I thought I'd seen the last of them

[Excavatoree]

I saw a wireless access point at a charity shop for only 5 US dollars that was nicer than the one I am using, so I thought, what the heck.   I  checked  the AC adaptor before trying it and found  It was dead.  I couldn't resist cracking it open, and I found them -  C(r)apXon capacitors!   I've replaced a lot of them over the years, but I thought I'd seen the last of them - I didn't expect to see two more. 

[Whales]

CapXon CapXoff.

They are very much still active.  I presume their formulations are better than in the past.  They're just one of many lower-tier capacitor makers, not much more to say than that.

[tooki]

CapXon CapXoff.

They are very much still active.  I presume their formulations are better than in the past.  They're just one of many lower-tier capacitor makers, not much more to say than that.

FYI that’s just a link to all 29000 electrolytics LCSC carries. Whatever filters you applied aren’t reflected in the URL.

[Berni]

All the crappy electrolytic cap manufacturers probably fixed there electrolytic formulations by now.

In the 2000s some manufacturers badly cloned the design of good capacitors. There are stories of industrial espionage where the electrolyte formula was stolen from Rubycon, got mangled along the way, then they used the slightly wrong formula to produce caps.

[Whales]

CapXon CapXoff.

They are very much still active.  I presume their formulations are better than in the past.  They're just one of many lower-tier capacitor makers, not much more to say than that.

FYI that’s just a link to all 29000 electrolytics LCSC carries. Whatever filters you applied aren’t reflected in the URL.

*rustles through box of excuses*

Ahah!

All the crappy electrolytic cap manufacturers probably fixed there electrolytic formulations by now.

It'd be interesting to do an accelerated-death shootout and see what happens.  Eg 20degC above their ratings and see if their life is the ~1/4 expected or if they boil & misbehave in much faster ways. 

I'd really love to see an at-actual-rated-temp comparison, but that would take most of a year. 

[NiHaoMike]

In the 2000s some manufacturers badly cloned the design of good capacitors. There are stories of industrial espionage where the electrolyte formula was stolen from Rubycon, got mangled along the way, then they used the slightly wrong formula to produce caps.

Anyone else think the flawed formula was "leaked" on purpose to sabotage the competitors who used it?

[mclute0]

If you are a Wikipedia believer, they have history page for it with a catchy name....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague#History

[T3sl4co1l]

I have a laptop adapter that's been in nearly continuous service for 14 years now, it's got CapXon inside it, still fine as far as I know.

Reality is more nuanced than you'd think.

The confirmation bias here is: all the cheap stuff uses cheap types, from affordable brands -- CapXon being just one of many.  Cheap stuff which is engineered to fail.  And indeed in that respect, that it fails just when it does (whether it be just after a 90 day warranty period, or >10 years), is testament to the incredible refinement of modern industrial processes.

The blame lies, not on the manufacturers who make them, nor the engineers who pick them, but the managers who design those specs -- and corporate execs who pressure them to, in turn.

And blaming any of those subordinates, greatly benefits the upper-levels, absorbing the heat they so rightfully deserve.

Tim

[bd139]

CapXon stuff is fine. Their parts appear in some very very high end kit and they are quite popular because they do some very decently specified low total thickness capacitors. I just bought something very expensive stuffed with them and I expect to extract 5-10 years of value out of it.

Also I can’t say I’ve had any problems with any electrolytic manufacturer for at least 7-8 years now and when I did it was Rubycon capacitors in a Samsung TV power supply.