I've dragged a bunch of old Stax gear out of storage for ressurection. This includes the rare SRM -X amplifier and even rarer BPS-600 rechargeable power unit. These units are about 25 years old and have been in storage since about 2005.
I already replaced the batteries in the BPS-600. They're NiCads and dead as a doornail. There's a surprisingly complex charging circuit in the unit so I replaced with NiCads on the assumption that NiCads are what the charger wants to see (rather than "upgrade" to NiMeH or whatever).
Now to the real question: Is it worthwhile to recap the SRM-X? It contains 8 small electrolytics (see picture below). The unit does seem to work fine and runs cool, it's not like they've been baking in there. None have signs of stress like leaking, swollen, etc. OTOH, they're all 25+ years old. It's an easy job, nothing complex going on here, just the annoyance of sourcing the parts. Any comments welcome! thx,
-D
I already replaced the batteries in the BPS-600. They're NiCads and dead as a doornail. There's a surprisingly complex charging circuit in the unit so I replaced with NiCads on the assumption that NiCads are what the charger wants to see (rather than "upgrade" to NiMeH or whatever).
Now to the real question: Is it worthwhile to recap the SRM-X? It contains 8 small electrolytics (see picture below). The unit does seem to work fine and runs cool, it's not like they've been baking in there. None have signs of stress like leaking, swollen, etc. OTOH, they're all 25+ years old. It's an easy job, nothing complex going on here, just the annoyance of sourcing the parts. Any comments welcome! thx,
-D
Those are pretty standard parts for certain, should be easy to find.
I have older gear still working well with 40 year old capacitors inside, it will depend on how it's been used and what kind of heat if any, that they have been exposed to.
Probably not the definitive answer you were looking for...
I have older gear still working well with 40 year old capacitors inside, it will depend on how it's been used and what kind of heat if any, that they have been exposed to.
Probably not the definitive answer you were looking for...
This is a great answer, thx. You've validated my general views. I had no hope of anything definitive, just isn't possible with something like this. As posted, the unit doesn't run hot (and never has), has been little-used and seems to work just fine. Recapping would be largely prophylactic at this point.
So: I'm going to leave it alone for the time being and enjoy it. Maybe down the road I'll return to it if I'm looking for a little project. Thx,
-D
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