recapping

[hammondcrazy]

I hear a lot about recapping this recapping that and it makes TOTAL sense. So i have that Magnavox radio with the 6v6 outputs two tubes. It has a powerful sound but scratchy and the magic eye lights up but looks like it would if you tune in a strong station, but never changes even when there is no station tuned in. Now with that said, what capacitors do you change out? The large can looking ones or every single one like the ceramic disc shaped ones? the ones that look like linked sausages you know the ones with a lead on each end? I want to restore this radio. Thanks so much. Mike.

 

[buglegirl]

Hello,

Anything paper (Link Sausages ) or can type for sure. The lil ceramics rarely go bad as well as any mica's you come across.

Of course there is a school of thought to only replace what is actually bad. But that requires some testing equipment and I am not talking about those cheap multimeter cap testers.

The fact is from my point of view is that testing caps most of the time is more time consuming than its worth. Only high value caps benefit from testing or new ones you get to make sure they are within spec.

Frannie

 

[Radioboy]

^^^Exactly. And I agree as well with the testing...Often, it takes just as much effort to test one, as it would to replace it. And until you get into the hi-dollar multi section cans, it really won't cost that much to get your basic cap.

However, if you're new to cap replacement, and this radio has seen use recently, read up on a process called "Draining Capacitors." Sometimes, a failing cap will store a charge long after the power has been cut....and you could be grabbing leads to live voltage, yikes!

I tend to replace all the power stage filter caps, and all the other electrolytics when I get a new piece of gear.

 

[Omegaman]

My Telefunken Gavotte had the same problem with the magic eye

The 470k resistor tied to pin 9 of the EM34 was faulty. Once I replaced that the Telefunken EM84 magic eye works perfectly

Give it a try