Replacing Electrolytic Capacitors

[@escobarr8818]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for actually showing the soldering being done. I've searched and found way too many videos completely skipping the actual soldering.

[@carlsapartments8931]

you are clicking on the wrong videos then... this guy definitely does it the hard way

[@X-Raid]

I've only ever soldered a few speaker wires together in the past, and never done any PCB work before. My 60" TV wouldn't turn on and I narrowed it down to a bad capacitor on the board. This video gave me the confidence to give the repair a try, and for just a $5 capacitor and an hour of my time the TV is now back up and running when a week ago I thought I might have to junk it. Thank you!!

[@nickgenericusername]

Thank you for going into all the necessary details without adding any useless information. This is a great tutorial :)

[@NINEWALKING]

This is very nostalgic video for me. I was doing it this way because of lack of tools mostly. Well I didn't know any other way and eventually it was working. I still recall nightmares with multi layers PCB and trying to insert enough heat. Then I found solder wick, vacuum pump and eventually de-soldering iron. First improvement was cleaning pads after removing a cap with solder wick. Made soldering new caps way easier. No need for the dance. Then came better soldering tin with a good flux/rosin. No need to tin cap legs and clean pads made soldering easy process. Now days especially removing that evil cheap leadfree tin and using proper 60/40 and cleaning pads is crucial. Then I found out that vacuum pump speeds up de-soldering and cleaning even more. Apply the heat. Make sure heat came true to the other side heating the while solder joint wetting all of the tin. One press of the button and leg is free. Then I found de soldering irons. Man that was de revelation. Now days there are so many cheap alternatives and even heated manual vacuum pumps. Just got one for nine bucks. No heat regulation one size tip and its basically hollow soldering iron instead of teflon tip of a manual vacuum pump. Works as good as any de soldering iron if you do not mind manual operation. Currently I am not de-solderingnor repeating much so I can't justify to my self proper professional desoldering iron. Last revelation for me were new style active tip solderin irons. Got 3 different once lol. JBC with 130 watt cartridges is pure magic. So small and capable of doing anything. So dynamic and so capable of heat delivery. It does same job with 300 degrees Celsius that old school soldering irons need to go to 450 degrees or cheaper models can only dream about. This helps with multi layer boards and ground and heat sinking planes in such boards. JBC is at working temperature in 2 ti 3 seconds and working fast will not cool it down at all. In need of active tip soldering iron and not having JBC money? Get one of the Chinese T12 tip irons. I think Ksger is the best. Use tips that come with it then switch to genuine Hakko T12 or T15. Forgot to mention cleaning off flux/rosin with IPAcame after seeing nightmares when people have left it on. Especially when some bright person have used acidic flux for soldering pipes on the electronics. All in all introducing few steps and better tools made it faster and way easier. Back then recapping a ATX mainboard would take hours. Now it would take 15 to 20 minutes. Desolder all with de-soldering iron. Wick all the pads with good wick (pun intended). Next soldering the new caps with JBC and good tin. Then cleaning it off with isopropyl alcohol and wipes. Easy peasy. I wish I have had this back in the time.

[@itdepartment1764]

Thanks for the essay Regards

[@xrysf03]

