10uf capacitor

Running phase capacitors are one of the most common failures in single-phase HVAC systems, so much so that we sometimes refer to junior technicians as "capacitor changers." Although capacitors are easy to diagnose and replace, many technicians may not know this.

A capacitor is a device that stores differential charges on opposite metal plates. Although capacitors can be used in circuits that increase voltage, they do not actually increase the voltage by themselves. We often see that the voltage across the capacitor is higher than the line voltage, but this is due to the back electromotive force (back electromotive force) generated by the motor rather than the capacitor.

The technician noticed that one side of the power supply is connected to the C terminal or the side opposite to the running winding. Many technicians believe that this power will "feed" into the terminal, be augmented or transferred, and then enter the compressor or motor from the other side. Although this may make sense, it is not actually how the capacitor works.

A typical HVAC operating capacitor has only two long thin metal sheets, insulated with an insulating layer made of very thin plastic, and immersed in oil to help dissipate heat. Just like the primary and secondary of a transformer, the two pieces of metal have never actually touched, but electrons do accumulate and discharge in each cycle of alternating current. For example, electrons gathered on the "C" side of the capacitor will never "pass" the plastic insulating barrier to the "Herm" or "Fan" side. These two forces only attract and release the capacitor on the same side where they enter.

On a properly wired PSC (Permanent Shunt Capacitor) motor, the only way any current can flow through the start winding is to store and discharge the capacitor. The higher the MFD of the capacitor, the greater the energy stored, and the greater the amperage of the starting winding. If the capacitor fails completely at zero capacitance, it is the same as an open winding. Next time you find that the running capacitor (without starting capacitor) is malfunctioning, please use the clamp to read the amperage on the starting winding to understand what I mean.

This is why too much capacitor will quickly damage the compressor. By increasing the current on the start winding, the compressor start winding will be more prone to early failure.

Many technicians believe that 370v capacitors must be replaced with 370v capacitors. The rated voltage shows "not exceeding" the rated value, which means you can replace 440v with 370v, but not 370v with 440v. This misunderstanding is very common, and many capacitor manufacturers have begun to imprint 440v capacitors with 370/440v, just to eliminate confusion.

You only need to measure the current (amperes) of the motor starting winding flowing from the capacitor, then multiply it by 2652 (3183 on a 60hz power supply and 3183 on a 50hz power supply), and then divide that number by the measurement on the capacitor The voltage can be. 

Release Date: 6/10/2019

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Bryan Orr is an HVAC and electrical contractor in Orlando, Florida. He is the founder of

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If you build electronic circuits on a regular basis, you may use capacitors multiple times. They are standard components used with resistors, and their resistance values ​​can be proposed without consideration. We use them for power smoothing and decoupling, DC blocking, timing circuits and more applications.

The capacitor is not a simple spot, it has two wires and two parameters: working voltage and capacitance. Various capacitor technologies and materials have different characteristics. Although almost any capacitor with the correct value can accomplish the task in most cases, you will find that understanding these different devices can help you do things that not only accomplish the task, but also do the best. For example, if you have to pursue thermal stability issues or find these additional dB noise sources, you would be very grateful.

It is best to start with the basics and describe the capacitance from the basic principles before studying the actual capacitor. The ideal capacitor consists of two conductive plates separated by a non-conductive dielectric. Charge will accumulate on the board, but due to the insulating properties of the dielectric, they cannot flow between them. Therefore, the capacitor can store charge.

Capacitance is in farads: a farad capacitor holds a voltage of one volt while holding a coulomb charge. A farad, like many SI units, is impractical in size, so outside the narrow domain of supercapacitors (outside the scope of this article), you are more likely to encounter micro, nano, or picofarads. You can use a formula that may be worthwhile to derive its capacitance from the size and dielectric properties of any given capacitor

. Unless you are studying for a high school physics exam, you don’t need to remember it, but it hides an important point. The capacitance is proportional to the dielectric constant

The increase in the number of dielectric materials used has led to various commercially available capacitors using different dielectric materials to achieve a higher capacitance range or better voltage handling characteristics.

There are obstacles to the use of dielectric materials in capacitors, and the ideal properties of dielectrics also bring many unpleasant side effects. All capacitors in the real world have internal parasitic resistance and inductance. Although small, they sometimes affect the operation of the capacitor. The dielectric constant changes with temperature or voltage, piezoelectricity or noise. Different types of capacitors may have shocking failure modes, and even amazing prices. Therefore, we have entered the main part of this section. In this section, we will take you to understand some types of capacitors you may encounter and list their various characteristics, including good and bad. We will not claim to cover all possible capacitor technologies, but we will introduce common capacitor technologies and check any subtypes you might find.

An aluminum electrolytic capacitor uses an anodic oxide layer on an aluminum plate as a dielectric, and the electrochemical battery electrolyte that forms it is used as another aluminum electrolytic capacitor. Because they are electrochemical cells, they are polarized, in other words, any DC potential passing through them must always be in the same direction as the anode plate (!) or the positive terminal as the anodized plate.

The pole plates of practical electrolytic capacitors in the form of aluminum foil sandwich plates are rolled into a cylinder and contained in an aluminum can. Their quoted working voltage depends on the depth of the anodized layer.

Electrolytic capacitors have the largest capacitance you will encounter in normal use, ranging from 0.1 to thousands of µF. Due to the tightly wound electrochemical cells, they have a high equivalent series inductance, so they are not suitable for use at high frequencies. In general, you will find them useful for power smoothing and decoupling and audio coupling.

Tantalum electrolytic capacitors are in the form of sintered tantalum anodes, which have a very high surface area, on which a thick oxide layer is grown, and a manganese dioxide electrolyte is applied on it as the cathode. The combination of high surface area and the dielectric properties of tantalum oxide dielectric means that the capacitance per unit volume of tantalum capacitors is very high, so tantalum capacitors are much smaller than aluminum electrolytic capacitors with the same capacitance. Like aluminum electrolysis, tantalum capacitors must also be polarized, and the DC potential at both ends must always be in the same direction.

The value of tantalum capacitor is about 0.1 to hundreds of µF. Compared with similar aluminum products, their leakage resistance and equivalent series resistance are much lower, so you can find them in test and measurement, high-end audio, and other advantageous applications.

Tantalum capacitors have a failure mode that requires attention. They are known to catch fire. Amorphous tantalum oxide is a good dielectric, while the crystalline form of tantalum oxide is a good conductor. Misoperation of tantalum capacitors by applying excessive surge currents to tantalum capacitors may cause the dielectric to change from one form to another, resulting in a substantial increase in the current flowing through the capacitor. Fortunately, not all news is bad news. Their reputation in the fire comes from earlier tantalum capacitors, and improved manufacturing technology has delivered more reliable products.

There are entire series of capacitors that use polymer films as dielectrics, which are sandwiched between coiled or staggered layers of metal foil, or have a metalized layer deposited on the surface. The rated voltage of these capacitors can be around 1000V, but they are not suitable for large-capacity capacitors. You will find that their capacitance ranges from about 100pF to single-amplitude µF. Each different polymer dielectric used has its own advantages and disadvantages, but the equivalent series capacitance and inductance of the entire capacitor series are lower than the electrolytic capacitors discussed so far. Therefore, you will see their use in higher frequency applications, as well as power supply decoupling in electrical noise environments and general applications.

Capacitors are used in circuits that require good temperature and frequency stability. You will also find that they are used in power supply suppression and other power circuits, especially for rated versions for high-voltage AC use.

Capacitors do not have the temperature and frequency characteristics of polypropylene, but they are inexpensive and can withstand the high temperatures of SMD soldering. Therefore, you will find them used as general purpose capacitors in non-critical applications.

Capacitors still do not have stable temperature and frequency characteristics, but they can withstand much higher temperature and voltage than polyester.

The capacitor has all the temperature and frequency stability of polypropylene and can withstand high temperatures.

You may also encounter

with

Capacitors in old equipment, but these two dielectrics are not commonly used today.

Ceramic capacitors have a long history, and you can find them in devices that span decades from today to the beginning of the last century. Earlier ceramic capacitors were single-layer ceramics plated with metal on either side, while recent examples also include multi-layer designs in which alternating layers of metal and ceramic are constructed to form a set of staggered plates. Depending on the dielectric used, the capacitance ranges from 1pf to tens of µF, and the voltage is kilovolts. You will find single-layer ceramic discs and multilayer ceramic surface mount packages used in a variety of small capacitor applications in all areas of electronic products.

When looking at ceramic capacitors, it is best to consider them in terms of the ceramic dielectric used, because they derive their performance from these capacitors. Ceramic dielectric classification

It is these codes where we will quote the most common codes.

The dielectric has the best capacitance stability in terms of temperature, frequency and voltage. You will find C0G capacitors for resonant high frequency and other high performance circuits.

The dielectric does not have the temperature or voltage characteristics of COG, so it can be used in less important applications. Generally, you will find them for decoupling and general-purpose applications.

The dielectric has a higher capacitance than X7R, but has poor temperature characteristics and a lower maximum voltage. Like X7R, you will find them in general purpose and decoupling circuits.

Since ceramics are also generally piezoelectric, some ceramic capacitors also exhibit micro-sounding. If you are working under high voltage and audible frequencies, such as in a tube amplifier or electrostatic environment, you may sometimes hear this effect because the capacitor may "sing". If you use piezoelectric capacitors to provide frequency stability, you may find that they are modulated by environmental vibrations.

As mentioned earlier, this article does not attempt to cover all capacitor technologies. A quick look at the electronic consumables catalog will show you several technologies not mentioned here, and many others are outdated or have a small niche that you rarely see them. Instead, what we want to achieve is to make some of the common types you might see mysterious and help you make choices when you make your own designs. If we arouse your appetite for more component loss, maybe we can get your attention

.

It doesn't matter, use capacitors that require almost zero inductance in the microwave area.

How about im head capacitors?

Or PCB capacitor?

Variable PCB capacitors?

Yeah, I know. "This article does not attempt to cover all capacitor technologies." I just want to point out that those will be interesting because you can make your own!

Lol, no, they are useful links, not sure if his book lists other uses for large capacitors...

Thank you for linking with variable PCB capacitors. This will come in handy.

I like those links. thanks for sharing.

No mention of the capacitor disaster:

Jenny forgot to mention that Magic Blue Smoke was among them.

No, that's fast magic blue smoke. It escapes faster than ordinary blue smoke.

Thank you for your information! Don't know at all (always think what I see is related to the wrong temperature specification)​​!

Particularly worth reading is the root cause of this huge problem: the perfect example of "good, bad, ugly"-capacitor companies in Japan, China, and Taiwan. Maybe this is the reason why my 2006 iMac power unit failed.

charming! I know this question, but I don't know where there is such a comprehensive understanding. Thank you for contacting us.

The trap for young players is the forced pressure reduction of tantalum... The issue is not often mentioned until the part fails and the manufacturer points you to the white paper.

