Fake Panasonic cap?

[Gianni]

Few days ago I replaced 5 capacitors on an industrial board.

One was completely bulged.

They were Panasonic FK type... but I suspect they were fake because the vent was not the classical T.

I post here some photos to have your opinion.

I was surprise because they were mounted on an UPS of a well known Italian company... and I can't believe they buy fake components.

Ciao
Gianni

[lti]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

It looks fake to me. Some of Panasonic's high voltage caps have an X-shaped vent, but I think a cap that size would have the T vent. The bottom seal and printing are definitely wrong.

[kaboom]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

Fake for sure...

No T vent, and I've never seen Panasonic caps with that seal.
Print is off and there's no stamped date/lot code.

Looks like some "Hermei" or similar trash...

[Topcat]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

100% fake.

[stj]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

wrong colour anyway, FK series have a purple sleeve with gold print - not black.

[Gianni]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

Thanks to all for confirm my suspect.

I really don't understand why a well known company use fake components... and I'm not speaking of consumer appliances but industrial/professional products.


Regards
Gianni

[Per Hansson]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

You should e-mail them and ask.
Perhaps they have bought the caps and not knowing they where fakes?

[petehall347]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

tell the company the serial number of the unit ..it might be a fake unit ..it does happen .

[PeteS in CA]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

Two employers ago I worked for a largish maker of motor controllers. Generally, the company bought only from component manufacturers and authorized distributors. But every once in a while there were brief shortages of a particular part - none available, except from the "gray market" of non-authorized distributors. Perhaps that is what happened in this case.

Our practice, in situations like the above, was to obtain samples of the gray-market parts and have them verified by the component engineering people (of whom I was one). In one case the counterfeit caps were so bad that I didn't even need to open the bag of parts - the sleeve was the wrong color. In another case, some gray-market power MOSFETs, not only were we able to detect that they were fake, but we could tell what they actually were (a good part, but not as good as what they supposedly were).

[Gianni]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

Well, I have informed my friend that asked me to replace capacitors, but I don't think he will proceed to inform the UPS maker.

The UPS has worked fine for 8 years and was still working when my friend saw the bulged capacitor.
He asked me to replace capacitors because usually the company doesn't do this kind of service... they prefer to sell a new board and it costs some hundred euro.

PeteS in CA probably you work for a serious and professional company, this is not the same with this UPS maker.

Ciao
Gianni

[kaboom]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

a serious and professional company, this is not the same with this UPS maker...

Ciao
Gianni

Who likely sourced a "standard" design someplace, and had it branded/customized with their name. Or was semi-legit, and the fake parts got subbed in after the initial samples/prototypes arrived and were approved.

[petehall347]

Re: Fake Panasonic cap?

8 years is pretty good .. expensive batteries should have put you off by then ..