All of that, plus he was replacing elyts in a switch-mode PSU secondary side and DID NOT mention ESR. I couldn't believe my eyes. Picking the right capacitor for the job is *crucial* and it's not just a matter of capacity and voltage. Thumbs up for Nichicon, but he skipped the choice of product line. After that, I'm not at all surprised that he has not mentioned solid polymer - which in my experience turns the circuit immortal (as far as capacitors go), except in rare cases the tiny ESR may destabilize the feedback loop of the SMPS, and solid poly also should *not* be used in filters or RC timing circuits, due to their inherently higher leakage (would skew the timing or ruin operation of the circuit). Regarding ESR (and permitted ripple current, which is the flip side of the same coin), you really need to study a handful of vendor datasheets to get a clue. You will likely end up settling on one or two high-grade families of wet aluminum elyt capacitors from each top-notch vendor (Nippon Chemicon, Panasonic, Nichicon, Elna, Kemet, maybe one or two others) and you will specifically know that there are the cheaper product lines, from those same vendors, that you need to *avoid* for SMPS use. Any solid polymer (almost regardless of vendor) beats any aluminum elyt, except that solid poly is not available for higher voltages and it features that slightly higher leakage which matters in analog circuitry = for those two cases you go for quality wet aluminum. The caps originally used likely have twice the nominal voltage (or more) compared to what they actually sustain in the schematic. This is for practical reasons (BOM variety reduction) and there was a rule of thumb that "nominal = twice the actual voltage" results in maximum lifetime, all else equal. And then the board maker would typically save on cap vendor and ripple current dimensioning. So if I have a chance (I have a schematic or I can measure the circuit beforehand), and I have a clue about the function of the circuit that I'm recapping (most often some stabilized PSU rail) I first look for a solid poly that's just "one step up" from the actual voltage (such as: 5V actual -> 6.3V nominal) as for solid polymer this is perfectly okay. And on SMPS secondaries, I go for a cap model that fits in the space (diameter and height), that's available to me (stock levels are problematic nowadays), that has appropriate nominal voltage, and I try to max out the capacity. Even in the polymer range, I tend to find a cap that has larger capacity (and I could actually go even with a lower capacity, as it's really ESR that matters in SMPS secondaries). And I can be pretty sure that any polymer will have significantly lower ESR than the comparable aluminum wet elyt I am replacing = ESR is not much of a concern in that case. Concerns about "higher capacity than original = risk of blowing an inrush-limit NTC" is only any concern in the SMPS PSU *primary* side, where you likely won't have enough space to hitch capacity up anyway. This concern could also be valid for audio amp rail voltage, on a secondary side after a conventional 50Hz iron-core transformer (which can carry several times its nominal power, for a limited time during inrush). In contrast, in SMPS secondaries, don't worry about inrush. Inrush does certainly happen on startup, but is inherently soft-limited by the SMPS main stage maximum carried power, and the energy storage capacity (in watt-seconds) is far lower in the secondary, compared to what's stored in your primary, because of E=(1/2)CU^2, and because of the capacitances typically present in the primary and secondary side. Also, the secondaries only start charging after the primary inrush is safely over, and the main stage starts up. If you'd crank up the secondary side capacitance *way up high* (decimal orders), the SMPS would probably detect a failure to reach output rail voltage within some timeout and would either shut down altogether (output short circuit detection) or would keep re-trying (hiccup mode), and might as well reach normal operation after a few hiccups (or not). Some industrial PSU's are actually protected by a constant current limit on the output (time-unlimited, or time-limited for e.g. 3 seconds) but that's not something you'll find in PC's / displays / consumer electronics. BTW, thumbs up for mentioning IPA for cleaning, and the various flux varieties. I have one specific use for aggressive acidic flux in microelectronics: it's an excellent agent for de-oxidizing your soldering tips, including the hollow variety in desoldering guns. An oxidized tip ruins your whole soldering experience. I keep around a few coin-sized scraps of sheet copper or tin-covered iron, and a small flask of "stainless steel flux". When my soldering tip goes dull, I depose a tiny drop of that acidic flux on a piece of tin-covered metal sheet, and wallow the tip around for a bit in the molten tin+flux. The fumes are really bad, but the tip is like new. Then there are some "best practices" for taking care of your tips, such as apply a droplet of tin on the tip when turning the iron off = keep it soaked. And, bronze or brass shavings are more appropriate (sensitive on the tip) than a wet sponge. And a tip for working with the heated desoldering hollow tip/gun: apply the tip on the component leg being desoldered, wait for the tin to melt through the hole, and then gently wiggle the hollow tip around on the leg, by circular motion, and only then apply suction, while still wiggling around. In problematic holes (large areas of spilled copper) the air sucked through the hole will quickly cool down the hole below the melting point, but chances are that this motion helps you clean the hole thoroughly before that happens. When I have a problem with "too much copper around", there are pre-heat aids (pads) commercially available, or I apply additional heat on a nearby soldering pad, or I can apply a thin local streak of hot air... sometimes I would use four or five hands, rather than just three 🙂 Actually as a first measure, if I fail to desolder a lead-less leg upon the first attempt, I apply a drop of Sn60Bb40 on the leg, which hopefully soaks through the hole all the way to the component side, and dilutes the pure tin - so that the second attempt has a better chance of succeeding. A colleague used to have a special tin wire with Bismuth content, for this very purpose (low melting point, diluting problematic solder joints when desoldering).

[@DisappointedSon0813]

@@xrysf03 Holy shit. Who has this kind of time to type this? Lol.

[@alexsolis09]

Finally someone says which is the negative and the positive on the board!!! Thank you

[@Dutchamp]

And sometimes pcb boards made mistakes with printing and when the board was made, caps blew of course the polarity was wrongly printed on the board, to cut costs the guys who solder the boards ignored the wrong print and installed it right. Now years later you come along and follow the printed negative sign. Bang caps blows up. You allways check if the print is 100% correct on the installed cap. If not always follow installed caps negatives. Make pictures first!!!!

[@PTRussell3]

I just used your technique to recap a Vinotemp VT-12TEDi Motherboard. I have never done this before, but it only took about 20 minutes to recap from start to finish. Thank you for your efforts with this video.

[@Jdngls]

What a clear and concise video. Thank you! I have soldered circuit boards before, but I have to make a repair on an obsolete board and was feeling nervous about it. Watching you do it (and the tips you provided) have made me more confident I won't completely botch it! Many thanks!

