To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Hi I want to ask you do you have a Brother named Is lewis, I grew up in White Rock and I have been Trying to locate him as he was my Friend I have not seen him in years Highschool earl Marriott I think dad was comershal fisherman. It's been years his house is not there anymore. If your brothers name is that can you let me know. Thank you Sean Brown
Can you probe with a signal tracer for noise the way you did with the super-probe? That signal tracer is excellent for testing a suspect part, but can it find the suspect part?
While I was in the USAF in 1976 I was allowed to recap my Hammarlund Sp200 in our avionics shop at Nellis AFB. That old Hammarlund is still soldiering on today.
Glad you finally decided to replace those 4700s. In the 1st episode when you found 2 bad mica caps, I was really surprised that you chose to leave the others. In any case, it made for a good lesson. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
I guess that's the idea, more to explain later. Or he's simply not wanting to replace things that seem to work, regarding caps I'm pretty much the other way around, I just replace all caps first and then troubleshoot. :)
@@VincentGroenewold the way i do it is if the caps test 95 - 100% good''and they are of modern design no matter what there age''' i leave them alone'''''unless they have sign's of leakage or bulging or any sign's that there going to fail'''''''then they get swapped out''''''but everybody has there own technic's'''''''thank you sir''''''just a passing thought.
surprised he didn't just replace all the caps and resistors, because 30 years ago, those "were" stable components, which have already lasted 30+ years by then. lol they did last a very long time as they were known to do, but he'll be back into it again far sooner than later, as there's very likely out of spec resistors and other parts that change value with thermal cycling.
@throttle bottle I've never seen the point of swapping resistors in old radios, unless they are causing a measurable problem. "If it ain't broke don't fix it" - many old carbon resistors will have drifted, but not become unreliable nor forced the circuit out of spec. If I change a resistor, it's because I can nail a fault to it, or I've checked the schematic and the drift is enough to impair performance - a metering circuit is a good example. Many of these old resistors were 20% tolerance anyway. The other thing is that digging out an old resistor and replacing with new can risk doing more damage to the radio than you are trying to resolve, especially when it's tucked behind a wafer switch or some such. If it's got to come out fine, otherwise its best left in peace.
Great video. I'm troubleshooting a RBL-3 VLF receiver that is doing the same thing. I have found several leaky mica caps in the detector stage and rf stages. I'm changing them all out.
Oh no another Mr Carlson's Lab has come out while I'm at work...... Looks like my Do not Disturb sign will be getting a workout again today ;) This has been a really great series to follow!
Really enjoying watching this series. Thanks much for all the effort to teach in a clear manner. I know filming these can't be easy, but you do make it clear!
@@MrCarlsonsLab I would love to build a super probe and your cap checker even tho I have two Heathkit cap checkers and a Sencore LC-103. It's too bad you don't sell the boards in a kit along with the metal enclosure because making boards is quite a process. I love your channel and I learned several tricks.
@@edwardskoda2409 To be fair, getting boards made is literally easier than it has even been. I recently found out people get PCBs made soley for decorative purposes.
@@OnStageLighting I know it is and I can make one but I need a special printer and the solution and for one board I would just a soon buy one and populate it.
Intermittent noise faults are the worst. Custom tools are king; that probe is a beautiful thing. I started repairing (mainly analogue) electronics in 1986 and find your videos amongst the best online. Thank you for your time and expertise.
First off, this is a wonderful video and you are doing a great job keeping this part of electronics alive. Hey ARRL!! See this guy? There are alot of us out there just like him that work on stuff, fix stuff, like to use the old stuff, and have zero interest in hooking a computer to a radio in lieu of a mic or key, or exist only to be some kind of quasi first responder with a handie-talkie. CB operators and audiophiles are building some fantastic tube based designs, and you just consider it all ancient and worthless while others create. So wake up before your membership evaporates and the FCC just includes a free ham ticket with every foreign radio sold.
One of the videos where Mr. Carlson is WRONG... kind of... I'm joking because your support for vintage Mica caps has been solid for a long time, and this radio gave your a batch of lousy ones. I fix guitar amps, and many times, I'll just freshen up the caps without testing them all... just as an insurance measure. Thank you for your service to the electronic tech world.
Hi there, I've been fixing electronics for the last 50 years, 42 yrs at a major TV Network, and you are spot on with your analysis, and practices. A pleasure to watch you think! I however started screaming REPLACE THOSE CAPS about 2 episodes age! I tend to be a bit more proactive in that respect, but yeah, you got this! Looking forward to the alignment ! 73 de KK6PD
brilliant... replacing that bad batch was such a good decision... although as you say Paul, that box is a difficult area to work in. I admire your very thorough approach...great series...
As a fellow ham, I feel like a kindergartner when I'm watching your vids. Keep up the great work! One day, I'm gonna tackle one of these sorts of restorations. thanks to you. I'll say a QSO and a card from you someday, will go to my MVP spot! Hope to catch you on the bands one day... 73's from K5MWA - Texas
I was interested in electronics in the 50's. My brother-in-law gave me a WW2 issue of the ARRL handbook that I learned from. Joined the USAF in '62, then for a computer and banking machine co for 34 years, but I still pick up things here I didn't know before. Knowledge is power!😊
Excellent! I will put your Super Probe back on top of my to-build list as soon as I get my new lab up and running. I thought you'd eventually replace all those 4700pf caps after you found two of them bad in your prior video. Always the prudent thing to do with complex restorations. I love these videos, Paul - please keep up the great work!
