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I just got a soldering iron! Time to buy some caps - help me put together a PE order

mswer

mswer

Needs some space to think
So, I've finally gotten around to getting a soldering iron and I have a bunch of projects I can work on now. I'd like to put together a Parts Express order (or an order from somewhere else, if PE isn't the best place to order - that's just the name I see here most often) and get started on some projects!

Here's what I have in mind now:
  • Re-cap 2 pairs New Large Advent crossovers
  • Re-cap 1 pair EPI 110s (same as the EPI 100 but with the ugly vinyl covering; still a nice little speaker that I've heard good things about re-capping)
  • Re-cap a Sansui 771 with a noticeable hissssssssssssss that's driving me mad

Things I could re-cap/order parts for, if recommended:
  • 1 pair EPI 180
  • 1 pair AR-3x
  • Pioneer SX-1050

So, AK hive, please help direct me to the right parts. I have never re-capped a receiver or speakers before, so I will probably be following up for more assistance on this project in the near future.
 
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For the solid state electronics you will be looking for electrolytics. Digikey is a better source for those.

For crossover caps I recommend Dayton over Solen. I think the Daytons are a bit more tonally balanced. You could do a lot better finding vintage GE or Aerovox Motor Run caps at Ebay stores. They are more transparant and natural sounding than most poly caps (my opinion of course). Russian K-75 Paper with myler and oil caps are very good sounding caps and an excellent value as well (found in Ebay stores).

Remember that you don't need an exact value, but you want the speakers to match. You can also combine caps in parallel to get the value you need. For example, two 5uf connected in parallel give you a 10uf cap. For speakers, any voltage above 100 should suffice. I don't know that there is any disadvantage to a high voltage cap except that you will pay more for them and that they wil be bigger.

To match caps you will need a good multimeter that can measure uF.

Enjoy yourself. I am just a couple of notches past novice after two or so years doing this hobby. It has given me many hours of relaxed happiness and feelings of accomplishment. In restoring these speakers you are helping to insure that future generations will have the opportunity to experience a golden age of electronics engineering. You will be a preservationist.:thmbsp:
 
The thread below has some analysis of prices vs. quality for Parts Express caps. Many folks here like the Dayton film-and-foil (not the 1%) as good quality for the $.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=201466

You'll want to open up a speaker on each pair to find out what's in there unless someone here pipes up with the right values.

I would not worry about having a capacitance meter right off, because if you replace with a good quality part they're going to be in the ballpark. If you had a golden ear and were running $10,000 speakers with $25,000 amps, you might want to go to the trouble. I doubt you'd hear the difference in the (very nice) eqpt. you listed.

Finally, I'd do the speakers before tackling the SX. It's going to have lots of caps doing all sorts of different jobs, many of which are not directly handling audio, and you'll have to either get a schematic and determine the actual signal path or find someone who can tell you what to replace. JMHO, having done many speakers and no receivers myself.
 
the spec's for the NLA xovers can be found in a sticky thread containing tons of good advent info. it is in the speaker forum, i believe, but don't quote me...
if your nla's are like my ola's, they are going to be fairly easy to work on. just take your time, don't worry too much, and have fun! no need to pop a vessel over crossover repair, lol!
 
All good places mentioned. I use mouser quit a bit also. Just to see... I will start at all electronics. all is a clearing house but has some good items.
especially dial bulbs and switches ect.
Be shure and keep your tip clean and tinned for a good connection.:thmbsp:
 
I usu. default to mouser for parts (digikey last time I ordered cost a fortune in shipping a few tiny things) but have not done any recapping (parts are for another electronics hobby). Best of luck to you!
 
The Electrolytic that Parts Express sells for speaker crossovers sound very good. You can bypass them with a .1 Dayton poly and have the same sound as a big fat poly that will not fit on the crossover board. I would not have believed this till I tried it but it works great.

thanks,
Ron-C
 
mswer said:
So, I've finally gotten around to getting a soldering iron and I have a bunch of projects I can work on now. I'd like to put together a Parts Express order (or an order from somewhere else, if PE isn't the best place to order - that's just the name I see here most often) and get started on some projects!

Here's what I have in mind now:
  • Re-cap 2 pairs New Large Advent crossovers
  • Re-cap 1 pair EPI 110s (same as the EPI 100 but with the ugly vinyl covering; still a nice little speaker that I've heard good things about re-capping)
  • Re-cap a Sansui 771 with a noticeable hissssssssssssss that's driving me mad

Things I could re-cap/order parts for, if recommended:
  • 1 pair EPI 180
  • 1 pair AR-3x
  • Pioneer SX-1050

So, AK hive, please help direct me to the right parts. I have never re-capped a receiver or speakers before, so I will probably be following up for more assistance on this project in the near future.
Click to expand...

Get a de-soldering tool (the spring loaded one, not the bulb), some good solder- they have some with 5% silver that conducts well. Get some primary wire in different colors, test leads and if you don't have one, a digital multi-meter and various sizes of heat shrink tubing.

When you're working with electrolytic caps, never assume they have been discharged. You can make a cap discharger by cutting a test lead and adding a 2.2K Ohm resistor in series. If you want to see the level of discharge, add an LED in series. Use heat shrink tubing to cover the bare wires and the resistor.

To be honest, I doubt your speakers need to be re-capped. That only applies to caps that have been exposed to extreme voltages or electrolytics that are generally over 15 years old. Speaker caps are usually non-polar and seldom electrolytic.

Also, hiss isn't caused by bad caps. That's usually caused by resistors.
 
Non Polar electrolytics are certainly used in speaker crossovers and certainly do age. 20 or 30 year old crossover caps are due for the retirement home, sometimes called the dumpster.

thanks,
Ron-C
 
are you wearing pants? I have found them essential in any soldering job.

just saying.

+1 to the desoldering tool advice. those spring loaded dealies are a lifesaver.
just have some form of vessel to dump the waste solder in, otherwise you will have all these super thin slivers and flakes of solder all over your work area from when you depress the desoldering tool to recock it.
I use a crappy old coffee mug, and I always cock the desoldering tool over it to catch all the solder flakes.
 
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