Death Caps...

[bluegrassphile]

...Just curious, for those who like to dig inside their tube home audio amps...do you have to be cautious of the caps inside audio tube (or even ss for that matter) amps, similar to guitar amps? I've seen numerous posts about replacing caps and making other mods to audio amps. Are home audio amps as dangerous as guitar amps when it comes to modding the electronics?

 

[audio.bill]

Yes you do have to be careful dealing with potentially charged capacitors in home audio amps, and tubed amps generally operate at higher voltages than solid state so extra caution is recommended. If you're not familiar with electronics and don't know how to properly handle such circuitry I'd suggest leaving it to professionals. You can encounter lethal voltages in audio gear and particularly with tube power amps, please exercise good judgement!

 

[CGabriel]

...Just curious, for those who like to dig inside their tube home audio amps...do you have to be cautious of the caps inside audio tube (or even ss for that matter) amps, similar to guitar amps? I've seen numerous posts about replacing caps and making other mods to audio amps. Are home audio amps as dangerous as guitar amps when it comes to modding the electronics?

I have witnessed reverse biased electrolytic capacitors explode - up close and personal. It will not make for a nice day.

And then, 450 VDC with just the right circumstances can put your heart on pause ....

 

[CPP]

I say follow audio.bill advice.

And this little vid. https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/video/incorrectly-using-capacitors.html

 

[bluegrassphile]

Thank you for the advice. You can be assured I'll follow it.

 

[bluegrassphile]

There are a significant number of audiophiles that like to "roll their own" and many that are really good at it. Especially E.E.s and electronic techs of various kinds. It does concern me though when I see someone with little to no training (like me) that want to experiment with electronics. It can be downright dangerous. Particularly when you're messing with capacitors. So, be careful out there. That is all.

 

[Mechnutt]

That's why you should always discharge a cap before handling it.

Here is a great way to do it-

https://www.digikey.com/en/blog/how-to-safely-discharge-a-capacitor

Or you can use the lightbulb method-

https://www.circuitspecialists.com/blog/discharge-capacitors-in-switch-mode-power-supplies/

 

[UltraFast69]

I say follow audio.bill advice.

And this little vid. https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/video/incorrectly-using-capacitors.html

Wow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mike B.]

Filter caps self bleed off but it might take 24 hours. Many commercial electronics have a bleed resistor on each filter cap which starts lowering the charge once the unit is turned off. You can check this with a multimeter set to DC voltage. It is a good idea to replace filter caps around the 15 year age. The microfarad rating can vary but you should adhere to matching the original's voltage and temperature ratings.