Thank you Mike for the lesson I really appreciate the idea of knowing that there is someone out here that can put us all on the right track as far as Electronics is concerned
I was going to recap my Cobra 2000 gtl It has the PC-497AB Board, and was looking on eBay for a kit, I wondered just how cheap the caps were myself.. So I did a little research, and I stumbled upon this video.. I'm glad I took the time to check this out.. after watching your video there is no way in hell I am doing it.. Thank You for this video..
Oh and yeah, the good capacitor brands I use are: Panasonic (Matsushita - identified by the logo with an "M" in a square with rounded corners, and "T" shaped vent), Nippon chemi-con/United chemi-con (identified by the shield-like logo, and "Y" shaped vent), Nichicon ("X" shaped vent), and Rubycon ("K" shaped vent). In addition, there are Vishay/BC components, Kemet, and Würth Elektronik. Some suspicious/cheap capacitor brands: JWCO, Xicon, Fuhjyyu, Asia-x, Samwha, CapXon, JEE, Sacon, OST, SAMXON, TEAPO, VENT, Su'scon, Jamicon, and more! ... (Oh and beware of the Rubycon imitations! They are Rulycon, Rukycon, Rudoycon and Robicon ... they may look real at first, but when you look closely, you'll see that the font will be a little "off" and the spelling will be different than "Rubycon" ... all these fakes should be avoided.)
If I recall I purchased a recap kit for my madison. That was before I knew you. You did say they were fairly decent and didn't have a problem installing them. Anything I've sent you since you used your caps. Anyone should know that if your gonna send Mike equipment for recap should allow Mike to install his. No need to purchase anything but a box bubble wrap and postage. Mike's got everything else covered.
I'm a guitar amp guy.... so I've had to re-cap audio stuff mostly for music gear. I've sourced good caps from our regional surplus store. (They have industrial surplus)........... Nichicon, Sprague, Panasonic, Samsung, Rubycon, F&T, Illinois... I've not yet been burned by going with established makers.
The big name brands have been around forever for a reason, they don't make junk. The no name fly by night cap companies never seem to hang around very long.
In the amp world, Sprague Atom is the "King" of 500v 20uf filter caps... and other similar big boys. I'm not 100% sure why... but they cost twice as much as a comparable F&T. There's lots of tube amp guys who feel F&T is every bit as good.. I wish I had some sort of idea why Sprague carries that price tag and mystique. I want my amp shop to keep its reputation as quality and affordable... so it's hard for me to justify why Sprague Atom is so much more costly. "Because it's best" is the only answer I get from other techs... that doesn't help much.
+DeadKoby Good yes, best, not by a long shot. The best would be milspec caps. Hermetically glass sealed and 4-5 times bigger in size with a price tag that can be 10-100 times that of a regular cap. Those also never seem to go bad. Their about the only electrolytic cap I never change. There are a couple in each of my old tube type high voltage lab supplies and they were made back in the 40's. Darn things are about 5 inches square and 8 inches tall. 60-70 years old and still as good as the day they were made and will probably last that long more.
I am struggling with this now. I have an Ibanez SDR1000 effects processor from 1984 that I am trying to repair, learning as I go. Buying the 30ish replacement capacitors I need for the power section has become a confusing mess. I was tempted to buy a couple of these huge cheap collections of capacitors I saw on Amazon, but instinctively knew I was asking for trouble. I really wish we still had electronics component stores in my area. I am ordering what I need of of Mouser, but even that is a pain for a dyslexic novice trying to decipher the differences between the overwhelming selection of what appears to be similar components. Thanks for this video, every bit of information helps!
Quite right about the Shenzhen market with electrolytic capacitors; the same holds true for Li Ion batteries. I purchased a rechargeable 'Police' torch encased with a 'mains' charger, and a 12V car charger. It contained a battery with a 3.7V, 3,600mAH battery, which I believe is correct. I also purchased a plastic blister pack of 2 4,000mA batteries for a reserve, but perform to only a fraction of the original 3,600mAH battery. Yes, they are very good at shop window presentation on both counts, but think, as you, that the 'brand name', sourced from a reputable supplier is the way, as well as pay just that little bit extra, and you are most likely to get the genuine rated component... For me, just another 'electrolytic' footnote...
I just bought one of these cheap kits..I'll use them and then just replace the ones that go bad when they do.I'll bet that most will work great for a long time.
