I don't know if there's a specific thread for this, but I stole it from @Bratwurst7s and made slight mods to fit my use case. Note, I'm a dummy so there might be better ways (I'm also including a bit of info on how to remove caps, since I'm fairly new and you might be in a similar situation. That's at the end). Also, note. It's often easier to just drill a hole for the new lead(s) and scrap away some of the board. But that wouldn't work in my case due to there not being space between the + and - points. Anyway, here's how I made the flat leads you find in a Yamaha CR-640 (and many other receivers)
EDIT: See notes below. You can use spacers to make the caps fit flush with the board, which would be better.
Things you'll need:
1. Plyers and other things to bend copper
2. An anvil, vice or brick
3. A standard snap-in (or similar) capacitor.
4. Raw solid 16 gauge or similar copper wire (you can strip any scrap wire)
5. A past due bill from Comcast
6. Usual crap you need for working on electronics
Step 1: Remove the old cap (see tips at the end) noting how it goes on the board. You can see things don't look so go. I'm 10 mm short and only the left lead on the new cap is orientated the way I want it.
Step 2: Take the past due Comcast bill and place it over the old cap. That's your template.
Step 3: Take my favorite tool, the hammer, and pound away at some copper against a brick or vice or whatever. You want it just thin enough so it'll pass through the template.
Step 4: Now you can start to bend the flat copper so you have the rough shape for things. You want to do most of the bending before you solder, so those points are strong. In my case, I was able to bend the copper 90 degrees and just fold down the snap in tab to hold it in place for the LEFT side. Use the hammer and pounding surface to make the turn exactly 90 degrees. The right side was a bit more of a PITA.
Step 5: For the right side, I needed that to turn 90 degrees, so I notched the copper in the center and forced it around the snap in lead on the right. See how I tinned these copper leads with solder. That way, when I do the final soldering, all that will hopefully join the new stuff I'm adding and form a nice seal all the way around the metal.
Step 6: Now the leads can be lightly bent to fit the template. Note the joint on right needed me to follow up with a bit more solder. If you have to bend a lot, use two sets of plyers to avoid disturbing the solder joint.
Step 7: Ensure a nice fit, cut the leads close to the board and solder away. Note I used a lot of (no clean) flux and it made a bit of a mess. I cleaned this up later.
Step 8: Enjoy a beverage of your choice and tell your spouse EXACTLY what you did, step by step, as you survey your work.
Hope this helps someone! Desoldering tips are below:
Desoldering tips for big @ss filter caps.
These can be very intimidating. The first time I recapped an amp I cracked the board taking one out. This should help anyone who is struggling. A few tips:
1. Find the best solder tip that works for what you need. Here, I needed to desolder a large rectangle, so I picked that tip. Then I followed up with a smaller one to get all the bits.
2. Use lots of flux. That makes the work more efficient. More flux equals less work and heat on these old, fragile boards.
3. Use wick or a desoldering pump. I use a heated desoldering pump and follow up with wick for these. Continue adding flux if you're stuck.
4. Make sure you have the leads completely removed from solder before you start cranking around. It's impossible to remove all but get as close to perfect as you can. Then things are less likely to break.
5. If you have glue (and I'll bet you do) keeping the cap in place, grab the heat gun. Note, if you have these leads completely free of solder and nothing budges, you have glue. Blast that cap with the heat gun on the component side (low setting) and be careful you don't blast any wires or other parts. That cap is being tossed, so you can get a little spicy with it. BUT, it shouldn't be too hot to touch. Keep it around 120F or so. I don't know Celsius but let's assume it's the same. 120 F or C, just to keep it simple. IF you have the cap warm near the bottom that faces the board and nothing is wiggling, slow it down, Charles. Step away from the heat gun and give it a second to work.
6. Once you start gently rocking the warm cap you'll notice that the heat immediately freed things up and it's now more sticky than glue. At that point you can turn the unit on its side and use one hand to wiggle and pull the cap, and the other with a hot solder iron (I go 700f) to hit any places where solder is being a real prick.
7. Have another beer and tell the misses or misters!
EDIT: See notes below. You can use spacers to make the caps fit flush with the board, which would be better.
Things you'll need:
1. Plyers and other things to bend copper
2. An anvil, vice or brick
3. A standard snap-in (or similar) capacitor.
4. Raw solid 16 gauge or similar copper wire (you can strip any scrap wire)
5. A past due bill from Comcast
6. Usual crap you need for working on electronics
Step 1: Remove the old cap (see tips at the end) noting how it goes on the board. You can see things don't look so go. I'm 10 mm short and only the left lead on the new cap is orientated the way I want it.
Step 2: Take the past due Comcast bill and place it over the old cap. That's your template.
Step 3: Take my favorite tool, the hammer, and pound away at some copper against a brick or vice or whatever. You want it just thin enough so it'll pass through the template.
Step 4: Now you can start to bend the flat copper so you have the rough shape for things. You want to do most of the bending before you solder, so those points are strong. In my case, I was able to bend the copper 90 degrees and just fold down the snap in tab to hold it in place for the LEFT side. Use the hammer and pounding surface to make the turn exactly 90 degrees. The right side was a bit more of a PITA.
Step 5: For the right side, I needed that to turn 90 degrees, so I notched the copper in the center and forced it around the snap in lead on the right. See how I tinned these copper leads with solder. That way, when I do the final soldering, all that will hopefully join the new stuff I'm adding and form a nice seal all the way around the metal.
Step 6: Now the leads can be lightly bent to fit the template. Note the joint on right needed me to follow up with a bit more solder. If you have to bend a lot, use two sets of plyers to avoid disturbing the solder joint.
Step 7: Ensure a nice fit, cut the leads close to the board and solder away. Note I used a lot of (no clean) flux and it made a bit of a mess. I cleaned this up later.
Step 8: Enjoy a beverage of your choice and tell your spouse EXACTLY what you did, step by step, as you survey your work.
Hope this helps someone! Desoldering tips are below:
Desoldering tips for big @ss filter caps.
These can be very intimidating. The first time I recapped an amp I cracked the board taking one out. This should help anyone who is struggling. A few tips:
1. Find the best solder tip that works for what you need. Here, I needed to desolder a large rectangle, so I picked that tip. Then I followed up with a smaller one to get all the bits.
2. Use lots of flux. That makes the work more efficient. More flux equals less work and heat on these old, fragile boards.
3. Use wick or a desoldering pump. I use a heated desoldering pump and follow up with wick for these. Continue adding flux if you're stuck.
4. Make sure you have the leads completely removed from solder before you start cranking around. It's impossible to remove all but get as close to perfect as you can. Then things are less likely to break.
5. If you have glue (and I'll bet you do) keeping the cap in place, grab the heat gun. Note, if you have these leads completely free of solder and nothing budges, you have glue. Blast that cap with the heat gun on the component side (low setting) and be careful you don't blast any wires or other parts. That cap is being tossed, so you can get a little spicy with it. BUT, it shouldn't be too hot to touch. Keep it around 120F or so. I don't know Celsius but let's assume it's the same. 120 F or C, just to keep it simple. IF you have the cap warm near the bottom that faces the board and nothing is wiggling, slow it down, Charles. Step away from the heat gun and give it a second to work.
6. Once you start gently rocking the warm cap you'll notice that the heat immediately freed things up and it's now more sticky than glue. At that point you can turn the unit on its side and use one hand to wiggle and pull the cap, and the other with a hot solder iron (I go 700f) to hit any places where solder is being a real prick.
7. Have another beer and tell the misses or misters!
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