Other curious traps:

– The capacitance of ceramic capacitors varies greatly with the applied voltage. If a voltage close to 10V is applied, a 100nF rated 10V capacitor may only have a 10nF capacitor.

– Class 2 (not COG NPO) ceramic capacitors decline over time and recover after re-soldering. This is a non-linear thing, which is very eye-catching for newly produced or newly welded caps.

– When a new aluminum electrolytic cover or no voltage is applied for about 6 months, the leakage of the aluminum electrolytic cover is 10 times. They need a few minutes to "reform".

– The leakage of aluminum electrolytic capacitors varies with voltage in a non-linear manner, so general electrolytic capacitors usually self-discharge to about 30% of the rated voltage quickly, and then will not drop below 20% of the rated voltage for months or even years.

-The aluminum electrolytic cover will change proportionally with temperature, and all other factors will change slightly. A good rule of thumb is that for every 10°C increase in operating temperature, it will decrease by half an hour. vice versa. So, if you run 1000 hours at 100C rated capacity at 40C, it will last 64,000 hours.

–Specifies the capacitance value of Class 2 (X7R, Y5U) ceramic capacitors and the tolerance at +25°C. In most cases, the peak is not far away (maybe 20°C). This means that when you stay away from room temperature, the capacitance usually drops. It does not increase one method, nor does it reduce another.

Regarding the first point of the list, the change in capacitance with voltage is only applicable to Type 2 dielectrics. It also particularly affects smaller external dimensions, but does not change much with the rated voltage. This Maxim application note is very interesting:

The C0G/NP0 dielectric is basically flat. But this is something that many people will miss, because most of the ceramic capacitor datasheets I have seen don't even mention it, and there is no e-book I have read, nor is this article.

Same Here. I didn't fully realize the characteristics of DC bias until a few years ago, when a sales representative of a supplier who had just released a series of new bottle caps with "low DC bias function" came to our company to advertise. Makes me wonder what else is under the carpet.

How repeatable/reliable is the effect?

Can you reliably build a VCO by applying different bias voltages?

There are not only type 1 and type 2 ceramic capacitors. A better statement may be that the Class 1 capacitors were not significantly affected.

correct.

Then there are temperature-compensated ceramic capacitors. They are not common in today's cheap crystal oscillators and digital synthesis frequencies, but you will find them in older equipment, and perhaps in some older electronics stores. If you use them by mistake when you expect the temperature, you will feel unhappy. They are usually available in N750 and N1500, if memory is available, P150 and N2200 can also be used. They are used to stabilize the temperature of RF oscillators and filters. The inductance of the inductor will increase with the increase of temperature; therefore, the use of capacitors with a negative temperature coefficient (for N750 type capacitors, 750 parts per million degrees Celsius) will be used to maintain the resonance frequency roughly with temperature changes Constant. They will be used in parallel or in series with NP0 (C0G) capacitors to produce a net temperature coefficient that offsets the net temperature coefficient of the inductor. The use of temperature compensation capacitors can produce surprisingly stable and easy-to-tune tens of megahertz oscillators.

If you can find it, does ETI remember? John Lindsey Hood has written a series of wonderful articles called "True Ingredients." It thinks in the late 1980s. It's worth trying. I have a series somewhere.

John Linsley Hood

I cannot find many online copies.

Thanks for that. If there is enough interest, and I can sort out copywrite, I can scan my article. In 1985, memory was still OK. I know it will be there.

Please I am very interested. When reading in-depth articles about electronics in the 1980s, I got the golden age of electronic atmosphere.

There are copies of old 1950s popular mechanics everywhere on the Internet, and I really like the copies I have. The big business at the time was selling mail-order courses to train people to become TV technicians. The college competition provides more and more things to build themselves, with meters and complete TVs with various screen sizes.

I recently started as an electrical test engineer and started using "professional" parts. The main difference lies in designing and ordering parts for each project. Out of hobby, I picked up a box of old capacitors and pulled it out until there were (close to) matches. Anyway, in my project, I found 10uF (50V) ceramic capacitors in the 1206 case, and I used them to replace the electrolytic capacitors in circuits such as MAX232. In the case of 1206, they rose to 220uF (2,5V)...

That's great!

Now, understand the DC bias effect of each ceramic capacitor whose dielectric is not NP0/COG.

Pro Tip 1:

Your 10uF ceramic capacitor is not 10uF.

Although this is much more detailed than the article, please don't forget to use Mica capacitors to prototype the semiconductor buffer in the switching power supply.

Pro Tip 2:

If you work in engineering and want to keep that job, please visit the manufacturer's website to calculate the life of aluminum electrolytic capacitors in your application. This is especially important in power supply, high temperature, high rms ripple current or high voltage applications.

Pro Tip 2a: Press the ctrl key and click to display the root mean square value of the waveform in LTSpice.

Thanks for the tips. The capacitor rating is 1v DC. The size of the 1206 is better than the smaller size, which is the main reason why the 1206 is selected for low output and easy manual welding (expensive labor).

For me, the most important point mentioned earlier is the effect of temperature on the life expectancy of electrolytic capacitors. In my experience, due to other reasons beyond the rated value, the failure of electronic equipment is almost always caused by the failure of the electrolytic capacitor. If you want to continue using it for 10 years, it is best to keep any electrolyte cool. Keep them away from CPUs and similar chips, etc. Your device may be used for several years.

Don't forget that flux capacitors usually require very high voltages to work.

Rated working time is -30 years

Please don't believe it until you see the data sheet and receive a sample of my product from Rubycon.

I miss capacitors-they can actually condense electricity. Electrical condensate is indeed powerful. You don't want to get anything.

But what can capacitors do? Will they be capacitive? Will they promote capacitation? Do you want to use those words in the sentence?

Abandoning Alessandro, they have not been called condensers for 60 years.

I have been working on motorcycles in the late 1970s, and all service documents refer to condensers wired as required. This means that only 37 years ago, it was still a generic term (at least in this app).

Condenser is a general term in ignition systems and has long been obsolete in other applications. I am sure that the replacement part is still called a condenser.

In Romania, they still call it a "condenser". You can imagine the expressions of an ancient university teacher when students say "capacitor" after reading an English document.

Personally, as long as both sides of the conversation understand what is being said, I don't care how to call them.

In Dutch, the word capacitor is still "capacitor"

And in the French "condenser"

In the automotive industry, they are still called condensers.

I am 60 years old, does that mean I am no longer useful?

If you touch the terminals of the larger terminals, they may make you incapacitated.

The term capacitor was first used in the 1920s. The Navy seems to be an early adopter. The condenser gradually disappeared until it disappeared (almost) in the 1960s. Some people think that capacitors are closer to the resistors and inductors already used, but who knows.

When I was working for Tek in the late 1970s, they discovered that for a particular case size, never use the largest capacitor available. Always go to the next larger box. I can’t start telling you how many caps were removed and replaced with larger cases to improve reliability.

Likewise, not all electrolytic capacitors are the same. Replace a low ESR capacitor with an equivalent value, instead of a low ESR capacitor, you will see the inside of the capacitor.

Mica caps can also be used. See that the CM04 cover can be unsoldered from the RF breadboard. When they moved to CM06, they got warmer, but not hot enough to melt the solder.

For the same capacitance value, the next larger case size has a larger surface area.

Calculate the key value of electrolytic capacitor life.

Unless absolutely necessary, avoid using tantalum capacitors, and then try to check your supplier. The tan tantalite industry has become severely corrupt, causing catastrophic wars and human rights issues.

If we follow this policy globally, none of us will buy anything with rare earth magnets in it, because +90% of the market is controlled by a totalitarian regime with a very bad human rights record.

So, Peter, if there is a hard drive in the computer, please return the computer. Only buy SSD from now on? What about everything else with a compact motor equipped with rare earth magnets?

Yes, if you haven't solved the problem, then I hate an evil person more than a proud evil person. He implies that they are not evil, and everyone else is evil.

Look, when I read the review, I just saw someone trying to light up something, something most people don't know. He did not say "Don't use tantalum capacitors", "If you use them, it would be terrible." He just kindly asked, "Please avoid using tantalum capacitors." All other statements in his comment are statements of fact. You can still use whatever you want in your design. No one accuses you of being evil.

Maybe you just reacted to the previous discussion about tantalum that you participated in before, and the commenter was more demanding than Peter.

Lol, what a hot load. As I implied, hypocrisy.

These days, can you even buy phones that guarantee conflicts and free human rights violations?

no, you can not. Many people do know this, and most of the people in this group really don't care. I care, but boycotting does not stop this practice. The people involved just adapted without actually reducing the harm to the innocent.

If you have questions about the behavior of immoral people, please disband these people, because there is no other way to stop them. Boycott is a very blunt tool, which usually causes a lot of incidental economic losses, and even more innocent people. Bring harm.

Do you honestly believe that you are so wise that you can recommend any form of boycott and can predict the true result? Why not just ask people to donate to NGOs that help those in need to resist harm? Isn't this more destructive, or more sensible?

Sorry if you don't like my opinion, but at least I can prove it strongly!

Regarding the phone, there is currently a project, although I do not claim to own it. As you said, there is no way to guarantee that they will do what they say:

.

I think you are confused-I have never tried to talk about tantalum capacitors since the beginning. Please read my comment again. I just want to point out that Peter is not accusing you of evil. He did not ask for any moral requirements. Yes, he advises you not to use tantalum capacitors, because that is his belief. But does he think he is "better than you" just because he doesn't use tantalum capacitors? I do not think so. This is the point I want to make. Is it hard to believe that this might be ignorance? In this case, the reply you just gave me will be deeply valued by him.

Most of the arguments you put forward in this response sound good, and if you put them in the original comment, I won’t have any questions about it. There is no problem with my opinion. I just want to use "attack your emotional foundation". Yes, if you haven’t solved this problem, the only evil people I don’t like are evil people. He suggested that they are not evil, others Everyone is. "This is not the right choice. In general, your first comment is indeed...not good. Has it become so difficult online?

Like I said, how hot the air is, you can't verify any of them. In any case, what right do you have to regulate the Internet, and that is that, in the eyes of some people, arrogance is just as offensive as in my comments. It looks like you are a self-righteous hypocrite like "Peter". Even if you just don’t dare to question them, your thoughts about “good” always boil down to people who “fit your dogma”.

>Sorry if you don't like my opinion, but at least I can prove it strongly!

This is not your opinion, but your attitude towards the opinions of others.

I'm sorry, Dan. What you are doing is "If we can't fix all the problems at once, then make those who try to fix certain problems proud". I must stand by Peter and Droif. Always pay attention to the problem, choose some problems and try to solve them. Stay vigilant and don't try to solve it (others may try).

Engineers should work like this.

You can choose not to use them in your design.