Still have some 100uf 6V electrolytics knocking around, made in the early 1970's. I thought the dimensions were wrong on the sheet, but they are actually a half inch in diameter and 2 and a half inches long. For comparison the replacement 100uF 16V capacitors I got in place of them were 5mm diameter and 15mm long, so the axial leads they came with were just long enough to get bent to fit the PCB holes, and then they were held down with a drop of superglue or silicone so vibration would bot pull them off the board.
Those cheap ebay/amazon cap kits are fine for prototyping/breadboards projects etc. Not fine for restorations or repairs where the capacitors may be subject to sustained high frequency loads, high temps, and/or high current. I don't know what some people are thinking. lol just noticed the guy (KK4HXJ) who sold him the cap kit on ebay is the same guy who just sold me a new probe kit for my Heathkit VTVM.
To u my friend sometimes cheap stuff are also good and yes sometimes bad I see good stuff wear fast than the cheap stuff I am just saying but u are right in every way it depends I guess
Referring to use of electros with voltage rating considerably above normal operating voltage, does the applied lower than rated voltage allow the insulating oxide layer to form sufficiently for rated ESR?
Mike I have been putting together a cart of capacitors at Mouser. I have been selecting Nichicon, United Chemi-Con, and Panasonic. I have specified 5000 hours capacitors at 105°C General Purpose Aluminum Electrolytic with radial leads. I actually opened up the radio and used Calipers to measure the diameter and length of each cap. I also wrote down the voltage and capacitance of each cap. So at the very least I know that everything will fit in the chassis and the cover's will go one with no contact especially the main power filter caps. I know Nichicon and Panasonic make a good capacitor but what about United Chemi-Con? I almost bought one of those kids off ebay but the lack of name brand I recognized scared me off a bit. On top of that the list of cap's in the kit specific to my radio does not even match what is in my radio. In the ebay kit the voltage and capacitance is lower on almost every cap in the kit compared to what is actually inside my radio! I noticed when I ordered at least 10 caps the price per cap usually dropped massively! As long as the caps are high quality like Nichicon, Panasonic and United Chemi-Con does it matter if you use multiple brands.
So I guess I will have to start checking all my caps before putting them in ,I just got a very nice capacitor checker a knight kg 670 ,hopefully it will help me from mistakes ,
One time I bought a cheap 1/4 watt carbon resistor kit on ebay, I figured how could that possibly go wrong. Well the leads were half the diameter that they're supposed to be :P Almost impossible to plug into a breadboard
JWelectro is probably the capacitor in the PC you are using. The ChongX are also somewhat good, at least most do meet the spec for at least the first year of storage. Those Nichicon you have though are very likely a fake part though, as they rarely end up on the surplus market unused. For something you only really need to last for a year or two, or where you do not need the best spec ( like a transformer based power supply, where the low ESR is actually not a good thing) and can have a great deal of degradation before you will have any issues they will do. I generally only buy from a reputable supplier, or if not a critical part then will use the cheap ones. But Caveat Emptor always applies.
Well I probably have to throw out a bunch of my Chinese caps now,where do you buy your components from?,so I can buy better stuff ,we learn by listening thanks
I guess the obvious answer here is if the guy wasn't willing to have his name attached to the product, he wouldn't put it there. Maybe he genuinely feels these caps are just fine. Maybe this video will even get back to him and he'll up his game. If I put my name or call sign on something for sale, I'm standing behind it, and if I'm wrong, I'll act accordingly.
Hi Mike. I find your many videos very useful. I have a question regarding the purchase of an older cb radio dinosore if you will. With the purchase of a Cap kit that you suggest. So in your experience, you would suggest an older rig along with a cap kit, instead of purchasing a new cobra style which 8 belive you said are naw manufacturer in China. Your advise would be much appreciated. I am interested in ssb am. Cheers Brian. Actually can I contact you directly.
In many cases the older SSB rigs had better receivers but don't get the impression the newer rigs are junk. For example, I like the newer President radios. I have both the McKinley and Lincoln II+ radios and like them. Its mainly personal preference for each person. I like old and new.
