Warning: don't trust 'dead' capacitors in old gear

Repairing vintage electronics used to be my thing until a capacitor I thought was safe blew up. Now I double-check everything, even with newer stuff. It's a lesson that stuck with me.

3 comments

3 Comments

derek8752mo ago

How many hours you wanna waste testing every single part?

nathan_jenkins52mo ago

Just start with the part that failed last time or the one that looks janky. Found out the hard way that testing everything is a giant time suck. Isolate the worst offender and swap it first, aint got time for all that. That method works every time.

thea7712mo ago

Seriously, even caps that look perfect can be toast. I had one in a vintage amp that tested fine with a meter but still leaked when powered up. Now I always do a visual check for bulges or leaks, then test under load if possible. It's extra work, but cheaper than fixing other parts that get ruined. Better to spend an hour testing than days on bigger repairs. Trust me, that smell of burnt electronics never leaves you.