[@mackchannel6348]

Thank you very much for posting this simple explanation. I am facing a cap replacement for a beloved automobile's Electronic Control Unit, and while I have never done soldering work before, this explanation of the methods and techniques is of great help in preparing me to square up to the bench and get it done.

[@HNXMedia]

Hero level video! Clear, concise and to the point. So much info crammed in this video. Perfection!

[@creativestudios3533]

This is a really fantastic explanation. You've done a great job here. This is awesome. I'm just getting started on this. I have 6 capacitors on my board that are bulging and have heard brown rust on. Thanks again, this is great video.

[@lollycopter]

Thank you! I was initially completely baffled about how to remove capacitors and for some reason assumed that I was supposed to use solder wick but of course, through-hole components are different. You just saved me money and a lot of time because I would have resorted to buying/waiting for a replacement logic board from China for my Dell E2310Hc. Two cheap replacement capacitors later (as per C. David Graves's repair video) and my monitor is as good as new again. I even managed to do it without a clamp/stand, by just "pinching" the cap with my fingers and the board resting on my mat - switching pinching/soldering iron hands also helped with the angles. :)

[@drmertes58]

Very well done and professional video. Thanks Professor !

[@Continental1997]

Thank you so much. I was able to repair my mother board. You procedure for replacing caps is perfect!

[@szaman1701]

Thank you, thank you very much. My 5.1 PC speaker set started to emit some noises at the start, after some investigation, with the help of some people I found that some capacitors gone bad on amplifier board, and I didnt know how to approach to replaceing them. Thanks to your video I have a chance to repair my speakers and enjoy great sound quality again. Thank you.

[@KaiSoDaM]

Hi washu. Big fan here! S2

[@szaman1701]

@@KaiSoDaM Why that you for your kind words, but I'm not entirely sure, what are you referring to.

[@ihrescue]

This is an excellent guide. I am about to replace a bad capacitor on a Techniques 70's era amplifier. Thanks

[@normfolkers8966]

Nice to see an old Heathkit oscilloscope still in use on your workbench. I had a similar one once. Wish I'd kept it. But at least it went to a good home.

[@mattsrinc]

Thank you for the great video - I had exactly the same problem (failed Samsung monitor) and only in your video I've actually seen the instructions how to orient the capacitor(s). Otherwise there would be at least three explosions out of nine capacitors!

[@surfride101]

Thanks for the video, explains so much about the run of bad caps during this era; monitors, appliances and auto... personally, I like using a solder sucker. my next re-cap of all places is the FICM - fuel injector control module in my duramax. There is a cottage industry charging upto 2k to "reman" these out-of-production "FICMs" 5 caps ($20). The caps on this Bosch board blow hard and down and invariably take out the pcb. Shame on Bosch for not mounting the caps horizontally, as on the board in your vid, so when they blow the cap vents without destroying the board.

[@VladimirPutin-p3t]

Wow, this was a really good video, and I'm sure you've helped a LOT of people. To anyone else who just watched this, there are other ways a capacitor can go bad that won't bulge the top. Often this can be detected with an inexpensive " ESR meter" Regardless, this vid is a GREAT start!

[@bluwolf1067]

Good explanation, but I would recommend that you remove the old solder with a solder sucker. Reheating the joints that many times is bad technique; risking damaging the pcb pad and the component. Reheating the solder multiple times when installing the new component also causes the solder to oxidise increasing the risk of a dry joint later on. In general heat should be applied for the minimum time possible; just long enough to allow the solder to run into the joint and no longer.

[@dangoodell2]

Yeah, in my 58 years of soldering I've heard all that before, but consider it overly cautious. Kind of like how you should never leave your house without a broad-brimmed hat because of the risk of skin cancer. Well, maybe, but probably not. I do have an assortment of solder suckers and solder wick of varying sizes, but in my experience you can do more harm than good if you try to get too fancy. The technique I've illustrated doesn't require expert soldering skills. Competent, yes. Expert, no. I prefer to keep it simple and avoid overthinking it. And let's not forget that for many people the alternative would be to junk the whole device, so what's there to lose?

[@bluwolf1067]

dangoodell2 fair enough, each to his own I suppose 🙂

[@dogbreath203]

@@dangoodell2 I totally agree with you!

[@lllllllllllllllllllll1lll1]

​@@dangoodell2 I've reached the same conclusions as you after 6 years of working on vintage audio gear. Solder wick and desoldering tools work well.... but they require more application of heat to the board. It's a compromise- less old solder in the joint, yet more heat applied to the contact and surrounding components. Fine and dandy if it's a modern board with sturdy contacts/traces/layer construction, not so good when you're dealing with the flimsy old yellow boards of the 70s-80s. Personally, I'd rather reflow the leftover solder with fresh Kester rosin flux and Kester 63/37 than risk lifting a contact or trace. Not to mention the time savings- when you've got 24+ channels to recap on a mixer, getting every last bit of solder off the joint would triple the repair time. I see full desoldering as "high risk" with minimal gain. The less heat into the board, the better.