Hello friend, I have a President Lincoln Mk1, that when turning it on for the first time it takes some time to show the frequency of work, I explain myself better, the screen turns on but it does not show me the numerals, and after 5 minutes they appear, but that happens only when the radio has several days off, I imagine it can be some capacitor, you could help me to repair this fault. Greetings from Venezuela
Hi Mike, very good video been wondering if you would do one on this subject. People only have to google bad caps and a forum called bad caps will come up and that will soon show people what are good and bad as these guys are people from audio and PC and hi end electronics that will tell you about the good and bad real fast and what damage they can cause when they fail beside leaking.
I'm doing a cap change in my HR2510 soon. Cheapest I could find on Ebay. I will be happy to report if there are any issues in the foreseeable future. It is a calculated risk in my case, and I have no preconceptions about them lasting a long time.
Why did you waste your time ordering the cheapest crap on Ebay when you could have spent literally a few dollars more for the same recap kit from a reputable company like Digikey?
Cheap caps actually test okay before they fail. It's more a lifespan issue than it is anything else. I have seen an endurance test being performed... and it's literally as some of the datasheets say.... 1,000 hours at 150c with x voltage, etc. The ones I saw being tested were automotive grade... they make these and they are expensive - for stuff under the hood Those are some serious caps..... nothing we would put in a CB radio :)
The Seller of this Cap. Kit sold on eBay has responded to this video and a request for a refund:"You will note he did not install the kit, I respect his opinions and I watch his videos and subscribe to his channel. While of course I disagree with him on this point, I will accept your return as I have a 100% satisfaction rating. My Kits are in use all over the world and I have had no negative issues or feedback. I think it is one thing for a tech to install a kit vs. a diy. My kits are designed to make it easy to obtain all of the correct values of caps which can be very difficult and time consuming. He asserts the caps are cheap but I feel his experiences date back to before the current crop of capacitors which I use and have nothing but extraordinary results."
Like I said, the Chinese can make good quality and junk. Have seen both ends of the spectrum. Some companies like MIEC actually seem to be good quality. I use their caps in high voltage tube type applications and have not had a single failure. I had one radio that had a failure in the power supply voltage regulation circuit. It ended up dumping around 600 VDC into a circuit with 450 VDC MIEC brand caps and none exploded, leaked or swelled up.
Good tip and video. However, I also stress, purchase capacitors from reputable sources. The counterfeit market is a problem as well. People think they are getting top end Panasonic, when they are buying low grade components with counterfeit markings. I tend to stick with US suppliers such as Mouser, Digikey, and Newark. I tend to avoid Amazon and Ebay for parts.
Most of my parts come from Digi-Key for newly manufactured parts or a few select trusted suppliers on ebay for vintage items. Usually for those of us that handle this stuff everyday the counterfeit parts stick out like a sore thumb. Their appearance is never the same and I have to laugh when I see names misspelled. The big thing to beware on ebay as far as CB parts is RF transistors. Most are fake, have seen way to many people get ripped off buying fake 2Sac1969's.
yeah , and they , Digi-key , can send junk too. I ordered from them and got a few junk caps but the chances of getting ripped by them are very slim as compared to E-Bay because they have old caps that they might want to get rid of and they package them in kits then sell them cheap. I don't use kits,I prefer doing them myself with my own parts . Very very rarely will I install a used part .If I don't have the cap or whatever I will wait until I can get one or use an NTE part then replace it if the customer wants me to.
+mike charette Been buying from DigiKey for over 20 years and never received junk from them. The capacitors I order from them are alwats fresh. Most of the time they were made within the last 4-6 months going by the date codes on them.
I too have been buying from them for a long timebut every once in a while I'll get one thats not up to par . I don't buy them by the hundreds but I get a bunch every time I order .I use Talon electronic a lot because I can get them at a good price per lot .
Have you seen, or do you know if this person has good caps kits?I It's a kit for a Panasonic RF-2200, I seen him on ebay...and since I dont use ebay..I sent an email to do business with him thru pay-pal...his name and call sign is Peter,VE3PVS
Yep, that's why I don't use cheap ebay capacitors ... I always buy Japanese capacitors from a verified distributor (Even so called "Japanese" caps sold on ebay are often FAKE!). I've seen plenty of JWCO capacitors. They're junk, along with most other chinese brands. If you've a good eye, you can usually tell right away whether or not a capacitor is of good quality - cheap chinese capacitors have poor quality printing, sometimes lopsided, and the sleeves won't always be shrunken properly, etc...