It demonstrates no matter how long you've been in this game there's always something to learn.Its unlikely your find someone more adept at this business than Mr Carlson.
Amazing video. My solution to fixing intermittent faults is somewhat different. Hide the faulty unit in the loft, never allow myself to think about it again - and then hunt for another unit that works.
This was really interesting Professor Carlson, and your troubleshooting and analysis of the issues was great. Your 'homebrew' probe in conjunction with the good-old standby Heathkit tester sure made your job easier finding the culprit that was making you bananas. I learned a lot and thank you for sharing !!
Appreciate watching these videos. Have no desire to work on these old things myself, having started out in the 90s and these days am happy to work on SMT with a microscope rather than heave lumps of fizzing metal about on the bench. Mr Carlson does this so I don't have to. Thanks again.
You are the best. I need to build this probe... i’ve been lazy postponing this for the last few years and now I have a noisy preamp during warm up. Thanks so much for everything you do !
Intermittent faults were the bane of my life when I worked as an electronics engineer. I just wish I had had your skill and expertise when I was trying to find them. Not always successfully. Thank you, Paul for your videos. They are imparting knowledge to the new generation of engineers, which sadly I did not have.
Excellent video. I grew up in the vacuum tube days and loved to hang out at a local repair shop and watch repairs. My son has a 2016 Kia that intermittently wont start and will leave you stranded. It appears to me that the immobilizer module decides to have an attitude and won't signal the main CPU that we would like to use the car. If we give the car a time out for a couple of hours it will change it's mind and start. My son and I made a video of the situation and narrowed it down for the dealer to have a crack at it. It's a pain in the butt, one of the worse things to track down in a car....! It's pushbutton start and I fear they may have to shotgun the parts. Should be a nice repair bill....! Anyhow, I enjoy your videos...!
Mr Carson, Love your work, been watching for years. I’m really glad we have a place for geeky content like this. I had made a comment earlier, but I think it was removed because I made a reference to another large website. Anywho.. I’ll retype most of it… You could consider adding a 2nd probe to your box with a tip that picks up on magnetic fields. If you search for “HP current tracer” you’ll find an example, and schematics are out there as well.. Current tracers work a bit different than your super probe, in that it picks up on changes in current, and not changes in voltage. Most commercial current tracers have a small wire wound inductor at the tip as a sensor, and then circuitry to amplify and filter out unwanted frequencies. The inductor is typically shielded with a copper foil to reduce electrostatic interference. In my experience, a current tracer is typically faster (for tracing circuits) because you can follow the actual current path, and not a broadcasted electrostatic signal. It works just like a clamp on ammeter, but no need to encircle the conductor. It would be interesting to see if it would work for this type of application?
Your knowledge and approach to problem solving is breath of fresh air to me. So much so that I decide to become a patron. (first time I've done such a thing) Thanks for passing on your knowledge and at such great value for money. The level of detail and the depth of explanation in all of your uploads is outstanding. Thanks
Using your Superprobe it sounded like a Geiger counter going off ! Just a different form of radiation in electromagnetic waves which are supposed to be removed by those mica caps. Looks like those particular domino caps are just bad. It does happen. Thanks Paul for another fascinating look into vintage electronics repairs.
My field has always been vehicle and mechanical repairs & restorations, but that often requires also dealing with some electric and electronic components. you are an expert-grade problem solver, and that attracts me to your channel, even if I may never use most of the knowledge you openly provide to us. I can't turn away from issues, I MUST know what causes an operational problem. so, thank you for sharing so much. fascinating.
I'd love to see the testing results of the mica's you pull out that you haven't yet examined. Would be interesting to know how many of them are actually good, if any.
Mr C👍👍 Awesome detective work, of course I'm not surprised you found the culprit. Using the Super Probe(which in and of itself is a marvel of a diagnostic tool)narrowed the fault down to component level, just amazing knowledge on display. Thanks for another fantastic video, well filmed and presented. Great series, loving it. Enjoy!
Being confronted with a whole batch of (identical) bad components in a device is not that uncommon. I had a similar problem when restoring a B&O 901 amplifier on my channel, where several resistors of a specific value consistently turned out to be bad (the value was 30% off or more). That this happens now and then makes sense, I suppose, since manufactors often order large batches of components instead of frequent small batches, just to get a better pricing. Great video Paul, thanks for showing us fault tracing made easy ;)
Good analysis indeed. I used to find these devils by freeze spray on a q-tip and apply to component and or using pinpoint heat. Almost always id'ed the noisy component. This way is easier.
One of your best Mr. C. Thanks a bunch for sharing the project and passing along your insights. This is much appreciated. I always look forward to you videos. I'd be interested in your advice on sourcing components for things like your Super Probe; what to look for and where to look. Thanks again....
