the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

[ratdude747]

after seeing a couple recent and active threads involve major bad caps no-no's, i think we need a (semi?) official set of rules that covers some of the most common and dumb recapping mistakes.

may i start?

here goes:

1. NEVER buy caps from Ebay! 99% of them are FAKE! It is not worth the risk! Do yourself a favor and stick to here at badcps.net or a credible distributor (didgikey, mouser, etc.)
2. NEVER use used caps! *
3. Always replace all bad branded caps with a vent on them. *
4. Recap ASAP... unless you want a charred, dead, and ultimately useless motherboard, etc.

*- unless you have an ESR meter and can verify the ESR is within tolerances on the caps out of circuit!

thats all i can think of...

note- it is not in the FAQ because often times, it is not actually asked until somebody is in deep s***... jusk ask the owners of those vp6 boards that got bbq'd because they let the bad caps remain too long...

maybe a sticky?

[c_hegge]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

1. NEVER buy caps from Ebay!

Unless they are from This guy. He's about the only ebay seller I know of whose caps are genuine.

EDIT. Another rule: Don't use general purpose caps.

[kaniki]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

and now the REAL start and actual rules of the topic..

1. Ebay is not the prefered place to buy caps and should not be used unless you know the seller is a reputable seller with genuine caps (most selling from china are not).. If you are not sure, then buy then from a reputable seller like badcaps, etc..

1.5. Make sure that the caps that you buy are good name brand caps.. In other wards, do not buy cheap made in china pieces of crap.. (evidentally this was not a high priority on ratdudes list since it never made it in the list..)

2. Never use used caps unless it is an emergency or unless you know that the caps are good and have been tested for integrity.

3. Always replace all bad caps of the variety that is found to be bad or is of known bad brand or series.
* sorry ratdude, but if i had a board here with a bunch of KZG caps on it and i had it out to replace some, if i had them or could get them if i was replacing some, I would replace them, even if they tested good.. leaving them in a system even if they are good at the moment is like a ticking time bomb..

4. If you are ratdude.. get out the marshmallows.. enough said on that one..

5. Make sure that the caps fit the application.. example, make sure that you use ultra low esr caps for motherboards, etc..

6. pick on ratdude.. its fun..

[ratdude747]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

and now the REAL start and actual rules of the topic..

1. Ebay is not the prefered place to buy caps and should not be used unless you know the seller is a reputable seller with genuine caps (most selling from china are not).. If you are not sure, then buy then from a reputable seller like badcaps, etc..

1.5. Make sure that the caps that you buy are good name brand caps.. In other wards, do not buy cheap made in china pieces of crap.. (evidentally this was not a high priority on ratdudes list since it never made it in the list..)
1. Ebay is not the prefered place to buy caps and should not be used unless you know
2. Never use used caps unless it is an emergency or unless you know that the caps are good and have been tested for integrity.

3. Always replace all bad caps of the variety that is found to be bad or is of known bad brand or series.
* sorry ratdude, but if i had a board here with a bunch of KZG caps on it and i had it out to replace some, if i had them or could get them if i was replacing some, I would replace them, even if they tested good.. leaving them in a system even if they are good at the moment is like a ticking time bomb..

4. If you are ratdude.. get out the marshmallows.. enough said on that one..

5. Make sure that the caps fit the application.. example, make sure that you use ultra low esr caps for motherboards, etc..

6. pick on ratdude.. its fun..

i would call you certain things but i would likely get slammed by mr. banhammer...

KIDDING!

good points there...

forgot about the brands... _____ made that goof as well, twice! (mac g4 psu thread)...

the idea abot the thread is to brainstorm a list, if one were to exist, a new thread should be created as this is too much of a discussion and not to-the-point enough to be a true set of rules.

and a new rule:

if ratdude747 has 3000+ posts and kakini has far less than that, ratdude trumps kakini :sarcasm:

but really.. more rules:

if the cap has flat bungs, it is likely fake or crap.

do not add extra flux if you are using flux-cored solder...

when recapping lower quality psu's, consider using braid, the needle pick, or a desoldering iron, suction pumps (spring loaded) have tendency to kill traces on cheaper pcb's

if a psu has a lot of jumper wire and barely weighs anything (or has lead weights inside), you will need way more than a recap to fix your unit.

(USA only): radio shack has 2 uses; RC cars and ripoff tools...

be VERY careful of PCB silkscreens, ASUS among others are rebels and shade the POSITIVE side, not the negative side...

do not try mashing down the tops of bad caps (or sealing them with silicone sealant), it will not work...

those good?

edit- about the charred up vp6's, here is the original post with picas and background of the epic meltdown:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...39&postcount=1

[ratdude747]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

darn 10min edit limit

anyway:

edit2- an echo star with lead weights inside:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6341

and mashed/resealed caps:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7511

[kaniki]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

say what??? silicone sealant??? never heard that one before, but for some reason does not surprise me..

as for the flat bung part, i think that goes back to buy from a reputable dealer / dont buy china junk..

and the lower quality power supply's.. well if it is lower quality, then most likely it is a 15 dollar one.. why spend the time or money to try. They are cheap.. just get a new one..

[ratdude747]

Re: the semi-official set of recapping rules/commandments

and the lower quality power supply's.. well if it is lower quality, then most likely it is a 15 dollar one.. why spend the time or money to try. They are cheap.. just get a new one..

exactly... although newbie2 once took a totally gutless L&C and fixed it up... it was epic... all of us were wondering what he was on... but he pulled it off somehow... so one can fix one if they are dead set on doing it...