+Aaron bilger If your working on CB radios you'll never notice a difference. A good modern general purpose cap from a company like Nichicon or any of the other top brands is going to a lot higher quality than what came in it originally. True audio quality caps are VERY expensive, on the order of several dollars a piece for a small value like a 1uf. The only place using something like that would be noticeable would be in very high end stereo equipment. CB's by nature are about as low of quality audio as it gets, it is after all very narrow band mono AM radio.
Please don't tell people to always use higher voltage capacitors! This has some disadvantages. 1st the ESR of higher voltage capacitors is higher than the lower voltages. 2nd they are most time bigger in size and will not always fit in place. But you nailed the main problem "Don't use cheap ass capacitors"
Actually they are usually smaller. Compare a radial electrolytic capacitor from the late 70's to 80's with a modern one and there is a huge difference in size. I did a radio yesterday where the original 3300uf 35 volt cap was more than 4 times bigger than the modern 4700uf 50 volt I replaced it with. And the modern higher value capacitor is going to have a much lower ESR than what was originally in the radio.
Actually they are usually smaller. Compare a radial electrolytic capacitor from the late 70's to 80's with a modern one and there is a huge difference in size. I did a radio yesterday where the original 3300uf 35 volt cap was more than 4 times bigger than the modern 4700uf 50 volt I replaced it with. And the modern higher value capacitor is going to have a much lower ESR than what was originally in the radio.
Its where DC power can flow back the wrong way. Small amounts that can cause problems with the AC etc. Its why they tefer to them as leaking caps, not leaking fluid but electricity. And ys they can leak the fluid out as well.
The eBay seller of these openly advertises these on eBay (item #232000508232) as Chinese cap kits says he's sold thousands and never a come back. (some have been in service for 5 years Humm only 5 years?) That's a bit hard to believe.
Why would you have heard of them they are from a Chinese manufacture.........Just saying they are crap because you have not heard of them is arrogant and the last time I looked China is making a lot of quality electronics.............
Harry Stevens And a lot of bad stuff to. I have personally seen this brand capacitor fail within a few years. Do the Chinese make quality parts, sure. It's just a matter of finding a quality manufacturer. Stick a Sprague, Nipon Chemicon, Nichicon, Panasonic , etc... Stick a quality cap in and 30 years from now the device will still be working. Cheap parts are cheap for a reason, they are cheaply manufactured. Also, ever notice those high quality electronics devices that are made in China always have Nichicon or Panasonic capacitors in them. Even the Chinese use electrolytic capacitors from long standing quality manufacturers when quality counts. Like anything else you get what you pay for.
Klondike Mike's Cap kits are the ONLY way to go.
Thank you Mike for the lesson I really appreciate the idea of knowing that there is someone out here that can put us all on the right track as far as Electronics is concerned
Great video Mike. You really have to watch what you buy out there. Good explanation!I have a 458 Mike, all caps are bad. They were original.
I was going to recap my Cobra 2000 gtl It has the PC-497AB Board, and was looking on eBay for a kit, I wondered just how cheap the caps were myself.. So I did a little research, and I stumbled upon this video.. I'm glad I took the time to check this out.. after watching your video there is no way in hell I am doing it.. Thank You for this video..
Thank you for the education on the quality of caps today, Mike. Great video !
Oh and yeah, the good capacitor brands I use are:
Panasonic (Matsushita - identified by the logo with an "M" in a square with rounded corners, and "T" shaped vent), Nippon chemi-con/United chemi-con (identified by the shield-like logo, and "Y" shaped vent), Nichicon ("X" shaped vent), and Rubycon ("K" shaped vent).
In addition, there are Vishay/BC components, Kemet, and Würth Elektronik.
Some suspicious/cheap capacitor brands:
JWCO, Xicon, Fuhjyyu, Asia-x, Samwha, CapXon, JEE, Sacon, OST, SAMXON, TEAPO, VENT, Su'scon, Jamicon, and more! ...
(Oh and beware of the Rubycon imitations! They are Rulycon, Rukycon, Rudoycon and Robicon ... they may look real at first, but when you look closely, you'll see that the font will be a little "off" and the spelling will be different than "Rubycon" ... all these fakes should be avoided.)