I remember tweaking the 39A air search radar's rf section to get the maximum signal so that we could detect smaller targets. We swapped out a series of amplifier tubes to get them in the order that produced the best output. Also, we did a lot of troubleshooting using the o-scope to see the signals.
Back when I first started working on RF circuitry, an elderly man who was teaching me, gave me an RF probe he built. It was nothing more than a probe, diode, cap, potentiometer and meter in a metal case. It allowed me to trace the RF of a transmitter from the oscillator to the output stages, and when the signal was too high, you could turn the potentiometer up and decrease the sensitivity. While it was a useful tool, I found the oscilloscope was as handy to use, and it worked on many frequencies and levels, the simple probe couldn't handle, so I transitioned away from the probe to the o'scope, and never looked back!
Another great class. I think I'm going to build the super probe. The time and trouble it saved you in this one was wonderful. I also picked up 2 old EICO signal tracers with noise abilities, The circuit is very close to the heathkit. Taking notes and looking forward to putting this all to work in my radio room. Thank you for a great class.
Hello Paul I have had a very similar problem with those same type capacitors within a Collins HF band radio receiver the noise would occur when switching the BFO in to circuit and upon replacing the capacitors all was good. I was told that the problem is due to silver migration within the capacitor it's self which causes them to become noisy. Please keep up the good work, kind regards, Ian Birmingham UK.
23:23 "...in-circuit tester..." In-Circuit Tester usually refers to equipment that can perform components tests while the component is installed (as opposed to lifting one leg as you're done in this case). Once upon a time, we worked with a huge Factron 770 (?) In-Circuit Tester (ICT) and it could test 99% of the components on an assembled CCA in-situ (no lifting legs).
Knew it would be a capacitor problem even before looking at the video. That tool you designed is very good for this kind of problem solving. Thank you for another great video. Heard stories about old caps that changed depending on the wheater so those old ones can be a bit cranky.
Had a SS stereo receiver in the shop that had a bad component like this on one side. It would go off like a finale to a fireworks show for a couple seconds then be great for an hour or two. Freeze spray did allow us to narrow it to a group of components and eventually found the Class A VAS was to blame. I have no doubt your probe would have saved us hours of listening time.
Thank you so much from my heart you are really a treasure for a bigger like me and I love your language because many youtubers speak fast I cannot trace them because English is not my mother taunted, thank you so much again
I really enjoyed watching this video on how you narrowed down the noise issue to another bad 4700 mica capacitor. I would do the same thing then, replace all the 4700's.
I agree, 3 strikes for one brand and value, they're out. I have an old precision electronics signal tracer that has a tube (6av6 iirc) in the probe and it works similar for listening to noise. Probes like that are neat to play with. Probing a phone to hear the screen refresh or the auto focus mechanism. I couldn't find any information on the model, so I traced it out and made a schematic. I even sent it to bama, but I don't think he published it.
@ 26:50 Not directly related, but I found a silicone spray lube that contains acetone, and the directions say to not use it on plastic. Thought this might be useful; I always thought silicone sprays were safe for plastics.
Its very satisfying to watch and detecting the bad cap. At first I was hedging my bet on the dropper 2.7 k resistor to VR150 my failed due to the heat it weakened the lead wires where it enters the body of the resistor and snaped when I moved it in side my AR88D and also the solder joint became crusty because of heat and age.
I was in a building this morning and saw the exact same speaker you have on the left, in that building! lol it's a pretty crazy building, made in the 1950s of low-background materials because of the sensitive equipment inside it
I like this series of communication receivers very much and learn a lot of your videos and thinking of buying a Collins (expensive in Europe) or a Racal . Greetings from the Netherlands Hans
Noisy component test jig. Brilliant. Stealing that. I promise ill be contributing to your patreon soon. Rent is high, work is slow. As far as old big micas going bad. Mica is quite a brittle polymer. And i imagine the old resins probably expand and contract a little differently then modern ones. And after being warmed up and cooled off countless times over a long period of time they become faulty. These are my thoughts on it. That receiver may have just seen far heaver more frequent use over it's life or something. I've seen/experienced reasons to have this suspicion with old mica caps as well and it's probably part of why people suspect they are paper caps.
Great video! I appreciate you taking the time to break this down for us. I need to revisit your video from way back on that Heathkit tester. It seems to have it's own use that it can test things that the Super Probe can't. Can you do a video, if you haven't already, on comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both. Also, if it's possible to make a modern equivalent of the Heathkit tester. If I remember correctly, there is not much to the Heathkit tester.
Thanks for this video!, l'll be sure to check out your video on the super checker test box, and make one, have an upcoming repair of a guitar amp that's described as making this kind of noise!! Thanks again, Mr. Carlson
Paul, regarding your Heath T3 aural tracer, to duplicate the noise detection circuit, would it work to apply voltage across the capacitor, and connect an audio amp across the capacitor, isolated by a DC blocking capacitor?