[@koningklootzak7788]

​@@dangoodell2 let's thank the good comment before being defensive only.

[@NorskSokkel]

This is very helpful. It's rare that I learn so much in just 10 minutes. Thanks. Subscribed.

[@chuan-kangshih78]

Thank you so much! Showing the process from both sides is particularly helpful.

[@Polyester_Avalanche]

Great camera work and explanations. Very helpful!

[@tonycorcini3964]

Thank you so much. Now I can look for a replacement . You explained the capacitor easily for me to understand. Thanks a lot.

[@RickTharp]

Thank you Dan. This video was just what I needed. I followed your instructions and everything worked out great.

[@Winternightdejavu]

Sacks! Old technology by old man, but when reading comments i have filling they're never even tried, all followed by this guru!

[@thebeardofpepe]

You make this look so easy dear lord!

[@Clarkweber1815]

Great video! I would like to add that bad capacitors began to flood the market in the 90’s. My Panasonic Omnivideo VHS camcorder is a prime example of this.

[@freedomkeeper8003]

One of the best videos I've seen. Thanks Dan! Very explicit and professional. Gives me some confidence to work on my old Kenwood Model Eleven which has at least three e-cpas that have been oozing for quite a while to the point they have hit the PCB. Also found one broken resistor which was actually loose. After watching this vid I replaced an in-line fuse for the display lights successfully. I am hoping to go deeper into fixing several of the circuits that don't work as well as several display lights. Hoping Digikey may have these very old parts?

[@wvillewhippoorwill]

What an excellent video and instruction! You are a gifted teacher. Thank you.

[@carlsapartments8931]

no... it's not, poor method

[@broken1965]

Nice video..Just to remind people caps can still be bad without any visual damage in circuit test or removal test on all caps are must

[@smokesandalloy9487]

That's a nice looking vise and you do a great job at explaining nuances of this work

[@djlosmi]

This worked! I replaced the capacitor on my PC power supply which was bloated. Now typing from it :) Thank you.

[@markharrisllb]

This video is one of the, if not the, most comprehensive videos I’ve seen for recapping. May I ask why you don’t use a pump of some description to remove the old solder. The tinning of the cathode and anode is a brilliant tip, thank you. CapXon seems to be one of the worst offenders for not being up to standard. I’m glad you can’t see my soldering.

[@timnielsen7809]

I have this same 226 with the same problem. I’ll be doing this fix soon. Thank you!

[@Metalhead-4life]

Should we lick the top and then the legs of the caps to make sure they are discharged before removing them?

[@PhantomDoge]

thank you, i was looking everywhere for this, i have the same exact problem with my AOC 144hz monitor, now off i go to amazon to get the tools.

[@MrStrollerisme]

Thank you so very much for this video. I have a Pioneer DVD and found it was made was them junky capacitors. I made a couple phone calls and was able to obtain the correct capacitor. It is a Panasonic and from what I have found they are pretty good replacements. Thank you again.

[@Bartyman]

Thank you! Really good video. Easy to see what you do and a lot of information 👍

[@obviousanonymous358]

Bruh my monitor is the EXACT same model and I had to throw it away for the same reason, I will definitely take this advice with me going forward. Thanks so much :)

[@iadgreen28]

Very clear and thorough. Great job!

[@fernandosaenz2582]

My next solder joint is going to be SO HOT!!!! WHOAH!!!! Thank you Dangoodell for making this video!!!! Why can't all KZbin videos be this clear and informative?

[@ICHLIEBEmusic]

I want to experiment with 12v ride on car circuit board. What soldering kit should I start with

[@mightybison15]

Very concise and straightforward. Thank you!

[@alexlebrun5699]

Great video, Im actually repairing the same three caps in the same exact monitor. Thanks for the info

[@donsutherland5706]

Rocking the capacitor back and forth must be done carefully without putting any downward pressure on the lead which has been partially extracted. Otherwise, the solder pad can detach from the board. I prefer to use a solder sucker to remove the solder from the joint before trying to lift the capacitor as it will often fall out by itself if this is done. If not, just heating the joint will often free the lead. Applying flux to the joint makes the process go much more smoothly and prevents overheating the board if solder does not melt as soon as the iron is applied. I agree that only suspect capacitors should be replaced. After visual inspection, the ESR (equivalent series resistance) of each electrolytic capacitor should be checked as capacitors often fail when they look normal but the electrolyte has dried out. I have an old HP distortion analyzer from the late 1960's that has not needed a single electrolytic capacitor replaced. Back then, electrolytics were made to last, often with epoxy seals instead of rubber.