If I recall I purchased a recap kit for my madison. That was before I knew you. You did say they were fairly decent and didn't have a problem installing them. Anything I've sent you since you used your caps. Anyone should know that if your gonna send Mike equipment for recap should allow Mike to install his. No need to purchase anything but a box bubble wrap and postage. Mike's got everything else covered.
I'm a guitar amp guy.... so I've had to re-cap audio stuff mostly for music gear. I've sourced good caps from our regional surplus store. (They have industrial surplus)........... Nichicon, Sprague, Panasonic, Samsung, Rubycon, F&T, Illinois... I've not yet been burned by going with established makers.
The big name brands have been around forever for a reason, they don't make junk. The no name fly by night cap companies never seem to hang around very long.
In the amp world, Sprague Atom is the "King" of 500v 20uf filter caps... and other similar big boys. I'm not 100% sure why... but they cost twice as much as a comparable F&T. There's lots of tube amp guys who feel F&T is every bit as good.. I wish I had some sort of idea why Sprague carries that price tag and mystique. I want my amp shop to keep its reputation as quality and affordable... so it's hard for me to justify why Sprague Atom is so much more costly. "Because it's best" is the only answer I get from other techs... that doesn't help much.
+DeadKoby
Good yes, best, not by a long shot. The best would be milspec caps. Hermetically glass sealed and 4-5 times bigger in size with a price tag that can be 10-100 times that of a regular cap. Those also never seem to go bad. Their about the only electrolytic cap I never change. There are a couple in each of my old tube type high voltage lab supplies and they were made back in the 40's. Darn things are about 5 inches square and 8 inches tall. 60-70 years old and still as good as the day they were made and will probably last that long more.
Thanks Mike great info
I am struggling with this now. I have an Ibanez SDR1000 effects processor from 1984 that I am trying to repair, learning as I go. Buying the 30ish replacement capacitors I need for the power section has become a confusing mess. I was tempted to buy a couple of these huge cheap collections of capacitors I saw on Amazon, but instinctively knew I was asking for trouble. I really wish we still had electronics component stores in my area. I am ordering what I need of of Mouser, but even that is a pain for a dyslexic novice trying to decipher the differences between the overwhelming selection of what appears to be similar components. Thanks for this video, every bit of information helps!
That is one of the nicest looking vintage radios I have ever seen. Its in mint condition.
Excellent and informative video! There are currently 3 or 4 sellers on eBay who are selling caps. for the Navaho series radios.
thanks for the info mike . yes i got one of them kits for my radio shack dx 100 shortwave radios working ok so far
Quite right about the Shenzhen market with electrolytic capacitors; the same holds true for Li Ion batteries.
I purchased a rechargeable 'Police' torch encased with a 'mains' charger, and a 12V car charger. It contained
a battery with a 3.7V, 3,600mAH battery, which I believe is correct. I also purchased a plastic blister pack of 2
4,000mA batteries for a reserve, but perform to only a fraction of the original 3,600mAH battery. Yes, they are
very good at shop window presentation on both counts, but think, as you, that the 'brand name', sourced from
a reputable supplier is the way, as well as pay just that little bit extra, and you are most likely to get the genuine
rated component...
For me, just another 'electrolytic' footnote...
Great information Mike…….. Thanks for sharing
Great info Mike!
Nippon Chemi-Con, Rubycon, & Panasonic for the win in my humble opinion!
I just bought one of these cheap kits..I'll use them and then just replace the ones that go bad when they do.I'll bet that most will work great for a long time.
Still have some 100uf 6V electrolytics knocking around, made in the early 1970's. I thought the dimensions were wrong on the sheet, but they are actually a half inch in diameter and 2 and a half inches long. For comparison the replacement 100uF 16V capacitors I got in place of them were 5mm diameter and 15mm long, so the axial leads they came with were just long enough to get bent to fit the PCB holes, and then they were held down with a drop of superglue or silicone so vibration would bot pull them off the board.
Sometimes MILSPEC caps are like that. Three or four times larger than a normal cap. But their built like a tank with no expense spared.
Great info, thanks again! Love your channel.
You can get Elna's Nichicon or Panasonic cheap enough to make it worth getting the good stuff.
I would pay for a quality cap kit as I do not want to hunt down all these small parts
Those cheap ebay/amazon cap kits are fine for prototyping/breadboards projects etc. Not fine for restorations or repairs where the capacitors may be subject to sustained high frequency loads, high temps, and/or high current. I don't know what some people are thinking.
lol just noticed the guy (KK4HXJ) who sold him the cap kit on ebay is the same guy who just sold me a new probe kit for my Heathkit VTVM.
