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Sparkx capacitor
- Thread starter jefft
- Start date
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- Tags
- electrical
Johnt3
Still learning...
I believe that "coily wire" is to hang it from.
the_nutt
Have Fun
This. Think of it like "IN" from the voltage regulator and "OUT" to your fusebox or the rest of the system.
MFJustin
Welcome to Thunderdome
In using the dual posts like that, do you need to put the 20amp inline fuse between the PMA and the Capacitor or between the post that it comes off of the Capacitor at and the rest of the system?
Halloweenie
Bearded Banjo Brawler
I believe you are meant to put the fuse between the "out" post of the cap and your fuse block/harness. The fuse protects the rest of the sensitive parts of your electrical system (i.e. ignition). Please correct me if I am wrong, because I'd have to change my diagram.
Reid
XS650 Addict
I dont know about anyone else but I have a 20a fuse before my battery (cap if you so choose) to protect it from possible regulator issues
Halloweenie
Bearded Banjo Brawler
Here's what you need from the source.
That wiring diagram needs to be gone. Having the fuse to the capacitor serves no purposebut if the fuse blows or just comes loose, the regulator will go ape shit and fry the electrical system
, including the PAMCO.
Here is how it should be:
Management: Please locate and delete the offending wiring diagram before someone gets hurt.
MFJustin
Welcome to Thunderdome
I'm in the middle of photoshopping that exact same diagram for my purposes. Correct me if I'm wrong but based on Hughs installation instructions for his PMA, you can ground the reg/rec straight to the negative post on the capacitor right?
Reid
XS650 Addict
You can ground the reg to the neg on the cap and then to the frame, or ground each to the frame just so they both have a path to ground
Been reading up about he Sparx cap and considering wiring one in parallel with my 0.8Ah battery (PMA & PAMCO, re-phase, kick only) as a back up. It seems the cap has two positive prongs - one goes to the reg/rec and one to the main fuse ('in' and 'out'). And yet all the wiring diags I have seen, including the one in Halloweenie's post from Pete, only shows one red coming off the cap. Are there any diags showing the two red wires and where they sit in relation to the main fuse?
toplesschevy
XS650 Member
just out of curiosity where are you guys getting this three position switch for the headlight. ive gone through a lot of switches at radioshack and other electronic places but cant find a on/off/on like the one in the diagram any help would be awesome.
Halloweenie
Bearded Banjo Brawler
Unless I am incorrect, you should be able to use almost any SPCO (Single Pole Center Off) or SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw with a center Off) switch which normally come in toggle, slide, or rocker. I prefer to use toggle switches myself, because I can operate a toggle switch easier in thick winter gloves.
Last edited:
Search Ebay for DPDT toggle switch, hit the price and shipping lowest to highest button. Scroll down till you find one that has a center off and rated at least 5 amps. that should be enough but try for a 10 amp rating, it'll last longer.
Leo
Leo
onebad66impala
XS650 Member
i think this is a good place to double check i have pma pamco and a Sparx i fired it up with the pamco on a jump box and the pma to 1 sparx cap when i kill it and check the voltage it is droping till its out. is that right or is it supposed to hold power sorry for being so green on this thank for any help
But it does have 3 prongs does it not?
yes, but the 2 positive ones are connected together, so it is the same as one.
Autozone, o'reilleys, etc... will all have that switch
onebad, the cap will hold a charge for quite awhile as long as there is no connection from the hot to ground. Then it discharges very quickly. That's how they used to test them, hook to a battery for a second or two then bring the positive lead close to ground and if they saw a spark as it discharged it was good.
So after you run the bike and put a meter across the contacts, it is grounding through the meter. The resistance of the meter prevents a spark and rapid discharge. By that test I would say the cap is good.
Now with it running, what is the voltage across the terminals of the cap? At idle 2500 rpms and 5000 rpms? At idle it may be a bit low, 12 to 13 volts, by the time the rpms reach 2500 rpms it should be around 14.5 volts, and it should not go over about 14.5 volts at 5000 rpms.
Leo
So after you run the bike and put a meter across the contacts, it is grounding through the meter. The resistance of the meter prevents a spark and rapid discharge. By that test I would say the cap is good.
Now with it running, what is the voltage across the terminals of the cap? At idle 2500 rpms and 5000 rpms? At idle it may be a bit low, 12 to 13 volts, by the time the rpms reach 2500 rpms it should be around 14.5 volts, and it should not go over about 14.5 volts at 5000 rpms.
Leo
