You guys rocks !!!!! Please forgive my lack of knowledge about the "M" and Panasonic. I simply didn't know !
So, is this an OK to use cap for power supply filtering ? When I paired it with my ELNA, the sound of the amp turns bad so I'd assume this is probably a general purpose grade cap (not for audio or hifi). Also, the size is small and I think the ripple current is small therefore affecting the ESR (higher ESR) ??
I just re-read the datesheet and google this series of panasonic caps and they are being praised !
I think I want to try just using these caps in place of the ELNA and see what happens. Maybe they don't like to co-exist with each other.....
Opinion please !!
-AC
So, is this an OK to use cap for power supply filtering ? When I paired it with my ELNA, the sound of the amp turns bad so I'd assume this is probably a general purpose grade cap (not for audio or hifi). Also, the size is small and I think the ripple current is small therefore affecting the ESR (higher ESR) ??
I just re-read the datesheet and google this series of panasonic caps and they are being praised !
I think I want to try just using these caps in place of the ELNA and see what happens. Maybe they don't like to co-exist with each other.....
Opinion please !!
-AC
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Yes, I did try pair these with the ELNAs directly and also tired with a 1R as a C-R-C filter. Both configuration degraded the sound. The JLH has a very specific magic to me. When the caps were paired, the magic was gone and the amp sounded lifeless.
The other thing I have been thinking is :- Do capacitors need to be broken in ? (there are yea and nay sayers on internet about this)
If the date code on those caps are a little old, then maybe the caps needed to be put on circuit for broken in ?
The other thing I have been thinking is :- Do capacitors need to be broken in ? (there are yea and nay sayers on internet about this)
If the date code on those caps are a little old, then maybe the caps needed to be put on circuit for broken in ?
Agree! That M logo is obviously a fake, and we are helping them make better fakes by pointing this out!
(I am holding a genuine Panasonic from D-K in my hand....)
I googled again for pictures of the HA caps. I can't find the exact one I have but most pics there came from digikey. I also suspect the M logo. It seems a little blurr to me. But I read other threads about fake transistors and the fake ones have better print so go figure. There are some pics from digikey also shows blurry M logo too.
As for as the date code is concerned, it is only four digits on my batch but from the internet, the date code seems to be six digits. But again, I can't find the exact picture. Also, from the batch of caps I bought, there are some with 9448 as date code.
Do I have real caps ? or fake ones ?
As for as the date code is concerned, it is only four digits on my batch but from the internet, the date code seems to be six digits. But again, I can't find the exact picture. Also, from the batch of caps I bought, there are some with 9448 as date code.
Do I have real caps ? or fake ones ?
I have seen real Panasonics with a 4, 5 or 6 digit date code. The old ones have 4 digits. I have about 50 of the 450 volt 150 uF caps from 2010, they have 5 digits. Some of the very recent caps have 6 digits. The gold label CEFM's have a red date stamp on the side, its not part of the printing. All were purchased from Digikey.
I have a few hundred 47 uF 250 V "Panasonic" TSNH's that I bought from All Electronics for 20 cents each. They do look different from all the rest, much thinner line width, and razor sharp printing. They also have the red date stamp. I bought a few abused them heavilly in the power supplies of guitar amps, none failed, and all worked good, so I bought more. Are they Real? I dont know, or really care. They work.
The quality of print on mine looks very very close to the big one on the left of your picture.
I think my caps will work fine on non-critical (I mean not hifi) applications. But for the sake of sound quality, I do like to use caps that proven to give good sound quality.
Like I said, I'm going to try to "exercise" them (burn in), then put them in place of the ELNAs and see what happen. Since I don't have sophisticate bench equipment, the only thing I can do is more listening tests......
I can't tell. His caps look very similar to the ones that I have. They are sized about right for their value. I am going to guess that they are real, since a faker would probably use a more current date code. Most fakes are made in China. Chinese imports were not so common in 1988.
The few fakes that I have seen are usually obvious, not by looks, but by performance.
The fakes are usually the cheapest crap the con artist could find with a new shrink wrap over it. The value of the fake usually doesn't match the label, and in the tube world the voltage rating is almost always wrong. Higher voltage caps cost more than lower voltage rated caps, so high voltage fakes usually have low voltage guts and a non matching wrapper. Any time I get some suspect caps, I connect them to a power supply, set it to about 10% OVER the rating, place a coffee mug over the cap, and flip the switch. The fakes often reveal themselves with a bang. I'll test about 10 and none better draw any current.
That might not be the case here. The time constant test mentioned above could give a good approximation of the value. So could a decent capacitance meter. If the value is correct, they are probably real.
Thanks for the pics... it's as others have said really.
There should be plenty of available caps in larger can styles,
Your Search Results | Farnell United Kingdom | Results
There should be plenty of available caps in larger can styles,
Your Search Results | Farnell United Kingdom | Results
No.
But they do need to be reformed to withstand the expected working voltages.
Or better still reform to full working voltage.
I wonder if cherry picking the lowest leakage samples would have an effect on either measurements or sound.
The Panasonics are 24 years old and will need reforming with a series resistor of 100 ohm to 1 k for 24 hours without a load. if they are still any good and then how long would they last? They also seem smalll for a cap of that age and capacity. I don't think you are doing your amp a favour using caps that old. Buy some decent new ones- Panasonic or Nichicon ( Great Supply if you can) - Morecroft - try a few Silmics in parrallel.
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