Capacitor Question

[Ronald_raygun]

Al,

I can't thank you enough for your effort in providing me the help I need to get this project off the ground. I know I can't say this enough, but thank you for your response.

As for the motor, presumably dumping twice the voltage into the motor would also have the motor draw twice the amps, which is where I get the "4 times the horsepower figure" "When you double the voltage, you also double the amperage that a motor can draw. This means that the power that can be produced goes up by a factor of four."

I still don't quite understand the charge/discharge characteristics of a general capacitor (supercap or otherwise).

Do I need to charge it at the rated voltage? (i.e. 1v source into a 2v cap)
Can I discharge it at a different voltage? (i.e. 50V cap into a 6v motor, or 2v cap into a 6v motor)

As for other forms of energy on the car...As long as its powered by the fuel cell, it's generally allowed, within reason (No fusion/fission reactors, rubber bands, etc.) As for flywheels, they are definitely easier to implement for me, but engaging them to the drive wheel doesn't seem too feasible given the size and power limitations. (Weight as you remember is unlimited)

All this circuit talk has my head spinning. The 555 Timer circuit I know is pretty common, but I have no idea how it works. Is there some sort of simulator or circuit-building program that you recommend? That might make things easier.

I just need to design a circuit to incorporate a capacitor into my design so that I get a boost at the start of a run.n