Yes, you can do what you want to do according to your own design, but don't deceive yourself, because you may actually be hurting others. If you can use them in your design and save money, you can donate the difference in profits to charity (if you really care). Or do you think bad people are better at doing good than bad people? Take a moment to think carefully.

No, I will not.

However, whenever I do not choose a tantalum cap, I will be happy for your rant.

This is not a rant, just a tantrum!

what! Okay, thank you.

I made it. Usually, because they can be used as electronic igniters well.

Obviously, Kemet "guarantees" that the tantalum in its products is conflict-free.

They provided a report listing the sources of tantalum (and other minerals): China, the United States, Thailand, Germany, Kazakhstan, Austria, and Japan. This is required by the US Dodd-Frank Conflict Minerals Regulations-does anyone here know more about this/bell?

AVX and:

All your stuff comes from China,

All your things are contaminated. Cheer up and stop deceiving yourself. The market is like a water container. You take water from one part, but you still increase the demand for all other parts. There is also the fact that once they enter a huge resource base like China, you really cannot track the material. You just want to feel special.

Would have liked to hear more about self-healing polymer capacitors. As far as I know, they are usually used as X or Y filter components in mains voltage applications, but maybe there are other interesting applications where self-healing capacitors are used? How does self-repair work?

Good article, thank you!

Errata:

I think tantalum has a lower leakage than aluminum electrolyte and therefore has a higher leakage resistance.

A typo, not a complete error :) – Every different polymer dielectric used has its own characteristics, has its advantages and disadvantages, but compared to the electrolytic capacitors we discussed, the entire capacitor series has an equivalent series* *Capacitance** and inductance are both low. to date.

Ok

The real conflict with tantalum bottle caps is their failure mode.

Find the safe derating of tantalum capacitors. They are ridiculous because they cannot be used in all applications except for the most absolutely necessary applications (very low ESR and high capacitance).

Safety is the reason to avoid them.

If your voltage converter happens to be 500w, what capacitor would you use?

:)

Some good things about iequalscdvdt.com

"Although not all news is bad news, their reputation in the fire comes from earlier tantalum capacitors, and improved manufacturing technology has provided more reliable products."

Do not. You may be confused by the existence of multiple "tantalum" caps.

. The sturdy tantalum cover has a fire failure mode. This is not surprising: the electrolyte is MnO2, so you have many easy-to-access oxygen tanks, and they will flourish. However, the sturdy tantalum capacitor caps can also be self-repairing and can withstand less pressure, so under the right conditions, they are very reliable and can be stable for a long time (no service life). However, they are still not inherently safe. The sturdy tantalum caps will not burn because of short-term failure, but because they "ignite" and burn.

However, the tantalum polymer cap does not have an ignition failure mode because the electrolyte is not MnO2, but a polymer. They also have lower ESR, but lower long-term reliability (due to polymer degradation). However, they will not catch fire on their own. However, they do experience short-circuit faults, so they can still take out systems that are not limited by current.

Niobium oxide caps are basically solid tantalum caps without an ignition device (long-term stable), so you would consider them ideal-but they are also expensive and uncommon.

For young players, the trap of solid polymer aluminum capacitors and electrolytic aluminum capacitors:

"Because the polymer is a solid, it also has a longer service life, and does not follow the classic Arrhenius formula. The temperature will not double every 10°C, and every 20°C drop in temperature, the life will be 10 times longer."

Translation: Every 20°C increase in temperature will shorten the life span by 10 times.

It's a bit different, isn't it?

A small mistake:

The equivalent series capacitance and inductance of the entire capacitor series are low

Should be "equivalent series

(ESR)"

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When working on a project recently, I needed a capacitor of about 1000μF and studied my parts collection carefully. No luck there. At that time, I usually browse the garbage electronic products and computer motherboards I collect,

As far as I know, it has been around for a long time. It's okay, I think. I will go to RadioShack and...

Now, over the years, I have been accused of many things, but "deep" is certainly not one of them. However, at this moment I can only say that it is an existential crisis. Without RadioShack, at least not my status.

Even the hacker space within my reasonable driving distance. Of course I can order them online, but everyone wants to sell them in bulk, and it will take at least a few days to ship them. How many days? Who knows where I am interested in a few days. What should I do under these conditions?

Desperate times require desperate measures, so I got in the car and drove to the only place I knew I could buy with cheap electronic components: goodwill.

If you are not familiar with goodwill, then this is a second-hand store that sells all kinds of goods, usually just for a little bit. Although Goodwill’s inventory is usually mainly clothes, there is an electronic equipment section in the back corner of every location I’ve visited, where there are a bunch of worn-out VCRs, audio cassettes, tube TVs, etc. Basically, an old consumer electronic product, the owner feels sad that it cannot be thrown in the trash: you will find it here. Of course, goodwill is not unique in this regard. If you have a second-hand or thrift store in your area, they may be similar in size.

In a world without RadioShack, I suggest you become familiar with these types of stores and the products they tend to trade. If it is not something you cannot avoid, you should probably check it once a week. Because if you are not lucky enough to live in the hot spots of manufacturers or hackers, and are proud of not being able to choose junk, then a store like this might now be your RadioShack too.

During the journey, I found what I wanted without a doubt. There are many VCRs and radios around, each for no more than $5. If you are looking for a good source of through-hole components, then you may want to use older and cheaper hardware. High-end equipment will more likely have been converted to SMD components or other miniaturization technologies, which may make salvaging parts from them even more annoying.

If you want to rescue parts from old electronic products, you need to master the desoldering technology.

, But at a minimum, you will need some desoldering wicks. If you want to make yourself easier, buy a suction cup, or even better use a desoldering iron.

As far as I am concerned, I am very lucky. The VCR I chose is easy to separate and provides power on a removable module so I can remove it directly. The inside of it looks a bit annoying, most of the inside of the machine is covered with some kind of sticky yellow fluff. If I had to guess, I would say it came from the smoker's home. But for $3, we cannot be too picky.

The power source is always a large number of electrolytic capacitors, and it only takes a few seconds to determine a 1000 F capacitor that does not seem to swell. Keep in mind that the hardware you are using can be suspicious, and perform a careful visual inspection of all parts considered for inclusion in the project.

After removing it from the PCB, I can check it with a multimeter and find it is about 900 F, which puts it within the tolerance of this capacitor.

, Make sure you don’t run into all the troubles

In the end, I only spent a few dollars to get the capacitors I needed (plus other passive components and component loads pulled from the VCR). Of course, it is a better option than ordering a single capacitor online, but I still avoid it. There are no local electronic parts stores in my area now, and it may be time to bite the bullet and load a lot of passive components from eBay before I really need them. But having such a contingency plan will never hurt.

In this dystopian RadioShack wasteland, where do readers get the components? Are you lucky enough to live in an area where you can source parts locally? Do you want to buy in bulk online, just want to be able to predict the required parts? Maybe you are full

And how to build everything with everything in the trash can?

Let us know in the comments,

.

Desoldering is how I often spend a Sunday afternoon. No parts have been used. Or any parts solutions I purchased?

When I was young, I stopped at a TV repair shop (remember when the TV can be repaired?), then picked up some cases that were considered uneconomical to repair, and stripped their parts. I still have some parts.

Although I did get one of them to work and connect to my ZX-80.

The solution is to sort and store the parts well so that you know where they are when you need them. A few days ago, I needed a non-polarized 150uF capacitor. Guess where it came from?

When I started using electronic products (there was no nearby store and there was no online ordering situation), I did this, but now I understand which parts are on a typical TV PCB, so I only keep the assembled ones PCB and know where to find the parts I need. It is also a good source of resistors that can be used for load testing. With a voltage of up to about 12V, you can also solder on some leads and pour the resistor into a bucket of water to produce almost infinite wattage without creating a noisy fan or messing up the heat sink.

Does electricity flow through water instead of resistors?

Some will, but so what? Still a burden. Tap water is not a very good conductor, especially compared to 10 ohm resistors.

For a long time, salt water has been used as a ballast resistor for welding.

Once we did this deliberately: 0-100V / 2A PSU for load testing. We put two stainless steel plates (20*20cm) into a bucket of tap water. Change the load by changing the distance between the plates. Facts have proved that "stainless steel" will not maintain this state in this case. The contents of the bucket became reddish brown soup.

You may not know that not only are tube TVs still being repaired in some parts of the world, but when they eventually break down completely, all components have been desoldered, and the copper wire coil on the CRT tube is also unwound and carefully re-wound To speakers and electric motors. The market is not far from my home, and I see them doing this by hand from time to time.

Then reassemble some of these parts into the karaoke system and audio amplifier. If you understand what I mean, you can also buy the logos of major electronic brands. Sometimes, you will see something interesting, such as a Toyota speaker system or Microsoft certified pants.

I wish I could provide you with photos of Microsoft certified pants. Many jokes about security holes and patches. Well, we all have regrets.

Google told me that Microsoft made mobile phone charging pants in 2014?

I will definitely grab the photos of MSCE pants, I have a chance to get it next time :)

If you have never used any cleaned parts or new parts, then a good solution is to start a new hobby in electronics.

I occasionally make some basic audio amplifiers from donors. However, the loss of the "cheap" Radio Shack prototype board will be unbearable. Our Radio Shack just closed recently.

Since entering a hobby as a teenager 30 years ago, I have been repairing parts and electronic products that are damaged and unnecessary (man, it’s really been 30 years!?). Over the years, I have used these parts many times for maintenance and construction projects. My capacitors and resistors are organized in drawers according to the 10% series of labels, so when I need a part, I can easily find the right drawer. Whether the drawer actually has the parts I need is another question altogether, although I did clean out the small parts of the local Radio Shack when they went out of business, so my equipment is quite complete these days.

Our last Radio Shack was closed and they did not bother me. When I sent there to get PL259, I found it was closed. I have ordered some, but I won’t get it until next week. sigh.

At a certain point, we have 5 in the area. Plus three private suppliers (all are long gone).

Yes, the radio shed will also leave our area. I didn't expect good intentions, good ideas. Fortunately, there is a 45-minute walk to backup Skycraft.

Edison once said: "To invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of garbage." Or at least goodwill.

"There is still a lot of rubbish." Or at least in good faith. "

Are you a little redundant?

B ^)

This is the point. They store garbage for you.

I often use Mouser and other products, but sometimes you need it now. I only strip the parts when I need it, and don't try to fill the storage box of stripped parts.

You must live in the Orlando area.

I went to Disney earlier this week and ended my trip by crossing the town to Skycraft on Tuesday morning. They saved us 150 dollars in about 30 minutes. I have been there for the second time. Are you 45 minutes away? you. lucky. Bastard.

Yes, Orlando, less than 30 minutes from Skycraft. Living in the San Jose area in the past was a dream come true at least then. The happy aircraft is getting closer and closer to me. I will jump around more often and get the $150 discount too often. If you visit again, there is a great RC shop near Skycraft, which has more fantasy than before with RC airplanes hanging from the ceiling. gravesrc.com is worth a visit just to see what they have.

