Author Topic: Wooden electrolytic capacitors  (Read 10936 times)

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Offline Brumby

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #25 on: July 01, 2018, 03:00:59 am »
Hrrrumphhh.  Ovens.

Ovens powered by gas or electricity are the devil.  Gas ovens contaminate the capacitor material and electric ones spin the electrons around into quasi-homopolar states.

Do what I do for the best results - a moderated solar furnace.  The near-to-perfect parallel rays of the sun ensure proper electron alignment and is as natural as you can get!

As for the mahogany stain, I find that over accentuates low frequencies a tad more than I like.  A teak stain is better, IMHO.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2018, 03:04:13 am by Brumby »
 

Offline CJay

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #26 on: July 01, 2018, 09:39:05 am »
EDIT: They have an excellent affinity for the note B2... ;D

I'd have thought more for B5
 

Offline amyk

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #27 on: July 01, 2018, 05:10:19 pm »
One of the few audiofool mods that likely does make a significant difference to the sound... :-DD
 

Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #28 on: July 01, 2018, 05:28:31 pm »
EDIT: They have an excellent affinity for the note B2... ;D

I'd have thought more for B5

aww, I thought you guys would get the joke ::)

B2 is about 123Hz which is close to the 120Hz you would get in certain countries from a FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER when you put your newly destroyed (dried up and nonfunctional) audiofool caps across it. >:D

EDIT: It would be a G2 for everyone else.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2018, 05:30:14 pm by Cyberdragon »
*BZZZZZZAAAAAP*
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Offline BillB

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #29 on: July 01, 2018, 09:51:05 pm »


It's a hideous triumph of form and function
 
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Offline Raven Luni

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #30 on: July 01, 2018, 10:29:52 pm »
It wooden work if you ask me :p

(sorry for having to be the person who said it)
 

Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #31 on: July 01, 2018, 10:54:40 pm »
It wooden work if you ask me :p

(sorry for having to be the person who said it)

How much wood would a wood cap chuck if a wood cap would go bang? >:D
*BZZZZZZAAAAAP*
Voltamort strikes again!
Explodingus - someone who frequently causes accidental explosions
 
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Offline ArthurDent

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #32 on: July 01, 2018, 11:56:25 pm »
I have to admit I've done something similar to the wooden cap described but not for the same reason. I was restoring an old Atwater-Kent battery powered radio and some of the coupling caps were dead. I wanted to keep the radio looking as original as possible so I melted the wax end seals and removed the capacitor guts. I then placed a modern smaller physical sized cap of the same value inside the old shell and refilled the ends with bee's wax and the 'new' cap looked exactly like the old one-but this one worked.
 

Online chris_leyson

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #33 on: July 02, 2018, 12:19:20 am »
@ArthurDent. Nice one, I've seen quite a few radio restorers do the same thing. Waxed paper caps are not too difficult you just have to warm them up a little bit and they come apart quite easily. Also good for holding tuning slugs in place, less danger of breaking the slug.
 

Offline bitseeker

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #34 on: July 02, 2018, 12:26:57 am »
Yeah, restuffing caps to preserve the aesthetics of vintage gear is usually OK because the replacement capacitor's enclosure isn't compromised, unlike these wooden abominations. (You do have to consider any potential heat buildup issues, though, depending on the role the capacitor plays in the circuit.)
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Offline mtdoc

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #35 on: July 02, 2018, 01:04:27 am »
Even without any functional improvement, I can appreciate  the improved asthetics, but now he’s added a new cap failure mode: Termites!
 
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Offline bitseeker

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #36 on: July 02, 2018, 01:09:07 am »
Yea for nature!
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Offline TiN

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #37 on: July 02, 2018, 04:40:46 am »
How to unsee this  :o.
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Offline bitseeker

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #38 on: July 02, 2018, 05:48:32 am »
I don't think you can unsee it. You'll just have to settle for replacing that visual with something more heinous.
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Offline texaspyro

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #39 on: July 02, 2018, 06:04:32 am »
How to unsee this  :o.

Eye bleach... and lots of it.   Followed by a brain bleach steam cleaning chaser.   
 

Offline bd139Topic starter

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #40 on: July 02, 2018, 07:02:43 am »
Yeah, restuffing caps to preserve the aesthetics of vintage gear is usually OK because the replacement capacitor's enclosure isn't compromised, unlike these wooden abominations. (You do have to consider any potential heat buildup issues, though, depending on the role the capacitor plays in the circuit.)

I have a little take to tell on this.

I had a friend many years ago who was into the vintage HiFi stuff and did this. So we’re sitting there admiring his latest restoration while he explains what he had to do, including restuffing the caps. So he puts on the amp and slaps on some Clapton. We nod approvingly until I hear a little hum. This was explained away as something that needed fixing.  It got louder. We started getting worried. He said no it was supposed to do that, clearly in denial. Boom like you’ve never heard! Bzzzt! Smoke comes pouring out from behind it.

So it turned out one of the caps had given out inside a restuff. He’d used 85oC ones with no ripple rating and glued them hard into the old can. Turns out this had turned into a large oven crossed with a pipe bomb which went off neatly plinking half the tubes in the unit at the same time  :palm: ...

He solders new caps under the chassis now.
 

Offline bitseeker

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #41 on: July 02, 2018, 07:25:15 am »
Yeah, Paul Carlson puts new caps underneath as well. Seems a good idea, indeed.
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Offline tggzzz

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #42 on: July 02, 2018, 09:13:09 am »
Has anyone tried to persuade "DHTRob" that he could make further improvements if he used the same technique on the valves/tubes in his amplifiers?
There are lies, damned lies, statistics - and ADC/DAC specs.
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Offline bd139Topic starter

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #43 on: July 02, 2018, 11:49:38 am »
I would actually pay money to see him try.
 

Offline Cerebus

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #44 on: July 02, 2018, 12:15:55 pm »
I would actually pay money to see him try.

You buy the tickets, I'll bring the popcorn and beer. Deal?
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 

Offline bd139Topic starter

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #45 on: July 02, 2018, 02:28:07 pm »
It’s a deal  :-+

No one bring a fire extinguisher :)
 

Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #46 on: July 02, 2018, 04:04:46 pm »
I would actually pay money to see him try.

You buy the tickets, I'll bring the popcorn and beer. Deal?

Gotta love a good wood-fired barbie. Lovely smells... >:D

EDIT: Who's got the steak and marshmallows?
*BZZZZZZAAAAAP*
Voltamort strikes again!
Explodingus - someone who frequently causes accidental explosions
 

Offline Cerebus

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #47 on: July 02, 2018, 05:35:33 pm »
The best thing is that he's using tropical hardwoods. I've been privileged to know with someone who used to work in those woods and used the too small offcuts as fuel for the workshop fire. Some of that stuff smells amazing when it burns. (Some is toxic when it burns, so it pays to know your woods before trying this out.)
Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?
 

Offline texaspyro

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #48 on: July 02, 2018, 06:25:16 pm »
So he puts on the amp and slaps on some Clapton.

He should have used Clapton tape to secure the caps...   :-DD
 

Offline b_force

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Re: Wooden electrolytic capacitors
« Reply #49 on: July 02, 2018, 08:18:21 pm »
So he puts on the amp and slaps on some Clapton.

He should have used Clapton tape to secure the caps...   :-DD
Maybe he also wouldn't shot the sheriff than.


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