replacing capacitors and such

scottyboy76

I would love to start replacing caps in my older speakers, after learning here how important they are to sound quality, and how likely , over time, that they will go bad.

My questions are about basic things like, is a capacitor just a capacitor with simple ratings, and grades and such. and this companys caps are the best quality and should be used, are there references or grading charts or comparison charts online to figure how to read what is on the old caps and tell what to replace them with.

Also, i have a kid at the local grocery store that can wield a soldering pen if you point where you want him to.

none of the speakers are anything to drool over, so i would not hesitate to experiment on some.

Any help would be appreciated, im looking forward to a new hobby, if im up to snuff.

dorokusai

It's not hard work to do and I'd suggest not using the grocery kid since his skill level sounds like its like yours. What are you trying to do exactly?

scottyboy76

doro, im thinking some of the older speakers i own could probably be greatly improved with some relatively simple fixes.

I have read here that caps are pretty much sure to go bad, and it would be pretty easy to spot from the swelling and possible oozing.

Trust me in my younger days i was well versed with swelling and oozing, and back then i knew what to do to make it better.

Between budget constraints and the relative value of speakers, i dont think it would be worth it to pay a shop to do this, also, in our little town, i dont think there is anybody who goes through speakers and troubleshoots crossovers and such to repair.

Besides, if there are simple, easy, inexpensive things like spotting and replacing caps, that woulld make a real difference in sound quality, i would enjoy something to do with myself.

Im disabled from back surgerys, not being able to work has caused untold stress, cl audio gear buys and corresponding with you guys has been the greatest thing for me outside my family.

dorokusai

I have another project going on with another member. If no one else offers to help, drop me a line in a few weeks.

Why not go ahead and at least tear them open and get your eyes on them? That's stuff to do. Why not lay the project on the table here, as I'm sure there's all kinds of stuff you can look at and get prepped. You need values....the right schematic, etc, etc.

Face

dorokusai wrote: »

It's not hard work to do and I'd suggest not using the grocery kid since his skill level sounds like its like yours. What are you trying to do exactly?

Why not, some here go to General Tire for hi-fi advice?

scottyboy76 wrote: »

Trust me in my younger days i was well versed with swelling and oozing, and back then i knew what to do to make it better.

Antibiotics? :biggrin:

dorokusai

Face wrote: »

Why not, some here go to General Tire for hi-fi advice? :

That's true. Was that Juku?

F1nut

is a capacitor just a capacitor with simple ratings, and grades and such.

The most common types of caps found in speaker crossovers will be, (in order of quality) electrolytic, mylar and film/foil types. All caps in speakers are non-polar. When upgrading crossovers, always replace with film/foil types regardless of the age or condition of the original electrolytic or mylar types.

and this companys caps are the best quality and should be used

Some reading, http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

are there references or grading charts or comparison charts online to figure how to read what is on the old caps and tell what to replace them with.

Most caps have the values stamped on them. One will be the microfarad (uF) value and the other will be the voltage (V) value. You replace them with the same uF value. Voltage should be equal or greater than the original.