Somewhere on this Forum, about a year ago, I read an opinion that the 'stolen electrolyte formula' was probably an urban myth. I intended to reply but got distracted and now cannot find the item. In the meantime, this board deleted my registration!
Anyway, I strongly disagree - this one has all the hallmarks of dirty deeds. Once upon a time, caps were well-behaved. Suddenly, a selection of formerly reliable makers started turning out bad caps (notably Luxon) and a larger selection of rogue cloners appeared with dud units. A discontinuous change occurred. The hydrogen gas scavenger had been omitted from the electrolyte mix. Clearly, the incomplete formula had been circulated amongst manufacturers incapable of spotting the oversight. This all fits with the industrial espionage theory. Any lab with a competent chemist would have spotted the omission. Those who did not were trying to cut corners at someone else's expense. This should not be end users. Since bad caps can be life-threatening by explosion, Interpol should get involved.
When repairing PSU, it's a good idea to canabalise good caps from now-defunct AT units made before about the turn of the millenium. Despite the theory, good caps seem to survive whether charged or not. Guess the aluminium oxide film in contact with a strong oxidiser retains its integrity.
Anyway, I strongly disagree - this one has all the hallmarks of dirty deeds. Once upon a time, caps were well-behaved. Suddenly, a selection of formerly reliable makers started turning out bad caps (notably Luxon) and a larger selection of rogue cloners appeared with dud units. A discontinuous change occurred. The hydrogen gas scavenger had been omitted from the electrolyte mix. Clearly, the incomplete formula had been circulated amongst manufacturers incapable of spotting the oversight. This all fits with the industrial espionage theory. Any lab with a competent chemist would have spotted the omission. Those who did not were trying to cut corners at someone else's expense. This should not be end users. Since bad caps can be life-threatening by explosion, Interpol should get involved.
When repairing PSU, it's a good idea to canabalise good caps from now-defunct AT units made before about the turn of the millenium. Despite the theory, good caps seem to survive whether charged or not. Guess the aluminium oxide film in contact with a strong oxidiser retains its integrity.
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