I have purchased that same probe set, and the quaulity was fine for the wire and ends.
To u my friend sometimes cheap stuff are also good and yes sometimes bad I see good stuff wear fast than the cheap stuff I am just saying but u are right in every way it depends I guess
Referring to use of electros with voltage rating considerably above normal operating voltage, does the applied lower than rated voltage allow the insulating oxide layer to form sufficiently for rated ESR?
Mike I have been putting together a cart of capacitors at Mouser. I have been selecting Nichicon, United Chemi-Con, and Panasonic. I have specified 5000 hours capacitors at 105°C General Purpose Aluminum Electrolytic with radial leads. I actually opened up the radio and used Calipers to measure the diameter and length of each cap. I also wrote down the voltage and capacitance of each cap. So at the very least I know that everything will fit in the chassis and the cover's will go one with no contact especially the main power filter caps. I know Nichicon and Panasonic make a good capacitor but what about United Chemi-Con? I almost bought one of those kids off ebay but the lack of name brand I recognized scared me off a bit. On top of that the list of cap's in the kit specific to my radio does not even match what is in my radio. In the ebay kit the voltage and capacitance is lower on almost every cap in the kit compared to what is actually inside my radio! I noticed when I ordered at least 10 caps the price per cap usually dropped massively! As long as the caps are high quality like Nichicon, Panasonic and United Chemi-Con does it matter if you use multiple brands.
So I guess I will have to start checking all my caps before putting them in ,I just got a very nice capacitor checker a knight kg 670 ,hopefully it will help me from mistakes ,
One time I bought a cheap 1/4 watt carbon resistor kit on ebay, I figured how could that possibly go wrong. Well the leads were half the diameter that they're supposed to be :P Almost impossible to plug into a breadboard
I never buy on eBay learned the hard way
Panasonic, Nichicon, and Elna are my go to brands. Don't get Capsxon unless you like junk.
Theres a guy out of Canada that sells good cap kits on ebay, nichicon, rubycon.
BassheadGTP I've purchased two kits from the Canadian seller. Both kits were excellent. Nichicons is what I've received from him. 👍
JWelectro is probably the capacitor in the PC you are using. The ChongX are also somewhat good, at least most do meet the spec for at least the first year of storage.
Those Nichicon you have though are very likely a fake part though, as they rarely end up on the surplus market unused.
For something you only really need to last for a year or two, or where you do not need the best spec ( like a transformer based power supply, where the low ESR is actually not a good thing) and can have a great deal of degradation before you will have any issues they will do.
I generally only buy from a reputable supplier, or if not a critical part then will use the cheap ones. But Caveat Emptor always applies.
Date of manufacture..?
Amazon is much worse than Ebay I like Digikey GREAT service.
Well I probably have to throw out a bunch of my Chinese caps now,where do you buy your components from?,so I can buy better stuff ,we learn by listening thanks
why display the ham call from the packets, would you fell the same if someone you did work and the radio failed, to displayed your name or call sign?
I guess the obvious answer here is if the guy wasn't willing to have his name attached to the product, he wouldn't put it there. Maybe he genuinely feels these caps are just fine. Maybe this video will even get back to him and he'll up his game. If I put my name or call sign on something for sale, I'm standing behind it, and if I'm wrong, I'll act accordingly.
Hi Mike. I find your many videos very useful. I have a question regarding the purchase of an older cb radio dinosore if you will. With the purchase of a Cap kit that you suggest. So in your experience, you would suggest an older rig along with a cap kit, instead of purchasing a new cobra style which 8 belive you said are naw manufacturer in China. Your advise would be much appreciated. I am interested in ssb am. Cheers Brian. Actually can I contact you directly.
In many cases the older SSB rigs had better receivers but don't get the impression the newer rigs are junk. For example, I like the newer President radios. I have both the McKinley and Lincoln II+ radios and like them. Its mainly personal preference for each person. I like old and new.
MikesRadioRepair.