Hey Paul, please consider uploading in 1440p (even if it's only 1080 source). I know you're big on image/sound quality and the issue is that 1080p on RUclips is heavily compressed and low bitrate - 1440p will still display in native res but the playback quality is MUCH clearer. I've only realized this recently and the difference is pretty dramatic despite me not caring about vid quality generally.
vibrate it, heat it, freeze it, beat it. lol that usually works out, but there's always some sneaky outliers. an engraver with rubber tip(pencil eraser) or even a bristle brush gently grazed over components tend to make rotten apples sing. listening to and seeing the electrical noises with a probe/scope would sure work great as well, so long as you know what to listen or look for and that is where experience comes in.
fire the parts cannon at the caps for sure. i would replace them all. cool to see the individual parts traced.' after 2 are bad that is when i make the call to replace them all. on some of the old radios they work better than back in the day with late model 2023 parts. that is if you can find better spec parts. on the coils make your own forms and wind your own. just make sure to spec the exact wire and dia as well as the slug. do you have a 3d printer yet?
Still find electronics interesting and learned in high school then in the Navy in the early 70s. It was my whole career retiring from a Word Wide Leader in Sports broadcasting company. I still say it is a Mickey Mouse organization.😂 Great videos keep them coming. I still have my Eico tube tester I built in 1970s.
In my distant past I was superficially involved (meaning I was observing and discussing) something called Partial Discharge in a high voltage AC power cable. I got advised about the phenomenon where tiny buried bubbles charged up, forming an Insulator - Bubble - Insulator series connection. At some voltage the charge in the bubble became excessive and it "settled" as the partial discharge. Because it was internal in the cable insulation, it was called partial discharge. Also, it was repeating on the slopes, positive and negative, of the AC voltage. The discharge energy was a few picocoulombs per shot. Well, I don't know how much ripple voltage in the B+ line may have been, but here is my speculation: Mica structure tends to be formed of multiple layers that may start separating on long time repeating temperature variations. With that, tiny air gaps are formed either internally, or under the silver contact. From there on, you may see the tiny sparking going on and actually eating up the insulation by spark erosion. I consider it possible that the mica treatment in one brand or batch left more possibility for layer separation. Only a speculation on my part, but plausible, until a better explanation is presented.
Onne a more nice application of the "super probe" ! I thought "one more noisy bypass cap" at once. The drop resistor before the 0D3 could be the culprit if it were carbon comp, but I would think a wirewound would be quiet
Ok, I'm convinced, I need to build a superprobe. I restored a radio for my wife, it worked great, except for the occasional CRACK.... I pretty sure it's silver mica disease, but is a real challenge to find.
I wonder if there's a maker's name on these caps - we certainly don't consider similar ones reliable in AR88s. I might just dig one out myself to compare. I suppose there may be some component of the filler in the plastic/phenolic case decomposing. On the "melted" coil formers - The AR88 series was one of the pioneers of polystyrene in high Q circuits, but at the time, "trike" was liberally sloshed around as a cleaner. In the days when we all were expected to be pushing up daisies by 70 of course...
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Hi I want to ask you do you have a Brother named Is lewis, I grew up in White Rock and I have been Trying to locate him as he was my Friend I have not seen him in years Highschool earl Marriott I think dad was comershal fisherman. It's been years his house is not there anymore.
If your brothers name is that can you let me know.
Thank you
Sean Brown
I wonder if scientist waved this past the human brain what it would pick up
Can you probe with a signal tracer for noise the way you did with the super-probe? That signal tracer is excellent for testing a suspect part, but can it find the suspect part?
I've been in electronics since I joined the USAF in 1980 and yet I'm still learning things in Mr. Carlson's Lab!
While I was in the USAF in 1976 I was allowed to recap my Hammarlund Sp200 in our avionics shop at Nellis AFB. That old Hammarlund is still soldiering on today.
1981 Keesler Comm/Nav grad here. I feel the same way!
Glad you finally decided to replace those 4700s. In the 1st episode when you found 2 bad mica caps, I was really surprised that you chose to leave the others. In any case, it made for a good lesson. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.
I guess that's the idea, more to explain later. Or he's simply not wanting to replace things that seem to work, regarding caps I'm pretty much the other way around, I just replace all caps first and then troubleshoot. :)
@@VincentGroenewold the way i do it is if the caps test 95 - 100% good''and they are of modern design no matter what there age''' i leave them alone'''''unless they have sign's of leakage or bulging or any sign's that there going to fail'''''''then they get swapped out''''''but everybody has there own technic's'''''''thank you sir''''''just a passing thought.
surprised he didn't just replace all the caps and resistors, because 30 years ago, those "were" stable components, which have already lasted 30+ years by then. lol
they did last a very long time as they were known to do, but he'll be back into it again far sooner than later, as there's very likely out of spec resistors and other parts that change value with thermal cycling.
@throttle bottle I've never seen the point of swapping resistors in old radios, unless they are causing a measurable problem. "If it ain't broke don't fix it" - many old carbon resistors will have drifted, but not become unreliable nor forced the circuit out of spec. If I change a resistor, it's because I can nail a fault to it, or I've checked the schematic and the drift is enough to impair performance - a metering circuit is a good example. Many of these old resistors were 20% tolerance anyway. The other thing is that digging out an old resistor and replacing with new can risk doing more damage to the radio than you are trying to resolve, especially when it's tucked behind a wafer switch or some such. If it's got to come out fine, otherwise its best left in peace.
