Upsizing Capacitors


Gents, what kind of best practices do you have on upsizing capacitors? Capacitance, voltage - sometimes where necessary due to availability, but also which ones do you normally try to upsize if you had the choice?

rickysnit

Showing 2 responses by ieales

  • ESR increases as electrolytics age, so renewing can have benefits. Measured C maybe well within spec, but ESR is likely off the chart on 20 year old caps.
  • Capacitors are purpose designed, so ensure using the correct type.
  • Replacing electrolytic and mylar with Teflon or Polypropylene is a sonic free lunch. Matching also pays dividends if the drivers are matched.
  • ESR increases with voltage, so multiple parallel smaller caps can provide dividends. This is easier to implement in older / hand wired tube gear than modern SS or PCB tube.
  • Take any rating by listening with a grain of salt. There are innumerable uncontrolled variables that come in to play when swapping LS XO capacitors and ALL impressions are only valid for that system only!
  • ALL systems should have a soft start to reduce inrush current.
  • Tube amps can benefit from a B+ soft start allowing heaters to warm before full B+ is applied.
  • Fake capacitors abound, so buy from reputable sources like Mouser, Digikey, Parts Connexion, etc.

 

Why not? Some devices definitely have under temperature rating caps, particularly within a rack or under another component or heavy load or 24/7 operation.

105°C caps have 4x the life at rated temperature vs 85°C.

Modern caps pack more C in the same space, so increasing C and T while reducing ESR is a Win-Win-Win.