Reused parts can be compressed, but electrolysis is the most difficult part to remove.

To be honest, I used to think that salvage was the best thing ever-now I realize it is a waste of time. For 99% of passive components and ICs, if you include the time spent, buying new products will only be much cheaper. Unless you need something in the next few hours, digikey and mouser will provide reasonable prices and 2 days of turnaround time. This is the real need.

Having said that, I am totally willing to save linear moving parts, certain motors, lens components, vacuum chambers, etc., simply because they are hard to buy and expensive.

I totally agree, except for the two-day delay that allowed me to get out of trouble and enter another work week. My inspiration is almost impossible to continue working for another week.

Taking the time to redesign the way of inspiration can be a valuable investment. If you can wait a moment, you can use some very cool options. For example... if you are inspired, you can sit down and design a small PCB instead of trashing. Order PCBs from OSH Park, then order parts or put them in the shopping cart for batch processing with the next inspiration part. You can research each inspiration and take them all the way to the prototype. Later, the PCB arrived, and I found it exciting enough to make the project inspiring for assembly and testing.

Thank you macegr. I have no doubt that you are correct. If I can find a power reflow oven that is easy to use. Seriously, I saw the wisdom to change the project steps to get closer to the half-life of my inspiration

Sometimes it is difficult for me to be motivated. I follow Magler’s advice. PCB design is a useful skill, and you will eventually get a higher quality skill. You can also prepare some different designs anytime and anywhere at any given time, so when inspiration strikes, you can make any design. When submitting a PCB order, you will also submit an order for any missing parts. After a few weeks, everything is there and you can

I use a $20 electric furnace to reflow SMD components. You don't need a fancy oven controller or any such nonsense. Obtaining some low-temperature bismuth solder paste will also make it easier because the circuit board will not become hot before reflow.

Where did you rescue the vacuum chamber? ? ?

When I was very young, the salvage and sorting of parts made me familiar with them easily. Sorting resistors as early as possible helps me learn color codes.

Failed fluorescent electronic ballasts are a good source of high voltage components.

47 microfarad 250v and 50v electrolysis

.0056, .0082 micro Farad in 1250V metallized film

.24 micro Farad under 400V metallized film

1 microfarad under 200V metallized film

D13005 400V 4A switching transistor

and many more…

Just make sure not to separate them (if they are pre-1980 products), because they may contain PCBs, and PCBs are a shortcut to cancer.

Polychlorinated biphenyls are rare in consumer electronics. They are liquids and are usually only used in high-voltage (1000 volts and above) capacitors and transformers. The PCB capacitor will be a completely sealed metal unit whose size is much larger than an electrolytic capacitor with similar energy storage.

I think before 1980, there were almost no electronic fluorescent ballasts. Moreover, the cover containing the PCB is not mounted on the PCB: -) It has studs for mounting and is a phase compensation cover for the magnetic ballast.

Electrolysis is safe in this regard. But I will avoid saving them because they have a limited lifespan.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a self-fulfilling death spiral. Our local electronic parts have been folded, except for one place, all other places are still reserved for tax exemption. Inventory will not be replaced, but if you need an IC that has not been produced in more than 40 years, it is an ideal choice. When you move to 74 {LS, C, ACT, etc}, there are some pin assignments that are different in the 7400 series.

I think there should be an email distribution list of hackers in your area, in which case you can contact these hackers. I'm sure that dozens of people are close to me, and there may be things I don't have. If the "neighbors" website operates in your area, you may only need to make a call there.

CraigsList?

I think it must be based on push. Of course, I don’t go to CL or Hackday forums every day and check if I can give up my stuff, but if there is only my local hacker neighbor’s email list and it is displayed once or twice a day, I might look at it and see if Can help.

Every night I get a summary of the neighbor’s website, usually I look at it to see if I can help, or if there is something interesting in the classified information. A few weeks ago, someone wanted to cut it again with a tile cutter. I drag it out, set it up and let him know. The next day, six packs of beer appeared magically.

I remember that when the category column was opened in Hackaday, it was when there was a forum. It didn't take off at that time, but I want to know if the weather is right, and then try again.

You mean...

?

Deprecated! = Dead

Sorry to report your comment. The hovering thumb strikes again. Must move dam report button

Don't worry [Neorpheus]!

If you want to sell, there will always be a Tindie Flea Market.

I was lucky to keep driving distance with Tanner Electronics, and even luckier to have a girlfriend who knew the store and knew the parts I needed.

Tanner and Unicorn are a beautiful combination

Tanner Electronics should automatically calibrate to the church

It's okay they are too different. Electronic stores sell real things!

Almost my entire electronic lifestyle started with salvaging parts. The university where I live regularly conducts auctions, which is a gold mine of old computers and printers. However, when someone decides to clean up the laboratory, they usually put something surprising. Sometimes merchants will conduct sales or auctions. The advantage here is that you are not limited to consumer electronics.

I find that it is best to leave it on the circuit board until needed, unless you find that it requires several hours of desoldering treatment. The crucial question is to avoid getting yourself into trouble and let yourself be addicted to it. And I learned a lot of reverse engineering, and these interesting things came out my way.

This is very similar to the metal inventory you have on hand as a mechanic. You have lost the motivation to drive to the store or place an order. It's great to have an idea and complete the part design in a few minutes.

Now, my goal is to eliminate half of my garbage reserves. Maybe I can sell a 20-pound electronic trash can on Ebay?

I bought a miscellaneous electronic watch for $10 at a college auction.

One of them is a simply constructed "rodent respirator" that may be used on laboratory mice.

Another auction participant offered me a dollar, and I accepted it. A friend of his recently killed a mouse at work, and he planned to "give it away" to him.

In the same auction, someone bought an HP server in a half-height rack. He took out what he wanted, and I helped him carry the (heavy) relic into the trash can. When the shelf was upside down in the trash can, I noticed some neat casters on the shelf. So I removed them and built a furniture cart with 4 2×4 pieces, a piece of plywood and a carpet remnant.

Did you save the shelf? They are so useful!

I wish I had...

Especially the quarter and half height. 2/3 is also very convenient sometimes.

Is that for mouse-to-mouse recovery?

A date that will live in shame...

;)

When in college, some of my friends would go out and be bombed to commemorate "Pearl Harbor Day."

Ren: UM-Rolla TJ4N? If not, Pearl Harbor is of great significance to that school’s dormitory. The annual party started when the floor failed and fled the school, and a barrel of beer was set up. When I was a freshman, the attrition rate in the first year was about 50%. Unforgettable time...I am very happy to survive. I don't know whether this tradition will continue.

If this is a zombie apocalypse, compressing parts is a good choice.

However, as long as Digi-Key and Tayda Electronics are still running, this can be done. There is nothing better than getting what you really need at a reasonable price.

If I dismantle the old hardware to find parts, I will have to violate the minimum wage law and seek help from the State Labor Commission.

But you will learn a lot, or you can learn a lot. This will be a cheap education. Save Digikey and Mouser as unavailable content.

The relative value of time, labor, and money is very different for different people in different life situations.

For a child who does not have a stable income, the summer vacation is long and he is interested in DIY electronic product compression parts, which makes sense.

When that kid grows up to have a high-paying job and a family... free time is limited and most parts are cheap.

Later, he retired and had a lot of free time, but his income was fixed.

Of course, this model only applies to people living in wealthier developed countries. For some labor, it is always cheaper than money. For people living in wealthy developed countries, this may even be the case, but these people may have greater life problems, and these problems should be solved first before buying hobby accessories.

The problem is "reasonable expenses". It is not satisfactory to pay 18 dollars in shipping for some parts worth only 3 dollars. Therefore, if the item can be delayed, I can order it on AliExpress (price is 100 for one price) or try to stack scraps.

The goodwill around is often weak in electronic products. I think this is because our recycling is very easy, so people will not hesitate to bring e-waste to the transfer station. It doesn’t cost anything, or it’s already paid in our county tax bill, so people just do. Trash bins with e-waste are sometimes worth drooling-I have seen piles of server-class machines there, and if there is no "No Salvaging" sign and a watchful waiter, I would score a few points for scrapping.

Say hello to employees in different locations, and then for a short time (the boss is not around-you will know who he is then), they may surprise you. Then leave a "doughnut fund" of about $.

But if it’s busy, go ahead, they don’t want others to see others busy.

I think I have never seen goodwill for outstanding performance in electronics. They are usually about 95% of clothes, with a row of shelves in the back filled with dishes, lights, VCRs and alarm clocks. The advice on second-hand stores is reliable, but in my experience, things in non-chain stores are usually cool.

I know that an agreement can be reached to obtain items from the recycling center. However, you may have to register some kind of company.

I suggest people try to locate goodwill not far from one of the higher $$ real estate areas in their city. There is such a company in our town. I not only found many printers, scanners, VCRs, stereo receivers, amplifiers, etc., but also found many excellent working electronic devices, such as my latest Onkyo amplifier, TiVo activated for life, Golf GPS unit, professional DJ and audio equipment, etc. And it's always only a few dollars each time...unless there is a 50% discount every day, then this is really a bargain! ;-)

The same goes for animal shelters and garage/tag/yard sales...

Better communities have better picking.

But the video recorder is electronic! This article is about VCR.

I really don't understand why these e-waste recycling stations do not allow recycling. You think you can make a lot of money by offering the option of "$x per pound" (obviously the asking price is much higher than the price they get themselves), with the terms of no refund, no replacement, and no complaint More importantly, use the no-harddrives clause to facilitate data security considerations.

Lachute used to have an electronic product recycling/processing center, where guests could dig through their trash cans and pay a nominal fee for the salvaged items. For those who prefer electronic trash can diving, This is a magical wonderland.

I came across all kinds of products from full-size old line printers to broken avionics to every old and varied computer component. It is convenient to repair and find the hardware of EISA, MCA or PCI-X machines.

Sorry, they have terminated this service.

Because they are often searched by people looking for broken computers, and then pretend to be charitable organizations selling refurbished electronic products for African school children. They get money from real charitable organizations, put them in containers with broken computers, and then disappear again.

Our local e-consulting company comes to the office to pick up the goods. There is a warehouse there. If you want, you can pick up the song server here. The last time I went there, I bought 2 HP servers with 32 cores and 72GB RAM for $100. But don't count on disk drives.

A few years ago, I got a small cabinet with small drawers filled with Goodwill's old wirewound resistors. Sometimes it happens.

I'm stuffed

During college, boys liked to pick up rubbish on campus. I have bought a good variable autotransformer since the 1950s. I just need to replace it with a new fuse and do some cleaning (I also upgraded it with a grounded socket). I learned how to drive ordinary LCD glass displays. I got some Swiss NEMA 23 stepper machines and need to turn them into some kind of CNC machine tools. A netbook with dead battery and no RAM cover. I use it to run some home automation equipment. Need to repair PCB centrifuge. Waffle machine (!) That is a gold mine.