Great video. I'm troubleshooting a RBL-3 VLF receiver that is doing the same thing. I have found several leaky mica caps in the detector stage and rf stages. I'm changing them all out.
Oh no another Mr Carlson's Lab has come out while I'm at work...... Looks like my Do not Disturb sign will be getting a workout again today ;) This has been a really great series to follow!
Thanks for your kind feedback!
Really enjoying watching this series. Thanks much for all the effort to teach in a clear manner. I know filming these can't be easy, but you do make it clear!
You're very welcome!
@@MrCarlsonsLab I would love to build a super probe and your cap checker even tho I have two Heathkit cap checkers and a Sencore LC-103. It's too bad you don't sell the boards in a kit along with the metal enclosure because making boards is quite a process. I love your channel and I learned several tricks.
@@edwardskoda2409 To be fair, getting boards made is literally easier than it has even been. I recently found out people get PCBs made soley for decorative purposes.
@@OnStageLighting I know it is and I can make one but I need a special printer and the solution and for one board I would just a soon buy one and populate it.
@@Bobo-ox7fj I can hardwire it or have my friend make a board. When you say exception prices, how much are we talking?
Intermittent noise faults are the worst. Custom tools are king; that probe is a beautiful thing. I started repairing (mainly analogue) electronics in 1986 and find your videos amongst the best online. Thank you for your time and expertise.
Mr Carlson is a complete Master !!! He makes all fails so easy to find and fix. This a probe of his experience and deep knowledge
First off, this is a wonderful video and you are doing a great job keeping this part of electronics alive.
Hey ARRL!! See this guy? There are alot of us out there just like him that work on stuff, fix stuff, like to use the old stuff, and have zero interest in hooking a computer to a radio in lieu of a mic or key, or exist only to be some kind of quasi first responder with a handie-talkie. CB operators and audiophiles are building some fantastic tube based designs, and you just consider it all ancient and worthless while others create. So wake up before your membership evaporates and the FCC just includes a free ham ticket with every foreign radio sold.
One of the videos where Mr. Carlson is WRONG... kind of... I'm joking because your support for vintage Mica caps has been solid for a long time, and this radio gave your a batch of lousy ones. I fix guitar amps, and many times, I'll just freshen up the caps without testing them all... just as an insurance measure. Thank you for your service to the electronic tech world.
I have been nothing but pleased with my Carlson Super Probe. I can't thank you enough for that design. What a gain monster. Love it.
I sure wish I'd had your series of videos back in 1965 when I started working at a TV/radio repair shop.
Hi there, I've been fixing electronics for the last 50 years, 42 yrs at a major TV Network, and you are spot on with your analysis, and practices. A pleasure to watch you think! I however started screaming REPLACE THOSE CAPS about 2 episodes age! I tend to be a bit more proactive in that respect, but yeah, you got this! Looking forward to the alignment ! 73 de KK6PD
brilliant... replacing that bad batch was such a good decision... although as you say Paul, that box is a difficult area to work in. I admire your very thorough approach...great series...
As a fellow ham, I feel like a kindergartner when I'm watching your vids. Keep up the great work! One day, I'm gonna tackle one of these sorts of restorations. thanks to you. I'll say a QSO and a card from you someday, will go to my MVP spot! Hope to catch you on the bands one day...
73's from K5MWA - Texas
I was interested in electronics in the 50's. My brother-in-law gave me a WW2 issue of the ARRL handbook that I learned from. Joined the USAF in '62, then for a computer and banking machine co for 34 years, but I still pick up things here I didn't know before.
Knowledge is power!😊
retired electronics service tech, always learning new tricks! Thanks, interesting video, Nice performance!
Excellent! I will put your Super Probe back on top of my to-build list as soon as I get my new lab up and running. I thought you'd eventually replace all those 4700pf caps after you found two of them bad in your prior video. Always the prudent thing to do with complex restorations. I love these videos, Paul - please keep up the great work!
It demonstrates no matter how long you've been in this game there's always something to learn.Its unlikely your find someone more adept at this business than Mr Carlson.
Absolutely loved this.
Congrats on your noise detector.
Incredibly useful!
Super debug with the SuperProbe! I also love the way that Heathkit analyzer verifies bad components.
Each video I watch is a thumbs up.
Amazing video. My solution to fixing intermittent faults is somewhat different. Hide the faulty unit in the loft, never allow myself to think about it again - and then hunt for another unit that works.
This was really interesting Professor Carlson, and your troubleshooting and analysis of the issues was great. Your 'homebrew' probe in conjunction with the good-old standby Heathkit tester sure made your job easier finding the culprit that was making you bananas. I learned a lot and thank you for sharing !!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Appreciate watching these videos. Have no desire to work on these old things myself, having started out in the 90s and these days am happy to work on SMT with a microscope rather than heave lumps of fizzing metal about on the bench. Mr Carlson does this so I don't have to. Thanks again.