[@echoingelle]

Do I have to discharge the capacitor first? Just wondering. Going to try to replace two on a Hisense television

[@mstripay]

Thanks for the video. Question - is there a temperature to set the solder gun at for this type of work? Hope to do a vintage turntable re-cap and wish to be careful.

[@dangoodell2]

If you do actually mean "gun", IMO you're looking at the wrong tool. A soldering gun is typically higher power (100W+) and for larger, bulkier projects. It's gun shape is also more awkward to handle around delicate electronics. In contrast, a soldering iron is typically 40-60W, heats to about 700-800 F., and its pencil shape and finer tip enables better control. If by "vintage" you mean you're merely soldering discrete wires to lugs (ala, old tube-type radios), a gun might be okay, but I wouldn't use it on circuit boards or solid state electronics. A soldering iron would be better.

[@scubasmith]

Thank you for this video. Very helpful!

[@LenoreMaggs]

I would highly recommend discharging them before any desoldering, electrical charge maybe present (internally) even after a long time of no usage, to do this simply touch both leads with an insulated pair of needle nose pliers to discharge any remaining current, then you can desolder the pads and remove them

[@downtownlife]

By far the best instructions I've seen.

[@TheSchmidt62]

Great video! Useful info for something I am about to do!

[@Llegando_Tarde]

Great video, I am going to try this very soon thanks alot!

[@arnejohansson-rz2pe]

can I replace a high-voltage ceramic capacitor 100pk/1kv that is not original for a TV ?

[@XxdartvaderxX]

what your doing at 7:25 is that really necessary? like tinting the whole leg i usually just put the cap in then solder it too the board first video ive ever seen of this lol

[@dangoodell2]

During tinning, the rosin in rosin-core solder chemically cleans the capacitor leads so the solder bonds to the metal better. The light coating of solder will also remelt with the old solder already on the board and make a better bond between board and the cap's leads. Remember that with the method I'm using to install the new cap, I'm mainly reusing the old solder and not adding solder to the joint, so there would be no new rosin to otherwise clean the leads to help with solder adhesion. That could lead to a poor joint. Tinning is a good habit to get into just as a general practice, but is particularly useful in a project like this. Tinning is quick and easy, and if you're going to go through all this trouble in the first place, it would be silly to skip such a simple step.

[@tunkunrunk]

there's a video of someone replacing electrolytic capacitors on a computer motherboard , with polymer capacitors (e-cap) , the problem is that he skipped the soldering part , and didn't power up his board to show us if it really worked . so , I'm asking if any of you tried that , or if we can find another videos where we can see all the steps

[@remnantadventures7088]

Hey Dan. Great video. Where can we get a vise like that? What is the brand name? Thank you.

[@dangoodell2]

There's no name on it, and I've had it for several decades. You can find similar vises, though. Do an Amazon search for "table vise with suction base".

[@audiophileman7047]

Thank you very much, I really appreciate this video. 👍👍👍

[@TechGPrimeZ]

what do you recommend I use to hold an xbox 360 mother board? I am getting ready to do this on blown capacitors on a xbox 360 motherboard and I am looking for the right thing to hold it, like you have in this video. Thanks.

[@dangoodell2]

Well, the whole point is that you need at least three hands for a project like this, so that's where a small desk vise comes in handy. There's a wide assortment of vises and flexible clamps on Amazon and elsewhere specifically for this purpose. If you don't want to spend the money because you'll only need it one time, then just ask a friend to help hold the board for a few minutes, and you'll literally have the three (or four) hands you need to complete your project.

[@carlovelasco6343]

Is it advisable if the capacitor is close or besides a mosfet , if you remove the mosfet using hot air blower do you need to remove the capacitor before removing mosfet?

[@ChrisHiblerPinball]

I would add that using a side cutter to clip off as much of the old cap leads as possible will make removal much easier. Don’t try this on large “snap caps”. You’ll pull through holes. Instead, use two irons to heat both leads simultaneously.

[@Sams911]

In your opinion ... if I want my new electronics equipment to last the longest... is it better to shut it off when not in use and keep the capacitors cool... but deal with cycling on and off? or juts leave it on all the time and thus no heat cycles?

[@weeardguy]

It depends on how long the monitor is off and how warm it gets. Better monitors run cooler and usually have better components and thicker PCB's inside, which makes temperature cycles less of an issue. The average consumer-monitor though (That usually also runs in the 'holy-shit-look-at-the-light-output-every-colour-looks-sooo-bright' mode) is better off with turning it off fully. Don't forget that almost all power supplies feature a primary controller of some sort that usually has a small electrolytic as well. Always connected to mains means this capacitor (or the controller-chip) is always working as well, which just wears them down. I've had a Delta switching power supply fail after something like 83000 hours if I remember it right. That was well beyond the stated typical MTBF of something like 60000 to 75000 hours. If i had turned the power supply off in between use, it would probably have lasted longer. (btw: the Delta power supply did not fail because of bad caps, but had its controllerchip fail)

[@Sams911]

@@weeardguy not a monitor... a electronics (audio) component... DAC, CD player, etc... but I think I get your gist.