My previous college had a place on the loading station where students (mechanical, electronic and other aspects) could take over things.

That's the source of my 13-inch south bending lathe.

Next time the microwave oven needs to replace the door switch (I have replaced the bottom switch twice), I want to remember GW.

The high temperature hot air gun and pliers can quickly remove the components from the board.

This one. Add a metal biscuit board/cake pan to fix and catch the fallen parts. Some passive containers are collected through through holes and SMD.

A small pair of vices or surgical clips will grab and add enough mass to most through-hole drills, and you can use a heat gun to focus on the solder side. Once the solder is sufficiently melted, the part will be pulled out/dropped.

By clamping the PC board vertically and using a small butane torch with a flame diffuser on the back, I have had some success in removing large or multi-pin through-hole parts. Normally, I can loosen and remove the parts without scorching the circuit board, but what if I do?

The final method of removing PCB is wet soldering technique. It is much better than using dry heat. I have an electric soldering pan, but it is expensive. I saw a videotape on YouTube with a video of a Chinese man. He has a dish-shaped metal plate on his body and a gas burner underneath with some molten solder in it. To me, his device looks very economical. However, when you heat the boards like indoors, it is not really a suitable place. As you have already pointed out, it is easy to scorch the board and smoke. As far as the splint is concerned, I hold the plate with a pair of pump pliers. They can be held well and keep my hands sticking out of molten solder. Then use your other hand or needle-nose pliers or needle-nose pliers to pull the part from the board. I can pull out the parts as soon as possible. The real time-consuming aspect of all this is that I put together piles of parts. It may take me 3 days to sort all the parts pulled out in an hour. I haven't found a way to speed up work. Although using an AVR transistor tester will help.

The solder pot sounds great. It sounds like something a hacker space can have if it doesn't cause a dream of responsibility night.

For me, I don't save everything on the PC board. Just components that I might reuse. I almost never save surface mount parts (unless they are rare) because my eyeballs are stubbornly set as through holes. In addition, when removing parts, I usually do not test parts; I store salvaged parts separately from "good" parts and test them when they are in use. Save a lot of time; -) Of the repairable semiconductors I have tested, I found that more than 95% are OK.

I also used a butane torch-but never left a PCB of toast :-) Therefore, a heat gun is much better.

So I heard it. When I tried it, my house was burnt and smelled bad.

If your name is "Shrek", I don't think you will smell bad smells in your house.

Do not use a heat gun to heat the components, but only the solder side:-) At least for the through-hole filler.

I clamp the board in a vise, then grab the component (if THT), gently pull and heat the back. Set the heat gun to 360 to 400°C instead of blowing to 600°C

Yes, at Goodwill, the power supply is usually only one or two dollars, but this is a bit like a handbag.

The best ones are products that are "UL certified", and the blanks of these products are marked with fuses and the like.

I only recommend goodwill based on the fact that it is a profit-oriented company. The money they earn from sales will not be used to help those in need. Their only claim is that they provide work for the community. Please make changes to your article in the hope that the author agrees that "good faith" is false. The Salvation Army and UN-Habitat are the best places for you to purchase hardware, because the proceeds they get from the purchase are directly used to help those in need.

The whole purpose of goodwill is to provide jobs for people who would not otherwise be unemployed. That is the service they provide. This is not fake, it is not about a charity like the Salvation Army. Each of them has a purpose and helps people in different ways.

+1

The Salvation Army is a bunch of hypocritical homosexuals. If you support them, you may also support Roy Moore.

Shopping in a for-profit store is better than building a store financially for religion IMHO

GA!

In my experience, the Salvation Army provides critically needed services to the poorest and poorest people in the community, and they do so without considering the religious beliefs or sexual orientation of the needy. Except for praying before meals or holding a service for anyone who wants to attend, they did not impose religious restrictions on anyone's throat. They are also quite effective. Most of the donations are used for actual services.

As far as "Christians" are concerned, the Salvation Army is as far as possible from Roy Moore.

I am not religious, but I am happy to donate money to support the Salvation Army. Before we finally agree that we all share the responsibility to help and support the poorest of us, we need groups like them.

/ derail

"Except for praying before a meal or holding a service for anyone who wants to attend, they did not impose religious restraints on anyone's throat.

At least "pray before meals", "to inculcate religion toward religion." I mean: "Why do entities pray?"-I don't believe in God.

However, when I want to get something religious or charitable, I don't have to worry the least. I buy where there are and/or cheap

If you were having dinner at a friend’s house and they happened to say grace, would you rush off the table? control.

Why does your purchase have a good purpose? Don't get me wrong, it's cool if you can. In the same community, if a thrift store is both a charity and a for-profit store, then I would choose a charity first. But if they are not a charity, why do they have some kind of error? They act as a bridge between the things to get rid of and the people who need or want them. What's the problem with them getting paid for this?

Besides...Isolating the landfill for a while is a good reason in itself!

Yes, I am enough for me.

So, because the name is "good", will this money go to people in need? Literally, isn't it? I don’t want every dollar I buy to go to Colonel Sanders’ retirement fund every time I buy a bucket of chicken.

Jean Luc Picard doesn't know how to tell you, but if we stop shopping in every store where we want to make a profit, there won't be much. Instead of taking anything from companies that want to help people in need, the decision to only spend money on this is actually absurd (and unsustainable) for us.

Who doesn't have 1000uF capacitors scattered around? Only in 0.1uF decoupling capacitors, I may have so many.

I will win "Tom" for $200.

"Let it snow!"

S. Connery

Ah, so you and I follow exactly the same path. Indeed, I might think of twelve such ranges in a convenient box, and there are more on PCBs elsewhere. As I have already said, I now find that saving time on both ends only requires leaving the parts on the PCB. Scan the board faster to find what you need without having to conduct more desoldering sessions to reduce the number of boards. I just divide it into a few major categories: current logic boards, analog boards and power boards. Put the complete power supply into another box. I have a few large boxes full of wires, connectors and harnesses, and they are endless.

I think it depends on the brand, but cheap consumer electronics will be the hardest place to get parts, especially electrolytic materials. You are not after high-quality consumer-oriented computer equipment.

It took less than 2 minutes and I had 1000 uF in my hand (but what is the working voltage?) Every electronic hobbyist needs a decent garbage dump. Mine is 1000 uF 10v Japan Chemical Exhibition. For some reason, I have a lot of 2200 and 1000, which are rare. This is another 1000 UF 25 volt Computamite that looks like a fossil. Ah, this is another...

In order to avoid becoming a pathological ard collector, I had to do some training on what I kept. My current rule is that if I grab something (roadside/trash can), it must be useful immediately (perhaps after a minor repair), otherwise I must rescue the parts as soon as possible, so I not only have to store broken equipment. Fortunately, I found this kind of disassembly is very therapeutic. It is much easier to store 4 sorted parts in a container than all broken equipment.

This... Once I have a bunch of broken motherboards, they can easily occupy a space of 1000mm×1000m×400mm. (Some are old servers with full ATX motherboards...PII era.)

I went crazy with the heat gun, but only hit the spots on the PCB until the circuit board blistered and the parts dropped (many are SMD). These parts are now placed in a small plastic box covering an area of ​​about 400mm×300mm×100mm.

On the other hand, there are some things worth going together. Those switching power supply technologies, if you need one, can be obtained by using the entire tool. If any radio parts are used, IC or peripheral parts can be used. In addition, the original circuit provides IC pinout or other detailed information. Not for all, but sometimes.

Michael

Yes, I tested it with 10 100uF capacitors. If this is a real desert island, it's ok. But I tried to make the final result a little more professional.

Well, anyway, the old parts taken out of the VCR are like "professional" parts.

The price of 1,000uF is very cheap and can only be purchased on spot. It may also be electrolytic, which means salvage or even old and new parts are suspicious. Welding a bunch of small "decoupling" capacitors in series sounds great, but there will be parasitic inductances that may prevent it from working as required.

I mean parallel. Need more caffeine!

Parasitic inductance will be reduced by connecting capacitors in parallel.

I must have a capacitor of more than 1000µF. For example, it is 40 * 10000µF on a thick PCB or supercapacitor with a 2-digit F value. But I don’t have 10000 0,1µF :-)

A few years ago, I encountered this problem and solved it. What I did was to try to create capacitors of various sizes and voltages, which could be used as universal substitutes. The physical size of the capacitor is my biggest concern. Usually I find out if I need to replace something like 100uF@16V, and trying to squeeze the voltage of 100uF@25V in is very difficult. Therefore, use extra long leads or move some Things are very difficult. is compulsory. I even found the following situation: In terms of size, accurate capacitance and rated voltage substitutes are not a drop in substitutes.

In general, I will try my best to maintain various suitable voltage values. This accounts for about 50% of my repairs.

Another good source of information, if you have one locally and can be responsible for it through @ssholes, it is a garbage dump or recycling center.

People often discard old electronic products, especially old TVs. They are not wrong, everyone now only wants a flat screen. Moving the PCB out and discarding the rest can take up less space. Let the @ssholes running these places let you own them, which is another matter. Once, I can get them for free, or pay that guy a few dollars to let me own it.

I used to get flat-screen TVs from the garbage dump, repair them or use the parts in them. Now, I can't even sacrifice a goddamn goat for the goddamn @ssholes, or even get a goddamn cable.

It is also a good place to buy parts for washing machines and dryers. These controls and elements are not cheap when they need to be replaced.

Because my father-in-law works in one of these places, it really has something to do with me personally, and I have repeatedly pleaded with him why they should protect the garbage.

He can bring a rusty bicycle to my house to repair the kid for me (yes, yes...), but no, I can't break the law, break the rules and reject any of these TVs!

"What law?"

…………….

Needless to say, when he needs repairs now, I will bring him an old phone book with me.

Last time, when I put down some old electrical equipment, I saw a bunch of cables and grabbed them. In my area, I have seen them use people who have to perform community service as help. When a dumb and stupid fool is unwilling to show up next week, he will feel terrible and accuse you of being a thief. The cable was thrown away by others, and then after 5 minutes I saw the big truck being pulled up, grabbed the box, tilted it, and at the same time lifted it into the air, seeing everything inside sliding/colliding/cracking... …

I digress...

Anyway, I mean, if you happen to own one of these places locally, it might be worth a look to see if there is a place for electronic devices, how easy it is to access, or in the worst case, It's actually trying to be friends with someone or slip a few dollars to them to use it. They can't make enough money to brag, and depending on what you can get, the money thrown away will indeed last.

Yes, now my neighbor and I have been warned several times at the dump, don’t pick it up when we get off the car ;-)

There are several chain stores here, and their parking lots have open trash bins for customers to recycle. If I take out something, no one will open my eyes, so I can still check it occasionally.

Things that people will admire: wall warts and power supplies, IEC power cords, perfect USB cables...