You are the best. I need to build this probe... i’ve been lazy postponing this for the last few years and now I have a noisy preamp during warm up. Thanks so much for everything you do !
Intermittent faults were the bane of my life when I worked as an electronics engineer. I just wish I had had your skill and expertise when I was trying to find them. Not always successfully. Thank you, Paul for your videos. They are imparting knowledge to the new generation of engineers, which sadly I did not have.
Another great blessing made my day love to watch the best trouble shooter on Earth Paul I Iove watching your videos so enjoyable.
Excellent video. I grew up in the vacuum tube days and loved to hang out at a local repair shop and watch repairs. My son has a 2016 Kia that intermittently wont start and will leave you stranded. It appears to me that the immobilizer module decides to have an attitude and won't signal the main CPU that we would like to use the car. If we give the car a time out for a couple of hours it will change it's mind and start. My son and I made a video of the situation and narrowed it down for the dealer to have a crack at it. It's a pain in the butt, one of the worse things to track down in a car....! It's pushbutton start and I fear they may have to shotgun the parts. Should be a nice repair bill....! Anyhow, I enjoy your videos...!
Mr Carson,
Love your work, been watching for years. I’m really glad we have a place for geeky content like this.
I had made a comment earlier, but I think it was removed because I made a reference to another large website. Anywho.. I’ll retype most of it…
You could consider adding a 2nd probe to your box with a tip that picks up on magnetic fields. If you search for “HP current tracer” you’ll find an example, and schematics are out there as well..
Current tracers work a bit different than your super probe, in that it picks up on changes in current, and not changes in voltage. Most commercial current tracers have a small wire wound inductor at the tip as a sensor, and then circuitry to amplify and filter out unwanted frequencies. The inductor is typically shielded with a copper foil to reduce electrostatic interference.
In my experience, a current tracer is typically faster (for tracing circuits) because you can follow the actual current path, and not a broadcasted electrostatic signal. It works just like a clamp on ammeter, but no need to encircle the conductor. It would be interesting to see if it would work for this type of application?
Your knowledge and approach to problem solving is breath of fresh air to me. So much so that I decide to become a patron. (first time I've done such a thing)
Thanks for passing on your knowledge and at such great value for money.
The level of detail and the depth of explanation in all of your uploads is outstanding. Thanks
Using your Superprobe it sounded like a Geiger counter going off ! Just a different form of radiation in electromagnetic
waves which are supposed to be removed by those mica caps. Looks like those particular domino caps are just bad. It
does happen. Thanks Paul for another fascinating look into vintage electronics repairs.
My field has always been vehicle and mechanical repairs & restorations, but that often requires also dealing with some electric and electronic components. you are an expert-grade problem solver, and that attracts me to your channel, even if I may never use most of the knowledge you openly provide to us. I can't turn away from issues, I MUST know what causes an operational problem. so, thank you for sharing so much. fascinating.
I'd love to see the testing results of the mica's you pull out that you haven't yet examined. Would be interesting to know how many of them are actually good, if any.
It is so satisfying to watch your videos. The attention to detail is awesome.
Mr C👍👍 Awesome detective work, of course I'm not surprised you found the culprit. Using the Super Probe(which in and of itself is a marvel of a diagnostic tool)narrowed the fault down to component level, just amazing knowledge on display. Thanks for another fantastic video, well filmed and presented. Great series, loving it. Enjoy!
Another reason to keep my Heathkit tracer. Thanks, Mr.C.
Being confronted with a whole batch of (identical) bad components in a device is not that uncommon. I had a similar problem when restoring a B&O 901 amplifier on my channel, where several resistors of a specific value consistently turned out to be bad (the value was 30% off or more). That this happens now and then makes sense, I suppose, since manufactors often order large batches of components instead of frequent small batches, just to get a better pricing. Great video Paul, thanks for showing us fault tracing made easy ;)
Great info sir, Signal tracing "outside the box"! I really thought it would be the OD3. Thank you sir.
Lots of love to the Super Probe. Enjoyed as always, Thanks for sharing. 👍👍
Mr Carlsons lab you are good at restoring vintage shortwave receivers and alignment of vintage shortwave receivers 😊🎉🎉😊
Of all your videos, I can't remember a time when so many mica capacitors were bad.
Good analysis indeed. I used to find these devils by freeze spray on a q-tip and apply to component and or using pinpoint heat. Almost always id'ed the noisy component. This way is easier.
Excellent as always, this one is finally getting me to build the super probe. Content like this is why I'm a supporter on patreon.
One of your best Mr. C. Thanks a bunch for sharing the project and passing along your insights. This is much appreciated. I always look forward to you videos. I'd be interested in your advice on sourcing components for things like your Super Probe; what to look for and where to look. Thanks again....
Great method to locate the fault with your superprobe. Will build such a probe (head) for my existing signal tracer.
Nicely done! I've also used freeze mist to trigger noise sources. Intermittents, especially when they only cause noise, are always challenging!
Mr C is great for insomniacs. Regards from over the pond
I remember tweaking the 39A air search radar's rf section to get the maximum signal so that we could detect smaller targets. We swapped out a series of amplifier tubes to get them in the order that produced the best output. Also, we did a lot of troubleshooting using the o-scope to see the signals.