[@weeardguy]

@@Sams911 Ah yeah... I assumed it was a monitor considering the many people in the comments talking about monitors and the video being about one ;) Considering the audio-components you talk about, I think you are referring to hi-end stuff. I know there are quite some people who think they perform the best when you never turn them off ;) Whether you want to pay the electricity-bill for that is up to you ;)

[@Sams911]

@@weeardguy I just want them to last as long as possible

[@thxepsilon8292]

@@Sams911 The recommendation from my hifi source is to always turn things off. Not only do they save on wear and tear, but also unforeseen events (eg power surges), which not only risk the particular item but also anything else that is connected to it. Warm-up time for optimal listening is another matter, of course, and depends on design, etc. It's tempting to warm up tubes before critical listening, while solid state afaik should not require more than a few seconds.

[@davidferguson8478]

You should use a solder sucker to remove the solder it would make it a lot more easier

[@unknown35514]

I have these bad SMD 68 uF 35V, but i cannot find a replacement for it, the only available ones are 100 uF 35V.

[@blueandbanana]

My receiver stays on for 20 minutes then shuts off by itself. It has nothing connected except for the power cord. I can solder a little bit. Does the diode, transistor, or capacitor control the on and off button? How can we tell if the diode, transistor, or capacitor is bad?

[@humbertocares8385]

Excellent master Soldering Class... Thank you very much

[@ICHLIEBEmusic]

I get paranoid. So I might replace one at a time. What do you use for cleaning the tip

[@dangoodell2]

Wipe the tip on a damp sponge.

[@fredleggett923]

When you pre-tin the tip, is that using just regular ole solder or something special?

[@dangoodell2]

Nothing special, just ordinary solder. Clean the tip on a damp sponge, then a quick touch to the solder to re-tin the tip.

[@fredleggett923]

@@dangoodell2 Gotcha, thanks!

[@outerlimits7527]

What desk vice are you using? The only ones i can find are either screw down or clamp down desk vices.

[@dangoodell2]

I have no idea. There's no name on it, and I've had it for several decades. You can find similar vises, though. Do an Amazon search for "table vise with suction base".

[@outerlimits7527]

@@dangoodell2 Thank you for the lead.

[@0Akeldama0]

what is a cold solder joint? thanks

[@ZoKtorR]

Thanks a lot for the clear explanation! I always thought it was needed to remove the old solder and apply new. Would you replace the solder on vintage equipment, say 40+ years old?

[@dangoodell2]

As a general rule, I do not try to remove old solder unless I can't get a good joint with the new component. You can make a mess if solder drips across circuit board traces where it's not supposed to, especially if the traces are close together. However, in some environmental conditions really old solder may oxidize enough to develop a gray, gritty coating that comes off on your fingers. Such solder probably won't bond with the new part and can leave you with a cold solder joint. In that case, remove the bulk of the old solder and apply new solder. You don't need to get all of it off, just enough so the rosin in the new solder can finish the job cleaning the contacts for a good, new bond. You can use solder wick or a solder sucker. I've also had success just lifting the board an inch or two off the workbench and letting it drop. If you use this latter technique, add a bit of new solder to the old solder so the ball of solder will be a bit heavier, then drop the board so the molten solder drops onto the workbench in a small ball. With a little forethought you can orient the board so to lessen the number of components the ball will drop past, minimizing the risk of the solder catching on other components and bridging circuit traces. But the need to remove old solder should be rare. Most of the time I've been able to get a good solder joint without resorting to special efforts to remove old solder. Sometimes I may even add just a touch of new solder to bolster the joint, since some of the old solder may have been taken away on the leads of the old component or on the tip of the iron. Plus, the rosin in the new solder also helps to clean the joint a tad more.

[@dirkvantroyen9170]

@@dangoodell2 Thanks a lot! It's good to be able to learn from the experts.

[@lawrencethompson465]

@@dangoodell2 Really excellent and detailed explanation here. Ditto for the video. Thank you.

[@johntaylor8271]

I need a cap job. My hands are too shaky to do it. I can send you the PCB (4 box caps and 2 axial caps) and you don't have to disassemble or assemble anything. Do you have a website for your place of business? thanks

[@silver60618]

Nice video. I was told Capacitors work in a series, so even good ones must be replaced, is this true?

