"Scott W. Harvey" wrote in message
...

[snip]


I have tested brand new electrolytics and have found them to be as
much as 50% off rated capacity. Small coupling and bypass caps, though
are usually right on the money if they're good.

-Scott



That's interesting. I've checked some new electrolytics with my old
Heathkit cap checker, and they are almost always within 20% or so of the
indicated value. I'll check more later and see if it still holds true.

Frank Dresser

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 10:12:52 -0400, --exray-- wrote:

The digital voltmeters often have a capacitance test function but are
thrown off in the presence of leakage. Again, if it doesn't measure
right, out she goes.

I have both a dedicated Capacitor meter and a multimeter that measures
capacitance. Both do the same thing when presented with leaky caps.
The cap will invariably read two or three times more than what its
value is supposed to be.

I have tested brand new electrolytics and have found them to be as
much as 50% off rated capacity. Small coupling and bypass caps, though
are usually right on the money if they're good.

-Scott



To reply to this message via e-mail, replace "fromrarp" in the e-mail address with "scott"

For a radio that I intend to use regularly, I follow the credo, "kill 'em
all, let God sort them out." Why would you take a chance that a decades-old
electrolytic will survive for another hour, day, or week? You can replace it
as fast as you can test it, and if you guess wrong, it may cost you an
expensive power transformer. For the price of a few lattes or a couple of
beers, you can afford to put new electrolytics in your boatanchor and sleep
soundly :-)

If you want everything to look original, you can stuff new capacitors inside
the old containers. See the article at http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm .

Happy listening.

Phil Nelson
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

In article . net, "Phil
Nelson" writes:

For a radio that I intend to use regularly, I follow the credo, "kill 'em
all, let God sort them out." Why would you take a chance that a decades-old
electrolytic will survive for another hour, day, or week? You can replace it
as fast as you can test it, and if you guess wrong, it may cost you an
expensive power transformer.

Amen. I had a lovely old Philco mini-console literally blow up (clouds of
steam nad smoke) while playing away as I worked on something else. Haven't
checked yet to see if the power trans went, but there's black goo all over the
chassis -- want to give it a year to dry out of any toxic stuff.

Then there was the night I left an antique lytic re-forming overnight on my
favorite laboratory variable power supply. It was doing great. Next AM, I
find the cap is still looking great, but the power supply's insides are a
charred mass of clinkers. Enough soot on the ceiling joists to make be
thankful I still had a house to live in.

For the price of a few lattes or a couple of
beers, you can afford to put new electrolytics in your boatanchor and sleep
soundly :-)

Actually, that's more like a couple lattes or a 6-pack of beer, but the point
is well taken! --Mike K.



Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

In article . net, "Phil
Nelson" writes:

For a radio that I intend to use regularly, I follow the credo, "kill 'em
all, let God sort them out." Why would you take a chance that a decades-old
electrolytic will survive for another hour, day, or week? You can replace it
as fast as you can test it, and if you guess wrong, it may cost you an
expensive power transformer.

Amen. I had a lovely old Philco mini-console literally blow up (clouds of
steam nad smoke) while playing away as I worked on something else. Haven't
checked yet to see if the power trans went, but there's black goo all over the
chassis -- want to give it a year to dry out of any toxic stuff.

Then there was the night I left an antique lytic re-forming overnight on my
favorite laboratory variable power supply. It was doing great. Next AM, I
find the cap is still looking great, but the power supply's insides are a
charred mass of clinkers. Enough soot on the ceiling joists to make be
thankful I still had a house to live in.

For the price of a few lattes or a couple of
beers, you can afford to put new electrolytics in your boatanchor and sleep
soundly :-)

Actually, that's more like a couple lattes or a 6-pack of beer, but the point
is well taken! --Mike K.



Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

I thought I might continue to save my old caps because some restorer
might want the 'original waxed paper' to stuff a new cap into.
Do I need to take more meds?

In article , "Williams"
writes:

I thought I might continue to save my old caps because some restorer
might want the 'original waxed paper' to stuff a new cap into.
Do I need to take more meds?

Nope, you make sense. Maybe not so much demand in the Ham BA world, but over
on radio+phono you'll find purists who want caps to stuff. The problem is,
they already have the original old caps in the radio they're restoring, so they
don't need yours.

But -- some enterprising retiree may want to stockpile pre-stuffed restored
caps and sell them to other restorers, ready for insertion in the radio. If
so, he'd want yours for starters to build up inventory. Ultimately, he'd take
the old ones in exchange, but meanwhile he needs extras.

Hopefully he'd pay enough to cover the postage :-) --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.

Mike Knudsen wrote:

Nope, you make sense. Maybe not so much demand in the Ham BA world, but over
on radio+phono you'll find purists who want caps to stuff. The problem is,
they already have the original old caps in the radio they're restoring, so they
don't need yours.

Not always...thats why I need more. Often times the original caps have
already been hacked out or are in too terrible a condition for restuffing.
I try to keep some made up ahead of time and where a set like a Zenith
or Philco uses brand specific ones I like to replace with the same. I
considered stuff-n-sell but it really is a time consuming task. I'd
feel stupid trying to sell them at what they are worth dollar-wise in
time...and of course anyone can do their own for free if they really care!

But -- some enterprising retiree may want to stockpile pre-stuffed restored
caps and sell them to other restorers, ready for insertion in the radio. If
so, he'd want yours for starters to build up inventory. Ultimately, he'd take
the old ones in exchange, but meanwhile he needs extras.

Hopefully he'd pay enough to cover the postage :-) --Mike K.

I beg for these things! And of course always pay postage!

-Bill

Mike Knudsen wrote:

Nope, you make sense. Maybe not so much demand in the Ham BA world, but over
on radio+phono you'll find purists who want caps to stuff. The problem is,
they already have the original old caps in the radio they're restoring, so they
don't need yours.

Not always...thats why I need more. Often times the original caps have
already been hacked out or are in too terrible a condition for restuffing.
I try to keep some made up ahead of time and where a set like a Zenith
or Philco uses brand specific ones I like to replace with the same. I
considered stuff-n-sell but it really is a time consuming task. I'd
feel stupid trying to sell them at what they are worth dollar-wise in
time...and of course anyone can do their own for free if they really care!

But -- some enterprising retiree may want to stockpile pre-stuffed restored
caps and sell them to other restorers, ready for insertion in the radio. If
so, he'd want yours for starters to build up inventory. Ultimately, he'd take
the old ones in exchange, but meanwhile he needs extras.

Hopefully he'd pay enough to cover the postage :-) --Mike K.

I beg for these things! And of course always pay postage!

-Bill

In article , "Williams"
writes:

I thought I might continue to save my old caps because some restorer
might want the 'original waxed paper' to stuff a new cap into.
Do I need to take more meds?

Nope, you make sense. Maybe not so much demand in the Ham BA world, but over
on radio+phono you'll find purists who want caps to stuff. The problem is,
they already have the original old caps in the radio they're restoring, so they
don't need yours.

But -- some enterprising retiree may want to stockpile pre-stuffed restored
caps and sell them to other restorers, ready for insertion in the radio. If
so, he'd want yours for starters to build up inventory. Ultimately, he'd take
the old ones in exchange, but meanwhile he needs extras.

Hopefully he'd pay enough to cover the postage :-) --Mike K.

Oscar loves trash, but hates Spam! Delete him to reply to me.