Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

[Topcat]

Launched in April 2003! Yea, it's been that long!! I was still in my 20's when I started this!

[BigTroll]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Amazing Sir! Happy Anniversary!

[momaka]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Dang... now you make me feel old too.

I joined in 2008... so I guess that's only 5 years after BCN debuted. Felt really late back in the hay-day of the bad cap era. And now?... wow, have I really been bugging people on here for 15 years?!

Well, happy 20th anniversary to BCN!
Here's to another 20

In all honesty, this place has been a huge impact on my life, both in terms of knowledge and just growing up as a person. And for that, I'm eternally grateful to you.

[televizora]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Happy Anniversary

[jiroy]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Happy 20th Anniversary for Badcaps , the best of the best !!

[Topcat]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

I After 20 years of BCN, I have decided to shut down the store... It had a great run, believe me!! ...but I haven't sold a cap all year so far. The last order was placed on December 21, 2022.

Another deciding factor is that as of Jan 1st 2023, I now have to charge sales tax for all orders...just another hassle I don't want to deal with even though I do have tax ID's...

I will never stop accepting repairs though!!

[momaka]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

I After 20 years of BCN, I have decided to shut down the store... It had a great run, believe me!! ...but I haven't sold a cap all year so far. The last order was placed on December 21, 2022.

That's really sad to hear but understandable.

After all, many PC motherboards rarely use electrolytic caps anymore. For the few that still do, you won't find them on the CPU VRM or other high-power parts. So even a cap failure on the lesser circuits will likely not cause the mobo to stop working.

That said, bad capacitors will always be a thing. But I think if you do intend to re-open your store, you'd have to restructure/reformat it, mostly towards stocking capacitors commonly found in power supplies, TVs, adapters, and etc... and that can be quite a rabit hole, since you'd need to stock on so many more values than you did before. Plus, I've noticed that a lot of times when people are doing PSU repairs here on the forums (and from my own experience too), one often needs to get other parts besides capacitors if the PSU went faulty from reason other than capacitors. To save on shipping, a lot of people chose some other online place, particularly component stores like Digikey and Mouser.
... so again, I can see why this has gotten to be where it's at.

Still, I'm glad to hear you got a good business out of this over the years, and I'm sure it's helped a lot of people keep their equipment running much longer than it could have otherwise.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Also the anniversary year of being known as "RJARRRPCGP", because of "RJA" being taken at places on the internet. I think it was in February, 2003.

(RJA Rocking, Rocking and Rocking PC Game Player)

I joined in July, 2004, after seeing reports on the internet about terrible things with motherboards. I realized that I was a dummy! At least before sometime in the 2010s! Even if I learned some more in 2009 or 2008.

I feel old, too! Even when I'm just learning new stuff. Stuff that I couldn't get my head around, even in most of the 2010s!

[Topcat]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

That's really sad to hear but understandable.

After all, many PC motherboards rarely use electrolytic caps anymore. For the few that still do, you won't find them on the CPU VRM or other high-power parts. So even a cap failure on the lesser circuits will likely not cause the mobo to stop working.

That said, bad capacitors will always be a thing. But I think if you do intend to re-open your store, you'd have to restructure/reformat it, mostly towards stocking capacitors commonly found in power supplies, TVs, adapters, and etc... and that can be quite a rabit hole, since you'd need to stock on so many more values than you did before. Plus, I've noticed that a lot of times when people are doing PSU repairs here on the forums (and from my own experience too), one often needs to get other parts besides capacitors if the PSU went faulty from reason other than capacitors. To save on shipping, a lot of people chose some other online place, particularly component stores like Digikey and Mouser.
... so again, I can see why this has gotten to be where it's at.

Still, I'm glad to hear you got a good business out of this over the years, and I'm sure it's helped a lot of people keep their equipment running much longer than it could have otherwise.

At this point, I really have no plans on bringing the cap store back. It really took off around 2005 and reached its pinnacle around 2012, it was making a fortune.....but then started to slowly decline as the capacitor problem in PC's began diminishing. In 2022, I think I sold a couple grand worth of caps all year. In 2012, I'd do that in a week.....so you can see where it's gone.

I have no complaints at all. I am out of a lot of stuff now and I don't really want to bother restocking for resale; a lot of the good factory-direct contacts I had back then are gone. I restock what I need for repairs. I still get boards in for recapping....but not like it used to be....but I'll die with a soldering iron in my hand!!

[momaka]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

but I'll die with a soldering iron in my hand!!

Once a techie, always a techie!

I feel the same way, even though I don't do this for a living. I can't stand to do just office work, reading, or watching something. Always need to keep my hands/fingers busy.

In 2022, I think I sold a couple grand worth of caps all year. In 2012, I'd do that in a week.....so you can see where it's gone.

Wow!

I am out of a lot of stuff now and I don't really want to bother restocking for resale; a lot of the good factory-direct contacts I had back then are gone. I restock what I need for repairs.

And the other thing is, I've noticed lately that a lot of the big Japanese manufacturers have started to discontinue some old(er) series, like Nichicon PW (IIRC), UCC KY, and a few others. I got an email from Digikey after purchasing caps last summer for a CRT monitor. Not sure if the Chinese cap market is taking over or what, but it's sad to see a lot of old known reliable series going away. Can still find them NOS on Ebay sometimes, but it can be a gamble.

(RJA Rocking, Rocking and Rocking PC Game Player)

I would not have guessed how you came up with your name in a million years if you never told us this.

[Topcat]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Once a techie, always a techie!

I feel the same way, even though I don't do this for a living. I can't stand to do just office work, reading, or watching something. Always need to keep my hands/fingers busy.

I think it's in the blood... I thought about a career change, completely away from tech....I just couldn't do it. I was not meant to have an office job and sit behind a desk.....I'm fine in the tech room in front of a workbench...with the iron in hand though!!

And the other thing is, I've noticed lately that a lot of the big Japanese manufacturers have started to discontinue some old(er) series, like Nichicon PW (IIRC), UCC KY, and a few others. I got an email from Digikey after purchasing caps last summer for a CRT monitor. Not sure if the Chinese cap market is taking over or what, but it's sad to see a lot of old known reliable series going away.

I used KY's in a lot of power supplies....sad news indeed. I also used a lot of KMG as well....and a couple others I can't remember right off. PW series hung on a long time, I remember those in 80's era gear!

Can still find them NOS on Ebay sometimes, but it can be a gamble.

Indeed....weeding out the fakes would be the hardest part....

[shovenose]

Re: Just a FWIW, 2023 is the Twentieth Anniversary Year for BCN!

Wow! Makes sense on the store tbh though.