Gentleman, check your caps!

[radio nut]

I have been getting my caps(there advertized as orange drops but they are really red) off of the internet. I have seen the size get a little smaller over the years but recently they got dramatically smaller. I tested mine under full 630 volts and they seemed ok. Well I found out that they are really 63 volt caps.I really do not want to give out the name of the company but please check yours. These do not have a manufacture name on them . As an example it may only have written on it 103j. The "j" is the code for 63 v. A 105j is big enough to have 63v on it. It is still hard to tell because the print is small enough to make you think that it is a crappy 0 and not a v.

[newhallone]

Did you contact this place and let them know?

[jeyurkon]

This sounds like it could have been an honest mix up. But, do a google search for "counterfeit electolytic capacitor" You find many manufacturers reporting that theirs are being counterfeited.

John

[radio nut]

The problem was "their" supplier. They only wanted 630 volt and when the shipment came and they were all smaller. No one thought to ask, they "assumed" like I did that this was new technology at work. I have put one on my heathkit and left it there with 630 volts applied to it for about 20 minutes and the caps in question actually held. Once I really paid attention to them I did notice that they will leak a little unless you back down the voltage.

[radio nut]

Guess what, My last TV is full of the silly things!Back to work I go! I play it about 1.5 hours at a time and lets see, probably used it 15 times now.These must be high quality caps.

[radio nut]

Originally Posted by newhallone

Did you contact this place and let them know?

I mentioned it to them and they now know.

[rollei35guy]

Yikes. That's not good at all. I just got a big order a few weeks ago I'll have to check.

[sean]

Everything I have seen says that the letter is the tolerance of the capacitance value and J is +/-5%. So a cap marked 103J would be 0.01uf +/-5%.

[Findm-Keepm]

Sean is indeed correct - I've been selling parts (locally) for over 20 years - the "J" is the tolerance code for 5%. The entire EIA code is:

F = ±1%
G = ±2%
J = ±5%
K = ±10%
M = ±20%

Now for POLYESTER film capacitors, there is a letter/number code for voltages - it is:

1H = 50
2A = 100
2D = 200
2G = 400



Happy to help,

[Findm-Keepm]

Some additional marking standards, not used by the Chinese or Taiwanese:

Each capacitor will be marked with Manufacturer's logo, rated capacitance (coded), capacitance tolerance (code letter), rated DC voltage, and if additional space allows, style, type, and date of manufacture (coded)

With real Orange Drops(R) available, why settle for cheap Chinese knock-offs? SBE and Vishay-Sprague make the only true Orange Drop(R) capacitors. The split-up of Sprague in the 90's yielded the Sprague name to Vishay, and the Orange Drop(R) manufacturing facilities to SBE. Both are widely available from Mouser, Allied and possibly Newark.

Sadly, many of the competitors to the Orange Drop(R) are no longer around. Arco-Elmenco made a fine competitive capacitor- Arco is still around, but their website is MIA - "Our new website is currently being developed and will be available shortly."

Mallory made the PVC series (yes they were orange, or in some values, brown), but CDE now makes them, and yes they are the same quality, and are available from Allied and others.

If you don't need/care - at least go with a name brand capacitor. Epcos, Evox-Rifa, Panasonic, Nichicon, and even Mouser's Xicon are all great caps for recapping, and available from Mouser, Digi-Key, Allied, Newark, and even the "auction site"

By the way, the use of the Orange Drop(R) name to describe any other brand of capacitor is not only misleading, it is copyright infringement. Both SBE and Vishay guard the name vigorously. I recall an EDN magazine article a few years ago where they sued and won several injunctions over the misuse of the name.


Cheers,

[radio nut]

Well, Thank you for gentleman for filling in the cap gaps as far as codes are concerned. The ones I have been getting must not be that good if they only have as an ex. 103j on them. It is nice to know this as I have radios that may not be dollar- wise valuable but I cherish them and I might be putting crap in them.

[drh4683]

Like Brian said, go with the orange drops and you wont go wrong. Thats always been my policy. I use orange drops almost exclusively. The quality is there, made in USA and best of all, the values and manufacture code are clearly stamped on the shell. I test all my caps prior to installation and Ive never caught a dud orange drop. Ive tested the cheap caps too prior to install as there are times I must use them as OD's are not available in the odd values like a .056uF. Ive caught leaky ones that were brand new a few times. I stocked up on orange drops last year as normally it seems like stuff I like is either obsolete, or about to become obsolete and will become NLA very soon. I order all my caps from mouser, which in my opinion is the best electronic parts supplier out there. I also use sprague atoms when possible for the lytics, but many times the atoms are so large that they simply cannot fit into a tight space. For example, a 100uF@450 sprague atom axial cap is about 1.25" diameter, 3" long. Great cap though if you have the room for it. Now compare that to all the other manufacturers and you can get the same cap in about 3/4"OD by 1" long. That ends up being more practical for recap work, especially if your goal is to restuff a filter can. In which case, I almost always go with the nichicons as they are good capacitors. I am pro domestic parts (and everything else for that matter) whenever possible. When spragues are unavailable, Im left with no other domestic choices. In which case I atleast like knowing that most Nichicon caps are still made in their homeland of Japan, so the quality is still there on those. I just have a real problem with anything made in China which is essentially everything else. I'm actually recapping a set for carmine so I'll have some details on that very soon.

[radio nut]

Well ,evidently I have been using chinese caps. But this particular issue I am refering to of buying what should be 630 volts and finding out they are 63 volts is another good lesson for us. The assumption that new equals good, that they could not be bad.This could very well be why my last tv kept giving me fits. I assumed new parts could not be bad but how long can a tv full of 63 volt caps realistically last?, good quality or not.

[Findm-Keepm]

Somehow, it got truncated in my earlier post:

For POLYESTER film capacitors, there is a letter/number code for voltages - it is:

1H = 50
2A = 100
2D = 200
2G = 400
2J = 630

Cheers,