Power Supply Caps.

rubin
rubin Posts: 565
edited March 2010 in Electronics
If your ss amp(s)are say 15 or 20 years old,or even more and the caps look good (no leaking,etc.) and everything sounds good,is there any need to replace them?What are the warning signs for bad caps?
Post edited by rubin on
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  • lanchile
    lanchile Posts: 560
    edited March 2010
    rubin wrote: »
    If your ss amp(s)are say 15 or 20 years old,or even more and the caps look good (no leaking,etc.) and everything sounds good,is there any need to replace them?What are the warning signs for bad caps?

    Well, if you really want to know if your caps are leaking is by using an ESR meter. sometimes the caps look good but they are out of specification.
    if you want to be sure a 15/20 years old caps should be changed!!!.
    always get same voltage or higher NEVER lower voltage!. There are a lot brands out there, but if you look for excellent caps, just get Mundorf audio grade caps, They are really good caps I always use them in my diy amps.if your PS is 10,000uf per channel, you can always get more capacitance let say 15,000uf or 20,000uf. your amp will be happier with more juice!;)
    Make it simple...Make it better!
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,598
    edited March 2010
    Hello Rubin,
    Usually a sign of a problem with power supply caps can cause humming at the output. It can reduce the power supply B+ voltage and increase the amount of AC present. Depending upon some designs (certain V-FET and FET circuits) lead to damaged output devices.
    If you have a multimeter you can look at the B+ and see if there is much AC present. Many people who modify vintage gear will replace all electrolytic caps as a matter of course.
    Regards, Ken
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