[@johnmitchell2741]

Excellent video the only part that scared me was clamping board in a vice

[@duroxkilo]

pretty nice soldering skills! I would rather not have the caps completely seated using this technique, unless it's a high vibration environment... not playing an expert on recapping and haven't measured the temp, but to me it seams like there is a real danger of heating the new caps for unnecessary lengths of time going from one leg to the other like that, especially for a beginner doing the first soldering projects.. maybe alternating between the caps...? A toothpick could be used to clear the mounting holes prior to inserting the new cap (melt the solder and plug a toothpick in for a sec). De-soldering tools can help in removing the caps and also in clearing the mounting holes for the new caps. The automated vacuum ones are the best as one can do a circular motion around the leg vacuuming the barrel clean (pcb thru holes). De-soldering tools can take a while to learn to use; the larger the pump the better the suction but also clumsier to use.. The way I like it goes like this: remove the old caps while setting the tip temp so it takes 2-3 sec to melt the solder (considering the nature of the board and capacitor, talking about regular sized ones, not the 3" cans, etc), clear the mounting holes, mount the new caps one leg at a time (2-3 sec dwelling time for a nice solder flow), trim the legs last as it helps dissipate some of the soldering heat in my opinion and clean the finished project with paint thinner, acetone or >70% isopropyl alcohol.

[@centaur188]

theres always one.

[@huhzzz2915]

Wish i would have found your video sooner, like a dumbass i tried to remove the solder from the holes but it never worked with wick or soldiering pump so i had to heat it and use a sewing pin. Changed 23 caps of a monitor like this, the pain it was.

[@erniecurl3344]

What size solder are you using

[@OpenYourMind80]

When you say you can step up the cap if you don't have one with the same value, How far can you step up? i have a cap on a motherboard 330uf 6.3v but the closest value i have is 330uf 50v?

[@dangoodell2]

I'm not a chemist and won't claim to be an expert. (Electrolytic capacitors depend on the chemical properties of the liquid electrolyte under the influence of a particular voltage range.) In this instance, though, the e-caps are conditioning the power (smoothing the supply voltage by removing spikes, noise, and AC hum), where specs need not be stringent. I would have absolutely no reservations about replacing them with parts 2-4x over spec (say, 800-1200uf at 16-25V). Generally the only consequence is you'd get a supply voltage even smoother than necessary, which is not a bad thing. Be careful trying to push things too far, though. A part vastly different might have other properties (such as impedance or ESR) that could detrimentally change the way the circuit operates. Beware the physical packaging of your replacement part; will that 50V part physically fit in the space allocated for the original part? Is it small enough? What about lead spacing? If it will fit, and if you're unwilling or unable to find a closer match, I would go ahead and try it. I would expect it will work. In power filtering applications, it seldom needs to be that precise. For the nit-pickers out there, I'm qualifying this by reminding everyone that these are power filtering applications (as seems to be the case with every bursting-cap case I've come across), not signal processing applications, and in my video they're on a device that has already failed and is otherwise destined for the trash heap. I'd generally prefer to use a better matched part (and if it's a high-end device that absolutely must be repaired at all costs, I'd insist on it), but if the alternative is the device will just be tossed, then there's nothing to lose. I'd try that 50V part because it may likely work.

[@smoothbrain9923]

geez how many of those samsung 226's went bad?

[@Rainbow__cookie]

Many

[@sueellenblubaugh934]

Outstanding video! thank you DAN!

[@OregonDARRYL]

Should I replace 40 year old caps in an audio amp that look good?

[@ikemkrueger]

This does work with lead based solder. Lead free solder needs a lot of higher temperature.

[@Cmikus01]

Made that look easy. Great video

[@flatspin5382]

Can i replace 1000uf Capacitor and place 4000uf capacitor on motherboard? Does it effect any problem?

[@train4905]

Awsome help thanku sir😊😊

[@SevenCompleted]

what do you clean the tip with just run it across a wet sponge?

[@dangoodell2]

Yes. Wet the sponge, then squeeze it out. To clean the iron, just drag the tip across the damp sponge once or twice. Do it often. With use, the tip will build up excess solder, so frequent cleaning keeps the excess solder from interfering with your work. Little balls of solder will accumulate on the sponge, but after you're done you can just shake them out in a trash can.

[@SevenCompleted]

@@dangoodell2 thank you mate

[@fe3613]

What's a good soldering iron temperature to use for this?

[@dangoodell2]

The soldering iron in my video is 60W, 700 degrees (F).

[@ChadAmI80]

Is there any concern needed to discharge the caps before de-soldering them from the board?