Back when I first started working on RF circuitry, an elderly man who was teaching me, gave me an RF probe he built. It was nothing more than a probe, diode, cap, potentiometer and meter in a metal case.
It allowed me to trace the RF of a transmitter from the oscillator to the output stages, and when the signal was too high, you could turn the potentiometer up and decrease the sensitivity.
While it was a useful tool, I found the oscilloscope was as handy to use, and it worked on many frequencies and levels, the simple probe couldn't handle, so I transitioned away from the probe to the o'scope, and never looked back!
Another great class. I think I'm going to build the super probe. The time and trouble it saved you in this one was wonderful. I also picked up 2 old EICO signal tracers with noise abilities, The circuit is very close to the heathkit. Taking notes and looking forward to putting this all to work in my radio room. Thank you for a great class.
Hello Paul I have had a very similar problem with those same type capacitors within a Collins HF band radio receiver the noise would occur when switching the BFO in to circuit and upon replacing the capacitors all was good. I was told that the problem is due to silver migration within the capacitor it's self which causes them to become noisy. Please keep up the good work, kind regards, Ian Birmingham UK.
23:23 "...in-circuit tester..."
In-Circuit Tester usually refers to equipment that can perform components tests while the component is installed (as opposed to lifting one leg as you're done in this case).
Once upon a time, we worked with a huge Factron 770 (?) In-Circuit Tester (ICT) and it could test 99% of the components on an assembled CCA in-situ (no lifting legs).
Knew it would be a capacitor problem even before looking at the video. That tool you designed is very good for this kind of problem solving. Thank you for another great video. Heard stories about old caps that changed depending on the wheater so those old ones can be a bit cranky.
Mr (Sherlock) Carlson and Dr Super probe (Watson) strike again! Great work as always Paul, Stay safe n well Dude. TFS, GB :)
wonderful troubleshooting. 🥳 Also. sometimes you can use a small heat gun to excite bad capacitors. 😎 Thank you.
Had a SS stereo receiver in the shop that had a bad component like this on one side. It would go off like a finale to a fireworks show for a couple seconds then be great for an hour or two. Freeze spray did allow us to narrow it to a group of components and eventually found the Class A VAS was to blame. I have no doubt your probe would have saved us hours of listening time.
Awesome as Always...Great Vid...Really impressed with the Super Probe
Another marvelous video by Carlson ❤❤❤❤❤
Bub You are awesome...keep up the good work.
Jay the Florida pool pump motor repair guy. When Service Calls Longwood approved ! that was good info 2 see & know👨🔧good tool !! Mr Carlsons Lab
Thank you so much from my heart you are really a treasure for a bigger like me and I love your language because many youtubers speak fast I cannot trace them because English is not my mother taunted, thank you so much again
It's my pleasure!
Tip: you can run a video in 0.75x speed under the settings.
I really enjoyed watching this video on how you narrowed down the noise issue to another bad 4700 mica capacitor. I would do the same thing then, replace all the 4700's.
Excellent! I'm going to build one of those probes.
I agree, 3 strikes for one brand and value, they're out. I have an old precision electronics signal tracer that has a tube (6av6 iirc) in the probe and it works similar for listening to noise. Probes like that are neat to play with. Probing a phone to hear the screen refresh or the auto focus mechanism. I couldn't find any information on the model, so I traced it out and made a schematic. I even sent it to bama, but I don't think he published it.
@ 26:50 Not directly related, but I found a silicone spray lube that contains acetone, and the directions say to not use it on plastic. Thought this might be useful; I always thought silicone sprays were safe for plastics.
Its very satisfying to watch and detecting the bad cap.
At first I was hedging my bet on the dropper 2.7 k resistor to VR150 my failed due to the heat it weakened the lead wires where it enters the body of the resistor and snaped when I moved it in side my AR88D and also the solder joint became crusty because of heat and age.
Great tool. Damn, i needed that piece in the '80s. 😊
I was in a building this morning and saw the exact same speaker you have on the left, in that building! lol
it's a pretty crazy building, made in the 1950s of low-background materials because of the sensitive equipment inside it
I like this series of communication receivers very much and learn a lot of your videos and thinking of buying a Collins (expensive in Europe) or a Racal .
Greetings from the Netherlands
Hans
Very informative. Thank you.
You are welcome!
Noisy component test jig. Brilliant. Stealing that.
I promise ill be contributing to your patreon soon. Rent is high, work is slow.
As far as old big micas going bad. Mica is quite a brittle polymer. And i imagine the old resins probably expand and contract a little differently then modern ones. And after being warmed up and cooled off countless times over a long period of time they become faulty. These are my thoughts on it. That receiver may have just seen far heaver more frequent use over it's life or something. I've seen/experienced reasons to have this suspicion with old mica caps as well and it's probably part of why people suspect they are paper caps.
"Absolutely top-notch"! Thumbs up!
Great video! I appreciate you taking the time to break this down for us.
