Electrolytics and Old Caps

[Malcolm Leonard]

Mike,
Yours are words of wisdom!No good service tech would dream of charging
anybody to refurbish any piece of gear twenty years or older without
replacing at least the electrolytics.
Time and again,leakage tests on old lytics have proven they were out of
spec.You can't get good sound or any other top notch performance parameter
with leaky caps in any electronic device.
.Do it according to good,solid,proven science or don't do it at all!
Malcolm
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike k" <kmikeheath at YAHOO.COM>
To: <HEATH at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 10:49 AM
Subject: Electrolytics and Old Caps


> Check out the specs for electrolytics - as rated in
> hours...  read them in the specs printed in Digikey
> and Mouser electronics catalogs, easy to obtain.  5000
> hours running continuously is less than a year!  and
> typical is 3000 hours...  and caps age (although
> differently) with power off.
>
> I met a guy years ago that refurbished old high-end
> home audio equipment.  BEFORE ANYTHING, even power up
> and test, he clipped out ALL the caps and replaced
> them.  not just electrolytics either.
>
> Older electrolytics were probably rated much LESS than
> our new caps.  So I doubt equipment with 30 year old
> electrolytics is running perfectly.  I suspect you
> would actually experience improved performance if old
> caps are replaced.  (power supply levels and
> regulation especially would improve.)
>
> Mike
> W2MK
>
>
> > : > I found it interesting that they recommending
> > discarding
> > electrolytics
> > : > that are older than 12 to 15 years old.
> > :
> > : Well, note that this is a MIL spec, money doesn't
> > count for much
> > with
> > : these guys... I have quite a few units that are
> > well over 30 years
> > old,
> > : still
> > : working perfectly with the original electrolytics.
> > :
> > : -- Ron
> > :
> > :
> > : >
> > : >
> > : > Regards,
> > : >
> > : > Marshall Dues,  WB5MYO
> > : > Katy, TX
> > : >
>
>
>
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