'll pretty much get killed if you manage to discharge it thru you...

 

i had to use my resistor to charge mine also.

 

theres a resistor you can use to charge it or some rockford fosgate makes a fancy "board" to do it or you just hook it up and watch a big spark. either way

 

Charging it with a resistor is to prevent large amounts of in-rush current. This is the reason some systems have pre-charge circuitry. (Pre-charge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I would probably charge it with a resistor.

You would also use a resistor, preferably on with a large heat sink, to discharge a large capacitor.

 

That's what I did with my 2f cap.

 

can i do damage by not charging and watching it spark? my friend told me he watched a car audio shop install his and they did it without charging it. he said there was a huge spark.

 

Read the wikipedia article above and make your own assessment. IMO though no.

 

straight dumb to not use a resistor. If you need to improvise, just about any automotive lightbulb can be used. I put subs in my ex's car, had her put on a glove and old a lightbulb while I touched the bulb in series with the battery and the cap. Worked like a champ.

 

idk about straight dumb its not a big deal its not like it draws enough current to blow the fuse so whats the difference between the cap fully draining and recharging when its "connected" its not like 14v is "high volt" either

after ******* around and arcing a 220v line on a 30a breaker bullshit we had at the shop theres not a cap in the world more fucked up then that