I need to revisit your video from way back on that Heathkit tester. It seems to have it's own use that it can test things that the Super Probe can't. Can you do a video, if you haven't already, on comparing the advantages and disadvantages of both. Also, if it's possible to make a modern equivalent of the Heathkit tester. If I remember correctly, there is not much to the Heathkit tester.
Thank you sir, for another fantastic video, and for another diagnostic method for me to use.
Your testing mathed are essay to understand nice presentation Mr Carlson sir you are awesome Thanks for the sharing this video sir ❤❤.
You are very welcome!
Mr Carlsons lab your vintage rca cr-88 shortwave desktop receiver with ssb is awesome 🎉🎉🎉😊
Thanks for this video!, l'll be sure to check out your video on the super checker test box, and make one, have an upcoming repair of a guitar amp that's described as making this kind of noise!! Thanks again, Mr. Carlson
You're very welcome!
Huh! I have one of those Signal Tracers, never knew how to use it. Might have to pull it out of the garage.
I feel like a caveman watching Mr Carlson's genius at work.
Great information! Thank you!
Paul, regarding your Heath T3 aural tracer, to duplicate the noise detection circuit, would it work to apply voltage across the capacitor, and connect an audio amp across the capacitor, isolated by a DC blocking capacitor?
That's pretty much the circuit.
Mr Carlsons lab your utube videos are awesome 👌 👏 👍 🎉🎉
Hey Paul, please consider uploading in 1440p (even if it's only 1080 source). I know you're big on image/sound quality and the issue is that 1080p on RUclips is heavily compressed and low bitrate - 1440p will still display in native res but the playback quality is MUCH clearer. I've only realized this recently and the difference is pretty dramatic despite me not caring about vid quality generally.
I’ve never run on to a bad Mica so I will be more vigilant
Thanks
vibrate it, heat it, freeze it, beat it. lol that usually works out, but there's always some sneaky outliers. an engraver with rubber tip(pencil eraser) or even a bristle brush gently grazed over components tend to make rotten apples sing.
listening to and seeing the electrical noises with a probe/scope would sure work great as well, so long as you know what to listen or look for and that is where experience comes in.
fire the parts cannon at the caps for sure.
i would replace them all.
cool to see the individual parts traced.'
after 2 are bad that is when i make the call to replace them all.
on some of the old radios they work better than back in the day with late model 2023 parts.
that is if you can find better spec parts.
on the coils make your own forms and wind your own.
just make sure to spec the exact wire and dia as well as the slug.
do you have a 3d printer yet?
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mr Carlsons lab I love vintage shortwave desktop receiver with ssb 🎉🎉🎉❤❤😊
Hello Mr. Carlson, I have a question: When you say putting in B+, how much voltage is that?
Thank you so much for your videos!!
The Heathkit applies over 200VDC
@Mr Carlson's Lab Thanks, wow ok, that can hurt! ⚡️
Still find electronics interesting and learned in high school then in the Navy in the early 70s. It was my whole career retiring from a Word Wide Leader in Sports broadcasting company. I still say it is a Mickey Mouse organization.😂
Great videos keep them coming. I still have my Eico tube tester I built in 1970s.
In my distant past I was superficially involved (meaning I was observing and discussing) something called Partial Discharge in a high voltage AC power cable. I got advised about the phenomenon where tiny buried bubbles charged up, forming an Insulator - Bubble - Insulator series connection. At some voltage the charge in the bubble became excessive and it "settled" as the partial discharge. Because it was internal in the cable insulation, it was called partial discharge. Also, it was repeating on the slopes, positive and negative, of the AC voltage. The discharge energy was a few picocoulombs per shot. Well, I don't know how much ripple voltage in the B+ line may have been, but here is my speculation: Mica structure tends to be formed of multiple layers that may start separating on long time repeating temperature variations. With that, tiny air gaps are formed either internally, or under the silver contact. From there on, you may see the tiny sparking going on and actually eating up the insulation by spark erosion. I consider it possible that the mica treatment in one brand or batch left more possibility for layer separation. Only a speculation on my part, but plausible, until a better explanation is presented.
Onne a more nice application of the "super probe" ! I thought "one more noisy bypass cap" at once. The drop resistor before the 0D3 could be the culprit if it were carbon comp, but I would think a wirewound would be quiet
I don't blame you for replacing all those Mica's. :)
Awesome stuff, thanks mate!
My pleasure!
Ok, I'm convinced, I need to build a superprobe. I restored a radio for my wife, it worked great, except for the occasional CRACK.... I pretty sure it's silver mica disease, but is a real challenge to find.
hooray for the super probe!!!,I will have make one.
I wonder if there's a maker's name on these caps - we certainly don't consider similar ones reliable in AR88s. I might just dig one out myself to compare. I suppose there may be some component of the filler in the plastic/phenolic case decomposing. On the "melted" coil formers - The AR88 series was one of the pioneers of polystyrene in high Q circuits, but at the time, "trike" was liberally sloshed around as a cleaner. In the days when we all were expected to be pushing up daisies by 70 of course...
Love that speaker cabinet? What is it?
Fantastic learning experience. Thanks !
Pretty cool that sucker worked awesome!