[@weeardguy]

Yes and no. The big risk in these types of power supplies is the primary electrolytic capacitor, that stores a nasty charge that usually (not always) takes a while to either 'bleed' via a resistor parallel to it, or discharges via the power supply that tries to keep going while there's no mains power anymore. When such power supplies malfunction, defects can cause this primary cap to hold its charge for long after disconnecting from the mains. The low-voltage caps will discharge themselves by normal order (as in: power supply loses mains power: power supply tries to keep working for as long as possible and eventually stops working: this discharges most caps to safe voltages. Besides that, the voltage they work at hardly poses a risk to the user. It DOES pose a risk to surrounding electronices when you make a mistake, the cap is still charged and you short it by accident via a nearby component. But, especially when electrolytes have failed to the point they discharge their internal fluids, the internal chemistry usually makes sure they discharge rapidly after losing power. I would not recommend trimming and tinning the leads of new capacitors in advance of soldering them in. Instead, clean the holes with solder wick or a desoldering pump and stick in the new cap. Gently bent the legs out and solder the leads. This leads to a better mechanical connection as opposed to a solder-connection only. Electrolytics are quite bulky components and thus need to be installed in a sturdy manner.

[@cinema6r845]

What happens if you burn the hole on the board. Can it be repaired?

[@maximiliano1761]

Just to clarify on PCBs that are not marked + or - the negative end is the zebra striped side?

[@dangoodell2]

There's no convention if the board uses clear vs. completely filled half-circles (I've seen them indicating both ways), but zebra-shading seems to be more consistent. In every case I've seen, the zebra-shaded side has always been negative. Also, a heavily-inked arc along one side of the circle may also be used to denote the negative side. To be sure, make it a habit of noting polarity before removing the old capacitor, and/or look at other capacitors on the board to see how they are oriented vis-a-vis the board markings.

[@maximiliano1761]

dangoodell2 thanks. I wasn’t replacing capacitors I was putting a delay guitar pedal together so it was all a fresh PCB. And there was no reference point but thanks for answering

[@rorym1980]

this is waaay harder than it looks. Trying to replace 5 caps on my original 2001 Xbox but the solder just wont melt. Ended up pulling the caps with pliers cold then drilling out the holes. I got caps of same uf and v on ebay. Yageo is the brand. hope they are ok, they are a bit smaller than originals. Now im having trouble getting the solder to stick the legs to the board. Will have to try tinning the legs maybe. Have i killed my Xbox? I dont know what to do. If I buy another one it could have same issue.

[@inputfunny]

Make sure to put fresh solder on your iron's tip. That will give better heat-transfer and make it much easier to melt the old solder since the new solder will have new flux.

[@mthomas1091]

When I ordered ‘matching’ caps (I thought) for a vintage synth, their voltages said “VDC” instead of “V”. Should I use them? I didn’t think a synth plugged into the wall would use DC. Thanks, great video!

[@dangoodell2]

In this context, V and VDC mean the same thing. Yours should be safe to use. Most electronic equipment operates on DC, so a power supply (either in an outboard power "brick" or built into the device itself) converts AC current from the wall outlet to DC current used internally by the device. These electrolytic capacitors are used to filter and smooth out the converted voltage. Remember that they are polarized, so make sure you orient them in the proper direction.

[@grumpy_ken]

great technique, no wasted steps. depending on what the pcb is, I'll sometimes clean and tin the pads real nice also, though not strictly necessary as you demonstrated

[@amb7247]

Replacing a audio cap soon on a amplifier board dayton spa500 to be exact with a new nichicon 470uF 25V cap. Found one bulging and its a noise reduction cap. This appears to be simple. I'm getting a solder kit that should also help.

[@jondavidgriffin]

So how did that go? I have an old Rotel amp that needs recapping

[@Davi-did]

Awesome and informative video.

[@rayg5445]

I went to digikeys website and the part I need says Manufacturer Standard Lead Time of 19 weeks. What does that mean?

[@dangoodell2]

I have no relationship with Digi-Key except as a customer. Maybe you could ask Digi-Key?

[@RixtronixLAB]

Nice video, keep it up, thank you for sharing it :)

[@msgproductions3515]

Wouldn't capacitors still have power stored in them? Is there danger of electric shock from doing this?

[@dangoodell2]

In this case, these are low voltage caps and don't store much power. Also, whatever charge they might have dissipates almost immediately after power is disconnected, so no shock danger.

[@JasonSmith-qx3zh]

Thank you super great video🎉❗️

[@jasonhess7452]

Why do you put more solder on the tip before removing the capacitor?

[@dangoodell2]

For best results, you want to keep the tip of the soldering iron clean, typically by wiping the tip on a damp sponge, to remove excess solder, flux residue, and other crud. After cleaning, the tip is "re-tinned" by touching it with a dab of fresh solder. (Electronic solder is composed of mostly tin.) A wet tip helps provide quicker heat transfer to the parts being soldered. You want to apply the iron to the parts for as short a time as possible to limit heating too much of the area and damaging parts, but you need to apply it long enough to melt the solder. IOW, high heat transferred quickly is better than lower heat transferred over a longer period of time. A dab of wet solder on the tip of the iron promotes more rapid heat transfer.