Yes. Even fifteen years later, I have gotten interesting things in the sales of refurbished machines. The HP4P laser printer, which I have hardly used, sold for $15 at the garage auction of the local Rotary Club. But many of these sales have ceased. Electronic devices have become more and more common. If electronic devices do not work properly, they cannot make money from most people. However, checking electronic devices usually requires skills, and among volunteers, such skills may be lacking. I suspect that people complain about broken electronic devices in places like this because they don't know what to do.

Therefore, "waste recycling" got it. I see fewer electronic devices on the sidewalks, so people are learning to "dispose of them properly." But as you said, it is not limited to damaged items. They just want it, or they think it is "obsolete". Before, it had a second chance of life, but it has not happened yet. Therefore, it may be a collector’s item, or something esoteric (I bought a Grundig Satellit 700 portable shortwave radio, which is the best of the new products. It was sold at the Rotary Club auction in 2007 for $2.50 It is sold at a price, no one really knows what it is), or to keep the old computer running, or something that people without money can still appreciate (many digital cameras without megapixels at all).

I am worried that they will not be given a second life except for the obvious items (iPad and the latest computers). The value lies in gold and everything it provides. People may also use it for recycling, because they will not see its secondary use, some are too picky, they don't want others to get their things for free. A few years ago, some people speculated that this is a real business and they like to recycle. If I can't buy a second-hand GPS for five to ten dollars, then I must pay in full. I certainly want to know why some food establishments offer free items if you bring a MO3 player or something more valuable than pizza.

It would be great if the public had the opportunity to take what they wanted before being dragged away. When there is a collection, I want to stand, hoping to intercept things, but I may be eliminated. This system is suitable for ordinary people, not only the worn-out items they have not used, but also when it does not work, you may bring it back to the waste liquid system.

I was lucky to get to the right place at the right time when several electronics stores closed, so I got ICs, transistors, TV parts, etc. for almost life. Regarding capacitors, chips or expensive transistors, I can only get online services provided by their reputable suppliers, or NOS provided by remaining shops: cheap Chinese sold online are rubbish, and all IC/bjt have fake labels . Don't expect to buy thousands of 2N3055 (power BJT), 2SC1969 (a well-known spare part of CB radio) or NE5532 (low noise operational amplifier for audio) on Ebay/Aliexpress, and hope to buy only one genuine one. Chinese resistors and inductors are usually okay, and the materials (thin wires) are cheaper, but they usually work and are accurate.

When I was a child, I carefully copied the parts list on a piece of paper for my first few projects, and then went to the store I found in the yellow pages. It's a bit expensive, I almost know I have no choice. They did not work. Some of the reasons are my lack of soldering skills (this is a wood-burning soldering iron), but I don’t know if the replacement parts are suitable or if the pin arrangement is different.

Things started to work when I started to disassemble the parts, including the 99cent plank used by the local store to drive the Nixie tube. Twisting the very short leads together ensured that the problem was not my lack of soldering skills.

But it means that I have improved and learned enough to streamline parts and save money. So I always do this.

For a period of time 20 years ago, I found an early mobile phone for a few dollars, which contained interesting RF components, but the integration was low, so the familiar ICs (such as NE570 compressor and CPU) are mainly Through hole parts. I will carry some tools with me so that I can grab specific parts when needed. Power transformers can be expensive, but variable capacitors are few, so sometimes it's worth just pulling those.

About ten years ago, I had an "early" Powerbook. It didn't have a power adapter. It needed 24VDC. I remember that printers usually have a higher voltage, and the first inkjet I turned on had the required voltage and was on a separate component.

We have lost some windows. The use of variable capacitors can reduce the number of radios. Most power supplies are switching, so it is easy to find a power supply, but there are fewer transformers used to make linear power supplies. The clumsy cell phone has dried up. I rarely see TVs with analog tuners, and I rarely have a chance to find RF MOSFETs with leads.

Express mail order is a relatively new thing, and of course there are not many places in Canada to deal with hobbyists. Assembling parts is not only a way to save money, but also a way to source locally. In addition, it forces you to know the parts, what is needed and will work. When I can take a part and say yes, it really dazzles the high school kids.

But I have been thinking about the cousins ​​of my distant relatives, who have never met in the Colville Reservation in Washington State. I have never been poor, but never have enough money to buy books and hobbies. But I can always find second-hand books and parts because I live in a big city where there are many books. In more rural areas, especially if people without money can easily throw things away, I won’t be able to get them. Imagine those smart kids who cannot pursue things because they have no money and no chance to touch the rubbish in our city. This can be a real burden. Their limitation is not wisdom, but lack of resources.

Yes, everyone joked about Radio Shack until they were gone.

Where is your God now?

Our last electronics supply store is about to close. I did a mathematical calculation of the time required to buy and stay open. Very sad.

I'd better burn the money.

I have never joked about Radio Shack. I do complain that too many of them have become computer and phone shops, but there used to be a good selection of parts near me, from resistors to Arduinos. Of course gone. Delat

At the radio repair site, there are some trails that slowly stabilize those old catalysts. It should be clear at a glance so you know how to back them up. They said that as long as they slowly return to their original condition, most old bottle caps can work normally.

When I lose a storage point, I have to get rid of many parts. Finished the work of opening the case, pulling the power supply, battery holder and connecting cable, most of the rest was cast.

You cannot "stabilize" dry and/or expanded electrolysis. In switching power supplies, you must also consider low ESR capacitors. The standard will not last long.

I took time to get rid of the parts my father collected. Thousands of vacuum tubes are the least valuable, but some sell for more than $100 on eBay. When I touch resistors and capacitors, they are messed up.

shame. Look at what the old man Blasbla is doing.

A widow in the church said that next time I pass by, she will let me have the late husband’s TV vacuum tube and (vacuum tube) testing equipment. I am afraid that if I accept her proposal, my wife will be the next widow.

I extend my condolences to your wife. By the way, can I give you TV tube and TV tube test equipment? ????

Hit your wife with a plan: any working test equipment will become a goalkeeper, you will repair, strip or recycle things that are not working in a short time, and you will pick test tubes and then rest in ebay/hamfest/recycling.

When my wealthy uncle died 2 years ago, my aunt reduced the size and they provided me with his first choice of high-end stereo equipment. ReVox, Thorens, Altec-Laning...

I live in the Chicago Land area and there are many goodwill shops nearby...

My hot tip is to shop in affluent communities, trust me, electronics outside Wheaton or Naperville are cheaper than other areas.

Anyway, my experience...

later

My experience is just right! Except in another state. ????

You must be very careful when using old electrolytic capacitors. I haven't seen it yet, but a list must be made somewhere to show the mean time to failure of different electrical components and their shelf life. Depending on the materials used to construct them and their source, some obviously have a life span of several orders of magnitude longer than others.

But he was able to complete this project. He can take notes, so he knows that this is a reused electrolytic material. Of course, if the problem is the electrolysis treatment of the switching power supply and the high frequency on the numeral board, 60Hz will not have much effect on electrolysis.

The life of electrolytic capacitors depends on the quality, which is 1,000-20,000 hours. To make the old electrolytic capacitor put back into use after a long time, you must perform a process called "deformation". This is slowly increasing the current through the capacitor to rebuild the oxide layer on the foil. I have retrofitted decades of old capacitors and restored them to usable specifications. But I do live in a quite humid place on the earth. What I want to say is that the best old-fashioned capacitors will be made in Japan. I think all the western shots have been shot today. Rubycons is the best. I have seen Ruby over 40 years old still work. But recently I did have to throw away an old Ruby. It is being read as a resistor. So it disappeared. Needless to say, you should test any old parts that will be used in the new circuit.

I live in the darkest Africa, a 3-hour drive from the nearest town. I have a storage room called "Archives", where I store all the old garbage that may be useful. Minimize peeling as much as possible. For example, the computer power supply peels off the circuit board and packs it in a box with a fan. Space is a precious commodity. Conduct an annual assessment and throw things away. This will also help you keep informed about what you have and draw some good ideas from it. I love a good electronics store, it is hard to find nowadays, but always looking for it. Recently in London, I suddenly jumped into the Maplin I was passing by and found capacitors in blister packs, resistors of various values ​​and some RF adapters. involuntarily.

Because I am the only electronics person in the area, this may be a lonely business, but it does serve the local community.

Fun rather than profit. When you talk about the fun of repairing an inverter welding machine or how to use an old satellite dish to hack into 2 kilometers of unsecured wifi, how people open their eyes is very interesting. Today, poor electronics and software coding don't seem so cool.

Oh no, this is still cool.

I bet that HaD might be interested in an article about hacking in Africa, the darkest, and to what extent technology has affected the world.

When I pull out the parts, I only need to pull the Weller gun out of the holster. After a few seconds, the parts will be free. I can't see how people without guns (no NRA approval) live. Have you ever tried to return the middle pin connected to the housing on the regulator, and the regulator has been installed on the radiator with a pencil sharpener? I have seen so many self-desoldering voltage stabilizers on the board crashing, and their temperature is not high enough to cause a wave.

My favorite second-hand goods are the St. Vincent department store, where you can't buy things that are not good enough for high-end stores. The price of the DVD player and VCR is $5. Tons of other things have appeared, and you can get everything at a uniform price-usually under $10.

I repair old stereo equipment and arcade machines, so almost every repair requires fresh electrolyte. During maintenance, I will not use the remedial electrolytic cover. I hope my repair work can outweigh my regrets. The use of 20-year-old thermal stress components from unknown manufacturers is the source of the disaster. If you can't focus on the item of parts shipment for a long time, you should consult your doctor about Adderall (tm).

As for the story of my repair parts-how about this cute turntable using a control switch snatched from a hair dryer?

But the audiophile in me said that these switches will bring a fuzzy sound to your recording.

Not "fuzzy". "Warm" voice.

If you use capacitors, has anyone tried replacing XC capacitors? They are AB-619 units of 16 units in the electronics department.

They are rated at 33,000 volts and have no leakage.

Send the teletypewriter to Pete Knowles of Supreme Equipment, where it will be processed. Free shipping and zero invoices!

If you really like adventure, please try Interociter Kit. Or build a project that meets the needs of every housewife, an interactive device integrated with an electronic sorter!

!

That kind of cultural reference is directed at me!

I have someone made fun of me for saving what I did. These people often come to me.

On another topic, this is a hot tip. Next time you tear something with a motor, take a look at the PCB near the motor connector. Under normal circumstances, you can use the tool of your choice to cut part of the circuit board, and you can use it at any time.

I remember arguing with people in the comments about the benefits of storing physical stores around. So many people seem to think that since we have cheap Internet goods and free shipping, this idea is outdated. Now, Rat Shack has finally disappeared, this is this article!

If you do have a shop with parts nearby... why try to get some parts there from time to time? When you are here, you can enjoy browsing and even chat with the owner. If we all do this, maybe we can actually have good things like e-shops again!

