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→Skills: - initial list of skills that directly or indirectly impact capacitor usage. |
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'''Capacitor''' is | '''Capacitor''' is an additional energy reserve that your ship uses to power modules and equipments that require a quick burst of power. | ||
[[File:capacitor.jpg|200px|thumb|right|This capacitor has 1696 GJ available out of a maximum of 1725]] | [[File:capacitor.jpg|200px|thumb|right|This capacitor has 1696 GJ available out of a maximum of 1725]] | ||
==Overview== | |||
Every ship has an internal generator, and that generator provides the powergrid you see on the [[fitting]] window. Modules that are fitted onto the ship will connect to the powergrid and reserve a portion of the generator output for itself (hence reducing the remaining powergrid when fitted). The module will operate using the generator power while you fly your ship. | |||
Some modules, however, need more power to operate. Energy weapons (AKA Laser turrets), for example, need power to shoot a destructive beam at your target. Since the weapon must fire immediately upon being issued a command, it cannot wait until generator power accumulates enough energy for a shot. On the other hand, constantly loading the weapon with full energy required for a shot will waste heaps of powergrid energy and likely melt the weapon itself. | |||
The solution is the '''Capacitor.''' The ship's Capacitor permanently leeches a certain amount of generator output to charge itself like a battery - or rather, like a real-life [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor capacitor]. When a module requires a quick burst of energy to operate, the capacitor discharges, providing that energy. This way, the capacitor allows your ship to use modules and equipments that require lots of immediate power. | |||
==Managing your Capacitor== | |||
In the event that your ship is completely drained of capacitor charge, the following will happen: | |||
* You will not have enough energy to initiate warp. (If you only have a partial amount of capacitor charge available, your ship will warp as far as it can go, and stop midway. You can then initiate warp again to arrive at your destination.) | |||
* You will not be able to activate any active modules that require capacitor charge. You still can activate modules that do not. | |||
Being drained of capacitor charge '''DOES NOT''' stop your engines or render your ship inoperable. | |||
In the Fitting Simulation window, there is a tab for capacitor charge level simulation. | |||
[[File:FitCapacitor.jpg|200px|thumb|right|This ship's capacitor is stable.]] | |||
If a capacitor is '''"Stable,"''' it means that with every capacitor-consuming module running non-stop, your capacitor energy level will eventually drop down and fluctuate between the percentage level displayed, indefinitely. If a fit's capacitor is stable, it is referred to being '''"Cap-stable."''' | |||
If instead the window displays '''"Depletes in XX:XX,"''' it means that with every capacitor-consuming module running non-stop, your capacitor energy level will drop to 0% after the displayed time. | |||
Although it is a good thing to be cap-stable, it is not a requirement. You rarely need everything running at the same time in many PvE situations. Instead of compromising your ship's capability to force it to be cap-stable, you can simply choose to micromanage your module usage to extend the life of your capacitor charge. | |||
* Instead of running a repair module (Shield booster, Armor repairer) non-stop, only activate it when you need to. | |||
* Same goes for propulsion modules, especially Microwarpdrives. | |||
* Keep your capacitor level above 25% at all times. Dropping below 25% drastically reduces your recharge rate. | |||
* When facing against enemies that utilize energy neutralizers or nosferatus, try and keep your distance as to reduce their effectiveness. | |||
* If your ship is lacking in both capacitor stability and tanking ability, try to focus on mitigating damage and eliminating enemy targets quickly instead of brute-forcing through the incoming DPS. Mounting a powerful defence system requires a significant investment, both in terms of Skillpoints and ISK. | |||
==Capacitor recharge rate== | |||
* '''The Capacitor passively recharges from onboard generator power and requires no extra "fuel" to replenish.''' | |||
* '''Capacitor recharge rate, in Gigajoules per second, is based on the capacitor's capacity, the current capacitor charge, and its recharge time.''' | |||
* '''Your capacitor will recharge faster the closer you are to 25% of your maximum.''' | |||
* '''The recharge rate drops of very quickly once you go below this.''' | |||
[[File:Capacitor Recharge.png|400px|thumb|Experimental data on capacitor recharge. The blue points are data points from Kivena's experiments. The black line is an equation based on Dust Puppy's research which you can see at the top left corner of the image. The smaller inset graph (orange) shows a percentage of average recharge rate over current capacitor percentage. You can clearly see that maximum recharge is 2.5x the average recharge and occurs at 25%. Click to enlarge]] | |||
The '''capacitor recharge rate''' is a non-linear function—the rate at any given moment depends on how much energy is stored at that moment. Near zero and near full capacity, the recharge rate is very low, and it peaks at 25 percent. | |||
The important thing to remember is that the recharge rate declines dramatically once it falls below 25% of capacity. Therefore, if in a fight, leave yourself a margin of safety and consider escaping if it appears that you will soon fall below this amount. | |||
A player by the name of “Dust Puppy” investigated the recharge rate in-depth and published his findings<ref>[https://oldforums.eveonline.com/?a=topic&threadID=116993 Dust Puppy - Thoughts and research on the capacitor]</ref>. Based on his experiments, he suggests that the formula for calculating recharge rate is: | |||
:<math> \displaystyle\frac{\text{d}C}{\text{d}t} = \frac{ 10C_{\rm{max}}}{T} \left( \sqrt{ \frac{C}{C_{\rm{max}}} } - \frac{C}{C_{\rm{max}}} \right) </math> | |||
...where:<br /> | |||
* <math>C</math> is your current capacitor level in GJ.<br /> | |||
* <math>C_\rm{max}</math> is your maximum capacitor level in GJ.<br /> | |||
* <math>\text{d}C/\text{d}t</math> is your current capacitor recharge rate in GJ/s. (Formally: The instantaneous rate of change of the capacitor charge <math>C</math> with respect to time.)<br /> | |||
* <math>T</math> is capacitor recharge time. | |||
Capacitor recharge, therefore, peaks at 25%, and the advertised “Capacitor Recharge Time” is actually the time for the capacitor to go from dead empty to 98.7%, assuming no drains or boosts. | |||
Experimenting with this formula,<ref>https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AnYZ5Ix967m9dGR1YTY2emRGaXgyR3k4QlBnYng3SlE&hl=en</ref> it has been found that the peak recharge rate, without any effect of boosters or energy draining weapons, is indeed at 25% of capacitor capacity. | |||
The formula can be also used to write capacitor level as function of time | |||
:<math> \displaystyle C_1 = C_{\rm{max}} \left( 1 + e^{ \large 5 \frac{ t_0 -t_1 }{ T } } \left( \sqrt{ \frac{C_0}{C_{\rm{max}}} } - 1 \right) \right)^2 </math> | |||
where C<sub>0</sub> is capacitor level at starting time t<sub>0</sub> and C<sub>1</sub> is capacitor level at time t<sub>1</sub> | |||
==Capacitor equipment== | ==Capacitor equipment== | ||
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** {{sk|Warp Drive Operation}} - 10% reduction in capacitor need of initiating warp per skill level. | ** {{sk|Warp Drive Operation}} - 10% reduction in capacitor need of initiating warp per skill level. | ||
** {{sk|Weapon Disruption}} - 5% less capacitor need for weapon disruptors per skill level. | ** {{sk|Weapon Disruption}} - 5% less capacitor need for weapon disruptors per skill level. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||