Thanks
Hello friend, I have a President Lincoln Mk1, that when turning it on for the first time it takes some time to show the frequency of work, I explain myself better, the screen turns on but it does not show me the numerals, and after 5 minutes they appear, but that happens only when the radio has several days off, I imagine it can be some capacitor, you could help me to repair this fault. Greetings from Venezuela
Hi Mike, very good video been wondering if you would do one on this subject. People only have to google bad caps and a forum called bad caps will come up and that will soon show people what are good and bad as these guys are people from audio and PC and hi end electronics that will tell you about the good and bad real fast and what damage they can cause when they fail beside leaking.
Yep, if they go dead short they can take other components with them in that puff of expensive magic electronic smoke.
I'm doing a cap change in my HR2510 soon. Cheapest I could find on Ebay. I will be happy to report if there are any issues in the foreseeable future. It is a calculated risk in my case, and I have no preconceptions about them lasting a long time.
How is your HR2510 doing now after 7 months ?
Why did you waste your time ordering the cheapest crap on Ebay when you could have spent literally a few dollars more for the same recap kit from a reputable company like Digikey?
MIKE HOW WOULD I CONTACT YOU TO SEND MY CB RADIO IN FOR REPAIR
How about Taiwan caps ? Is it good quality ?
I'd like to see the tests...what if they all test great, low esr?
Cheap caps actually test okay before they fail.
It's more a lifespan issue than it is anything else.
I have seen an endurance test being performed... and it's literally as some of the datasheets say....
1,000 hours at 150c with x voltage, etc.
The ones I saw being tested were automotive grade... they make these and they are expensive - for stuff under the hood
Those are some serious caps..... nothing we would put in a CB radio :)
1 year life isn't much of a lifespan, unless you enjoy recapping your radios over and over and over year after year, LOL.
How about Thurga Caps from India!. It's the best and it will withstand for long time.
i have a Robyn 23 tube type radio that needs repair. How and where can I send it out to you?
To email me just add @gmail.com to my RUclips user ID name.
The Seller of this Cap. Kit sold on eBay has responded to this video and a request for a refund:"You will note he did not install the kit, I respect his opinions and I watch his videos and subscribe to his channel.
While of course I disagree with him on this point, I will accept your return as I have a 100% satisfaction rating.
My Kits are in use all over the world and I have had no negative issues or feedback.
I think it is one thing for a tech to install a kit vs. a diy. My kits are designed to make it easy to obtain all of the correct values of caps which can be very difficult and time consuming. He asserts the caps are cheap but I feel his experiences date back to before the current crop of capacitors which I use and have nothing but extraordinary results."
Dam i hope i don't have any problems replace all caps in a few radios of mine with higher value got from China bought a few kits!! 😧😧😧
Like I said, the Chinese can make good quality and junk. Have seen both ends of the spectrum. Some companies like MIEC actually seem to be good quality. I use their caps in high voltage tube type applications and have not had a single failure. I had one radio that had a failure in the power supply voltage regulation circuit. It ended up dumping around 600 VDC into a circuit with 450 VDC MIEC brand caps and none exploded, leaked or swelled up.
I like Panasonic caps...
Good tip and video. However, I also stress, purchase capacitors from reputable sources. The counterfeit market is a problem as well. People think they are getting top end Panasonic, when they are buying low grade components with counterfeit markings. I tend to stick with US suppliers such as Mouser, Digikey, and Newark. I tend to avoid Amazon and Ebay for parts.
Most of my parts come from Digi-Key for newly manufactured parts or a few select trusted suppliers on ebay for vintage items. Usually for those of us that handle this stuff everyday the counterfeit parts stick out like a sore thumb. Their appearance is never the same and I have to laugh when I see names misspelled. The big thing to beware on ebay as far as CB parts is RF transistors. Most are fake, have seen way to many people get ripped off buying fake 2Sac1969's.
yeah , and they , Digi-key , can send junk too. I ordered from them and got a few junk caps but the chances of getting ripped by them are very slim as compared to E-Bay because they have old caps that they might want to get rid of and they package them in kits then sell them cheap. I don't use kits,I prefer doing them myself with my own parts . Very very rarely will I install a used part .If I don't have the cap or whatever I will wait until I can get one or use an NTE part then replace it if the customer wants me to.
+mike charette
Been buying from DigiKey for over 20 years and never received junk from them. The capacitors I order from them are alwats fresh. Most of the time they were made within the last 4-6 months going by the date codes on them.