I will tell you... Shopping in the shopping mall Rat Shack is much more fun than watching my wife look at the clothes!

I refuse to subsidize physical stores. I believe that a free market economy is too reasonable to prove this situation. They either compete or die. This is why our system is superior. Our inefficient waste has decreased.

I have no objection to someone buying something from a thrift store to get a part. Hey... at least some of them escaped the landfill. But... throw everything away... find that you need a part... buy something from a thrift store just to get a part... and then write it down...

I hope to mention at least one idea, that is to throw everything away is wrong! Of course, it can be thinner from time to time, but please don't buy the entire device just to get a capacitor, this is daily work! What a waste!

You can buy another device later to provide capacitors for the nibbled device.

It's not really that wasteful. (No, he didn't throw away everything)

First of all, if the equipment is curbstone, recycle bin or trash can... it has already been disposed of. If it has a good reputation, then maybe it is still working and it is worth finding someone else. However, if it is damaged, dirty or incomplete, it may not be used again.

Secondly, when I took things apart, I finished the job: the plastic ended up in a pile, the metal ended up in a pile, and the PC board and wires were piled up again. You can bet that I usually pull out useful things such as hardware and power supplies. These sorted piles are then placed in the most suitable person or clothing, for example, the sorted metal is transferred to a metal recycling station. Therefore, I am performing part of the recycling process.

Finally, if I trouble repairs or plunder other people’s equipment, you can bet that I can also get more use opportunities from buying new products, and I will not throw away good things like most other people do.

If I pre-decompose/sort electronic products before putting them in the county recycle station, they will usually be exempt from the electronic waste surcharge. The circuit board goes directly to the trash can, and the metal goes to the trash can. I have to pay the standard fee for the remaining plastic.

"(No, he didn't throw away everything)"

–According to the article –

"By then, I would usually browse the junk electronic products and computer motherboards I collected, but recently I double-checked and threw away what I remember."

"If it is a kind of goodwill, maybe it is still working, and it's worth finding someone else." However, if it is damaged, dirty or incomplete, it may not be reused. "

–We have read the same article –

"The era of despair requires desperate measures, so I got in the car and drove to the only place I knew I could buy with cheap electronic components: goodwill."

"Therefore, I am performing part of the recycling process."

awesome! For the earth, recycling is usually better than landfilling and using new resources. But this is not perfect. Reuse is better than recycling.

Recycling materials involves transporting them to processing plants, then to factories, and finally back to warehouses, shops, and houses. Your recycled materials may have traveled 100 miles (if not 1,000 miles) before being put back into use. That is a lot of carbon. Moreover, large amounts of energy and/or chemicals are used in processes such as melting and purification. The smoke is released into the atmosphere.

It is almost always a better choice to just sell the goods to locals who plan to take them home and use them instead of recycling them into new things! The only exception is that compared with the newer design, the old product is really not energy efficient. However, to offset all the environmental costs of recycling, the efficiency is much lower.

Again... don't get me wrong. I don't want to be too picky. It's good to occasionally buy goods from thrift stores. In the end, they may not sell all of them. What I responded more to is that there seems to be some movement among "hackers/manufacturers/eaters or others" to stop keeping trash cans, throw away all the waste, and just buy everything. This is really wasteful and bad. This will be a positive way to reduce consumption, which is much more wasteful than always buying new and ready-made things like any other time!

"Throw away all waste"

Again-the guy in the feature article "don't" throw away all his scraps. He just didn't keep the hat he needed later. Follow the link.

No one here, including OP, tells you to stop saving parts and not to reuse/recycle gear responsibly. Quite the opposite.

I like to pick up items for reuse. Two years ago, I used something to build my combat robot. Parts include the wheels of the vacuum cleaner, the pulley of the cordless rig, the pulley of the tape recorder, the nails of the old printer (BTW's great motors, I find them very attractive), the old tent support frame, and even the ball bearings. Interestingly, I got a ball bearing from a large copier and a ball bearing from a children's scooter. They are exactly the same. In retrospect, I should not use the one on the scooter due to wear and tear. Still everything is normal. I was also lucky because I asked for permission to get something from the local introduction site and it was approved. As a result, I collected all kinds of printers, DVD players (I hope one day for the motor of a small drone) and their lasers, photocopiers, and even some music mixing devices with sliders (I I suspect that the electronic equipment is of good quality). Of course, as a beginner in electronic products, building a robot will involve many wrong turns and a lot of money. .But I don’t regret it, because actually building something is a wonderful experience that changes life. Feel free to ask if you need more detailed information about my robot. By the way, I like this website!

I am really surprised how long it will take to order online to ship to the United States. I should visit a friend in California (should be in the future), I need something, and finally I spent 3 days of "express" shipping! If you order before 7pm, you will not be able to carry out standard delivery in most places in the UK the next day (later on Amazon). Something will come that day! When my focus keeps shrinking, I need something...oh, squirrel!

I noticed that Maplin, a stockist in the streets and lanes of the United Kingdom, just renovated my local branch. They have eliminated the component counters and focused on cheap foot RC toys and other consumer waste that I can buy. Haven't tried to ask them for capacitors, I can last a few years now :)

Damn, damn you! Here, I thought at the time that my one-stop service for salvage supply would always meet my salvage needs, and when in order to access my diverse parts cache, my companion would have to go through the local garbage dump for hours. Now that the secret has been revealed, you have ruined it for everyone. thank you very much.

I removed the bulb from the desoldering iron and replaced it with a solder suction cup. It makes FAR a more effective tool.

A large number of parts can be found in Volunteer and Salvation Army stores in the United States. For example, the price of a vcr or am or fm radio is 3 or 4 dollars, which is stupid, you know it does not work. Goods priced at 19.95 will work normally, and there are other goods. They have excellent decomposable items, and you can add them to the inventory of the desired item by purchasing cheap components of many components.

I live within driving distance of SparkFun, and there is a lingering RadioShack about 15 minutes away. Although the power supply of RS is very dim. There is also a miniature center with some passive components.

I started using parts removed from old televisions and stereo equipment found in old appliances and trash bins (this is where you bought such items in the 70s). I built my first project using most of the removed parts. I used all the scavenging parts to make my first audio amplifier. Class A, a horizontal output transistor and a 10 ohm resistor, a large electrolytic capacitor isolates the speaker from DC. in a hurry.

I learned to look at the resistor color code because I have a box full of resistors. I was too impatient to sort them all and put them in labeled boxes or envelopes.

Surface mount parts are difficult to remove. I will still remove ferrite. I just gave a class at OlyMEGA, a local manufacturer's space, and explained how to use all the parts cleared by CFL to make a Joule Thief.

I have cleaned some 20uF ceramic capacitors. Surface mount, but easier to remove due to its size. Otherwise a bit expensive. I'm building something that requires very low ESR power to support high current pulses, so some of the array and some low ESR electrolyte will flow to the PCB near the component. One is to test the saturation flux of the ferrite core. The power supply must not sag, otherwise the reading will be damaged.

If the part is to be sold, all new parts will be used.

Blarsblarson, I am very interested in the removed parts and hardware (because I belong to an antique radio/electronics club and we are always looking for parts, even TV tubes; there are several winemakers among us ) Willing to pay Phoenix-Bruce Thorpe N7MMR

This is great. I really like your equipment. How many do you have?

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iFi announced its latest version

, ZEN Phono preamplifier. ZEN Phono may be small and affordable, but its customized OVA2637 operational amplifier and impressive pedigree make it promising. In addition, the new phono preamp has a 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output in addition to the traditional gold-plated RCA input and output. The retail price of ZEN Phono is US$149.

.

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iFi continues to expand its award-winning ZEN series of affordable desktop-sized audio equipment-phono stage (or phono preamp, if you prefer) with ZEN Phono, with unparalleled performance for only $149. we

iFi's pedigree in the design of the stage of the record player is considerable. The company’s recently launched flagship model, the iPhono3 Black Label, offers top-notch ultra-low noise performance at a price of £999, while iFi’s sister company AMR’s PH-77 is a reference phono preamplifier with a list price of US$15,000. ZEN Phono is the first record player made by iFi for less than $200, and it is a truly outstanding device in terms of sound per pound.

For anyone obsessed with vinyl revival, ZEN Phono is the ideal companion for the turntable of their choice. It provides unparalleled price specifications and performance, can perfectly match all types of cartridges, whether it is a moving magnet or a moving coil.

Each turntable needs a cartridge to amplify the low-level output of the cartridge to "line level" and apply RIAA equalization. Some integrated amplifiers and preamps have built-in phono amplifier stages, but they vary in quality and are hardly as well-designed external phono amplifiers placed in the signal chain between the turntable and the line level input on the amplifier level.

Designing a truly high-performance turntable stage is no easy task. On the one hand, it is difficult to amplify the delicate output of the cartridge without amplifying the noise. In addition, the output from different cassettes varies greatly, which means that many phono amplifier stages only work best on certain types of cassettes. These problems are more serious in the entry-level market of the phono-level market, where basic circuit design using common off-the-shelf components can usually bring ample performance-entry-level products are okay, but you can spend more money Easily surpassed.

The design of ZEN phonograph aims to break the limit that can be reached at the entry stage phonograph stage. Its circuit design has the advantage of high price, and its series of precisely designed settings ensure true versatility. Whether it is a turntable or a turntable, ZEN Phono always provides first-class performance.

ZEN Phono's circuit uses a balanced, symmetrical dual mono design-due to complexity and cost, this topology is usually reserved for high-end audio products. The balanced circuit design has the ability to reduce noise and crosstalk, thereby improving the clarity of the sound, and has long been advocated by the famous high-end audio electronics engineer John Curl-his analog amplifier design (including multiple landmark phono amplifier stages) It has been praised since the 1970s.

Curl is now iFi's technical consultant. He worked with the iFi internal technical team headed by Thorsten Loesch to produce excellent quality circuit designs for this affordable phono stage. At such a low price, this completely balanced ultra-low noise design is unprecedented.

ZEN Phono's balanced circuit includes surface mount components of exceptional quality in entry-level designs. For example, the capacitors used include TDK C0G and Murata multilayer ceramic types, and Panasonic ECPU polyphenylene sulfide film devices-these are not cheap, but they have first-class ESL (Equivalent Series Resistance) and unique qualities such as high stability Performance and high reliability. Low distortion is of great benefit in terms of sound quality and accuracy of RIAA equalization.

Like many iFi audio products, ZEN Phono contains a customized OV series operational amplifier-in this case OVA2637. Due to the ultra-low distortion (0.0001%), this also makes a huge contribution to price-destroying audio performance.

The best phonograph player on the market generates its own power source from the mains, similar to a mains regenerator, in order to amplify the audio signal of the cassette tape without adding noise. ZEN Phono achieves this goal, but not in a conventional way. It creates a power supply with an oscillation frequency of 1.2MHz, which is 20,000 times the mains. In this circuit, the filter capacitor with a rating of 10uF is equivalent to 200,000uF at a lower audible frequency, which has excellent filtering capabilities. The power circuit is located on its own "island" on the circuit board to ensure that the audio signal is not polluted-only ultra-clean +/- 12V DC.