I too have been buying from them for a long timebut every once in a while I'll get one thats not up to par . I don't buy them by the hundreds but I get a bunch every time I order .I use Talon electronic a lot because I can get them at a good price per lot .
Have you seen, or do you know if this person has good caps kits?I It's a kit for a Panasonic RF-2200, I seen him on ebay...and since I dont use ebay..I sent an email to do business with him thru pay-pal...his name and call sign is Peter,VE3PVS
Yep, that's why I don't use cheap ebay capacitors ... I always buy Japanese capacitors from a verified distributor (Even so called "Japanese" caps sold on ebay are often FAKE!).
I've seen plenty of JWCO capacitors. They're junk, along with most other chinese brands. If you've a good eye, you can usually tell right away whether or not a capacitor is of good quality - cheap chinese capacitors have poor quality printing, sometimes lopsided, and the sleeves won't always be shrunken properly, etc...
Soon I am planning on going to get me a cap kit that is Nichicon from maybe Mouser
I usually get mine through Digi-Key.
MikesRadioRepair I got a question I cannot find a Audio electrolytic 1.5uf 50v capacitor can I put in a general use cap with the same spec?
+Aaron bilger
If your working on CB radios you'll never notice a difference. A good modern general purpose cap from a company like Nichicon or any of the other top brands is going to a lot higher quality than what came in it originally. True audio quality caps are VERY expensive, on the order of several dollars a piece for a small value like a 1uf. The only place using something like that would be noticeable would be in very high end stereo equipment. CB's by nature are about as low of quality audio as it gets, it is after all very narrow band mono AM radio.
MikesRadioRepair Thanks for pointing that out it's just on my Vintage Sansui 5050
Please don't tell people to always use higher voltage capacitors! This has some disadvantages. 1st the ESR of higher voltage capacitors is higher than the lower voltages. 2nd they are most time bigger in size and will not always fit in place.
But you nailed the main problem "Don't use cheap ass capacitors"
Actually they are usually smaller. Compare a radial electrolytic capacitor from the late 70's to 80's with a modern one and there is a huge difference in size. I did a radio yesterday where the original 3300uf 35 volt cap was more than 4 times bigger than the modern 4700uf 50 volt I replaced it with. And the modern higher value capacitor is going to have a much lower ESR than what was originally in the radio.
Actually they are usually smaller. Compare a radial electrolytic capacitor from the late 70's to 80's with a modern one and there is a huge difference in size. I did a radio yesterday where the original 3300uf 35 volt cap was more than 4 times bigger than the modern 4700uf 50 volt I replaced it with. And the modern higher value capacitor is going to have a much lower ESR than what was originally in the radio.
Its where DC power can flow back the wrong way. Small amounts that can cause problems with the AC etc. Its why they tefer to them as leaking caps, not leaking fluid but electricity. And ys they can leak the fluid out as well.
who ha hang and chong caps. the best caps you can get!
The eBay seller of these openly advertises these on eBay (item #232000508232) as Chinese cap kits says he's sold thousands and never a come back. (some have been in service for 5 years Humm only 5 years?) That's a bit hard to believe.
i have used them still working fine ..but they may not last like us made or panasonic
"Cheap-ass crap" lol you Yankee Doodles have a way with words! lol!
Most things (especially components) sold on Ebay are shit. Avoid Ebay like the plague unless you're looking for something to fix.
Why would you have heard of them they are from a Chinese manufacture.........Just saying they are crap because you have not heard of them is arrogant and the last time I looked China is making a lot of quality electronics.............
Harry Stevens
And a lot of bad stuff to. I have personally seen this brand capacitor fail within a few years. Do the Chinese make quality parts, sure. It's just a matter of finding a quality manufacturer. Stick a Sprague, Nipon Chemicon, Nichicon, Panasonic , etc... Stick a quality cap in and 30 years from now the device will still be working. Cheap parts are cheap for a reason, they are cheaply manufactured. Also, ever notice those high quality electronics devices that are made in China always have Nichicon or Panasonic capacitors in them. Even the Chinese use electrolytic capacitors from long standing quality manufacturers when quality counts. Like anything else you get what you pay for.
Harry Stevens Thank you Mr Chin
the sad part is that the kits are sold by a ham operator
yeah thank you for that comment I noticed the same thing too.
Stamped name not make quality item. You must test every capacitor or they can be fake.
One word. DIGIKEY.