The technical characteristics of phono cartridges vary greatly, but in addition to moving magnet (MM) types, phono-grade cartridges priced under £200 can also handle moving coil (MC) cartridges, not to mention further adjustments to gain. To take full advantage of any cartridge used by the user, choose to hire.

The ZEN phono is an exception. It offers a gain setting range from 36dB to 72dB, which is impressive even in the expensive phono stage. There are a total of four gain settings: 36dB (MM), 48dB (high output MC), 60dB (low output MC) and 72dB (ultra low output MC). This allows ZEN Phono to make strides to adopt more exotic MC cartridge types.

At this price level, another rarity is the subsonic filter, which is activated by the front panel button to process the large subsonic signal output caused by the distorted recording. This proprietary circuit is the function of all iFi phono stage, "intelligent" filters out unwanted subsonic output without affecting any deep bass in the recording, which is an undesirable side effect of some distortion filters.

This is how it works: The vinyl cutting lathe contains a so-called "elliptical filter", which means that the low-level bass on the LP is always mono and only produces the horizontal movement of the stylus. Therefore, any low-frequency vertical movement of the stylus when tracking the LP can only be the result of recording deformation. iFi's subsonic filter eliminates the effects of recording distortion in the vertical direction, effectively completing the work without the common disadvantages of attenuating any low bass or increasing group delay.

The rear of the ZEN Phono and the usual stereo RCA inputs and outputs are all gold-plated for best signal integrity, while the rear has another phono-level rarity-the 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output. It can be used to connect to a power amplifier with balanced inputs or active speakers-Pentaconn 4.4mm input (such as the input on a ZEN CAN analog headphone amplifier) ​​or XLR input via an adapter. This allows a fully balanced connection to take full advantage of ZEN Phono's balanced circuit-at this price level, no other phono can provide balanced output options.

A ground terminal is also provided. Connect the turntable's ground wire here to avoid ground loop problems that may cause hum. Even the way ZEN Phono switches between settings has been designed to ensure the transparency of the sound and is handled by a microcontroller that "wake up" only when the settings are changed to avoid any electronic noise that is harmful to the sound.

ZEN Phono is the fourth product in the ZEN series to join iFi. The mission of this series is to make high-performance audio easier to use than ever. Just like

,

with

, It offers unprecedented specifications and performance at its price point. iFi ZEN Phono will be on sale at some retailers from September 4th at a price of US$149.

Ceramic capacitors are small, they don't leak, they are convenient, but they are strange. Certain types of capacitors lose capacitance based on their operating voltage. If you use ceramic covers for filters, DC to DC power supplies, bypass covers, or any devices that require precise capacitance in the circuit, problems may arise.

[Mathieu] proposed a tool that can measure the capacitance of the cover over its entire working range. He is calling it

, Although the name may be a bit confusing, the function is not. This small box will measure the capacitance of the part in the voltage range of 1.3V to 15.5V.

By connecting SMD tweezers or test clips to the capacitor, OpenCVMeter can increase the voltage and measure the capacitance of the part throughout the test cycle. Then dump these data to the Chrome application (a very popular platform for testing device applications), and display on the screen to determine the ability of the capacitor to work in the circuit

If you have ever used antique electronic equipment, then you will know that the first thing that deteriorates in any piece of equipment is the bottle cap. Either the bottle caps had extremely loose manufacturing tolerances at the time, or they were actually

The key, but a clumsy hat may paralyze everything from tube amplifiers to computers. This is a very concise tool and does not actually exist in a single dedicated device.

I believe that the old but still powerful ESI VideoBridge can actually perform these types of tests.

Not only are electrolytic capacitors prone to aging due to the drying of the liquid electrolyte? (Although all caps may fail for various reasons).

I think ceramic capacitors are a separate issue.

Paper wax will also expire with the passage of time, and many antique appliances are using them. I believe that mica may also fail with age, and when they do, they will also show some very, very strange symptoms, such as not showing their failure immediately or testing well on the meter, but there is a problem when placed When in the circuit and housing, it will not.

Tantalum caps can also fail due to age-related issues, especially after being unplugged for a long time.

When they fail, they will fail quite a bit. Suddenly, I have a big power source. Suddenly, a hot tantalum heat is emitted, and it falls on the carpet. I scramble to find something to pick it up.

So, why should the PSU be removed from the case in the first place?

This is an open power supply.

…Able to test ceramic covers in the entire 1.3v – 15.5v working range. Does the working voltage of the ceramic cover not exceed 50v?

I am always thinking.

The voltage of the micro SMT is lower, so the size is smaller.

There is no problem with the size of 50V 0402. 15v is a big limitation. There should be an external voltage input.

I designed the device to measure capacitance at the most commonly used voltages.

Compared with other ceramic capacitors, some ceramic capacitors have very high capacitance and low voltage. Just like 10uF at 15V. However, the capacitance they bear varies greatly with the applied voltage.

Why not just use electrolytic capacitors, you can get higher capacitance? Since aluminum foil is made by winding aluminum foil into a cylinder, it has high parasitic inductance. ESR is often greater than ceramic capacitors.

The high-value ceramic cover is made of many parallel metal and dielectric ceramic layers, so the parasitic inductance is very low. This is very important for bypass applications such as switching power supplies and circuits with peak-to-valley ratios.

Higher-value ceramic capacitors use ceramic formulations with higher dielectric constants. The disadvantage is that the breakdown voltage is low, the piezoelectric effect makes them detect and emit sound at the same time, the capacitance temperature changes and the capacitance changes with the applied voltage.

I would never use one of these high-value ceramics in any situation that requires strict tolerances. Like active filters or passive filters, in addition to general low-pass or high-pass filtering, more needs to be done.

Is there a ceramic cover with a rated voltage not exceeding 15V? Usually at least 60V.

Many I think 6.3 V is the lowest universal rating.

Yes, 6.3V is quite common, but there are several 4V and even 2.5V types.

High-value MLCCs have low voltage ratings. When you push C up, there is only so much dielectric in a small package. 1/2 CV ^ 2 I saw 4V 10uF in 0603.

I didn’t know that they made ceramics with such a high capacity, thinking it was just electrolysis or tantalum. Technology, right? Yes, I was thinking about the traditional round terminal type, not the compact SMD type.

SUUUUPER is useful. The derating of SMD ceramic capacitors is so large that I would not even consider decoupling capacitors. Through-hole 0.1uF @ 5V decoupling capacitors may require a "1.0uF 0402" @ 5V to similarly filter out 5V power noise. To make matters worse, from most data sheets I have seen (I’m basically just a workshop manufacturer with a rated CV curve now), it’s not even better at higher rated voltages (in fact, CV The curves tend to be the same; you can just put more voltage on it safely)

For the decoupling of digital circuits, packaging and PCB layout dominate the capacitance to achieve high frequencies. Your through-hole part has capacitance, but it will be lost in the long lead, which is the mounting height above the PCB (larger loop area). The 0402 part works better in modern circuits.

This is a very interesting article, which details why this is a very cool device:

Wow... this is a good find, thank you!

What about people who claim to be "open source" but not open source? Someone told me that I was stupid and published this kickstarter design file?

This is what I can find:

Mathieu Stephan

In the next few days, I will write a detailed article on the schematic website.

Interesting project, but I also want a larger voltage range. We work a lot at the 24V and 48V supply voltages of the equipment, so 50V and 100V rated capacitors are common to me. Even the standard 100nF decoupling capacitors in the 0402 package we use are rated at 50V. If we need large-volume products in small packages, then we will only reduce the voltage rise. Well, maybe once they release the hardware design, we can make an improved version in which you can set a higher voltage and reduce some accuracy, or work at a lower voltage to get a higher resolution.

What I would also like to see is an extension of the complete RLC meter, which can give some estimates of the series inductance and resistance in the capacitor. If it is not calibrated correctly, using long test leads may not be so easy.

In fact, you can connect the power supply in series with the leads to increase the voltage.

In the next few days, I will write a detailed article on the schematic website.

Hi, maybe someone needs this kind of measurement every day, in which case this might be a useful tool.

However, you can use any other capacitance meter to make the exact same measurement.

The only thing you need to do is to decouple the DC bias voltage from the measurement circuit.

Option 1: Connect two identical samples in series in the test circuit, and then apply a DC voltage to the intermediate node through a 10 MΩ resistor.

Option 2: If you only have one sample, connect a known second capacitor (or a capacitor with a capacity two or more orders of magnitude higher) and perform the same measurement.

Similarly, the C(V) characteristics encountered under certain conditions of specific ambient temperature and certain mechanical stress are almost useless in applications.

The most important thing in the application is to know the upper and lower boundary values ​​of the allowable deviation from the ideal C (V) characteristic curve. For this reason, if you do not recycle parts, you only need to read the data sheet.

I admit that in most cases, you can infer this characteristic from the measured curve

The capacitor under test can provide isolation. You need an isolated power supply, then lift the ground wire of the capacitor under test and apply a negative bias voltage to it. I only increase the voltage after connecting all the voltages to avoid sudden charging current flowing into the capacitor tester.

Then, the bias voltage is the power supply voltage and the voltage applied by the capacitor tester. In the case of the EDN circuit, it only applies about 600mV plus or minus about half a volt. Therefore, if you want to test under 5V, set the power supply voltage to 4.4V. If you are testing at a voltage of 50V or higher, the slight offset may be ignored.

"In addition, the C(V) characteristics encountered under certain environmental temperatures and certain mechanical stresses are almost useless in applications.

The most important thing in the application is to know the upper and lower boundary values ​​of the allowable deviation from the ideal C (V) characteristic curve. For this reason, if you do not recycle parts, you only need to read the data sheet. "

agree

I should say that I assume that the short line from the power supply provides the bias voltage and the ESR capacitor in the power supply is low. Alternatively, a capacitor with a sufficiently high rated voltage, low ESR and at least 10 times the capacitance of the capacitor under test can be inserted in parallel next to the bias voltage and connected in parallel with the bias power supply.

I think it’s worth repeating that whenever discussing the failure of an old capacitor...

If you have not turned on the power of the old device for a long time, charge the capacitor slowly. Depending on the design of the device, it may be simple, just plug it into a minimal autotransformer and slowly increase it to the line voltage. Or... it may involve disassembling the device and individually powering up specific parts, whose starting voltage is much lower than its normal working voltage, and then slowly turning it on.

In doing so, many of these capacitors will be reassembled... they will not fail. Now, you can open it normally next time.

Say again...they are still veterans and their value may drop slightly. As an alternative method.. Just replace them all before powering up. This prevents accidental damage to other parts when these old capacitors become short circuits (or catch fire).

Either way...don't just plug it in and open it! ! !

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