Perhaps I am overthinking it a bit 😱, but last time I ordered two Nichicon LNR 56000uf 50v capacitors they had the production date 2012 written on them. As they were both produced in the same year and assume Mouser will store them at conditions that won't impact the shelf life too much, I didn't see a problem.
Now I need to order two Nichicon LNR 22000uf 100v capacitors, but have been told that Mouser has a fifo policy which most likely means that I will receive two capacitors with production dates 2012 and 2020 (they had 1 still in stock before restocking with 25).
Does it make a difference at all? I could wait until Digikey has them in stock again to receive two capacitors with the same production date. However, I need other parts which only Mouser has in stock.
Now I need to order two Nichicon LNR 22000uf 100v capacitors, but have been told that Mouser has a fifo policy which most likely means that I will receive two capacitors with production dates 2012 and 2020 (they had 1 still in stock before restocking with 25).
Does it make a difference at all? I could wait until Digikey has them in stock again to receive two capacitors with the same production date. However, I need other parts which only Mouser has in stock.
I would not have accepted 8 year old capacitors in an order. The only shelf life spec given by Nichicon
is 1000 hours at 85C. However, they probably will still work within spec after burn-in.
is 1000 hours at 85C. However, they probably will still work within spec after burn-in.
I was actually surprised by the production date as I thought Mouser would have a large product turnover (maybe there is hardly a demand for the value 56000uf 50v). Anyway, they work fine and replaced 2x Elna 27000uf 50v in my Marantz PM-94. 🙂
Yeah, I don't think there's very much demand for caps that size. The originals were generously sized as-is.
With these big 85°C standard ESR can-type caps, especially from a quality mfr like Nichicon, I wouldn't be very worried about shelf-life. You should normally be able to store these almost indefinitely at something resembling room temperature as long as their terminals aren't shorted. I wouldn't trust all low-ESR types to manage the same, however, and there have been some capacitor series in the past that would go bad by themselves even when unused (blue Philips axials come to mind).
With these big 85°C standard ESR can-type caps, especially from a quality mfr like Nichicon, I wouldn't be very worried about shelf-life. You should normally be able to store these almost indefinitely at something resembling room temperature as long as their terminals aren't shorted. I wouldn't trust all low-ESR types to manage the same, however, and there have been some capacitor series in the past that would go bad by themselves even when unused (blue Philips axials come to mind).
About shelf life.... is a bit tricky 🙂 Nichicon specifies it conditionally, as you mentioned
After storing the capacitors under no load at 105°C for 1000 hours and then performing voltage treatment based on JIS C 5101-4 clause 4.1 at 20°C, they shall meet the characteristic requirements listed at right.
Service life of electrolytic capacitors improve greatly when temperature reduced, similar apply to the shelf life
By example service life of 5000 hours in 105 degrees becomes 165000 hours in 55 degrees ambient (source)
The oldest caps I had used were manufactured in late 90. Parameters were within datasheet even without forming but it was low voltage caps (35V and 50V). Caps with working voltages 63V and over I prefer to re-form before putting it in working device.
Here some more info about it if interested
If you have LCR meter it is easy to determine for yourself. Or just order +1 caps and return the old one.
REmember those temperatures are centigrade. 100 degrees is the boiling point of water - 212 F. 85C is 185F. I doubt very much that anyone stores their caps at 185 degrees. (Or 85C in the rest of the world)
My old 40 Year Pioneer SA-606 amp which I cleaned / de-oxided / chassis painted a few weeks ago during emergency house arrest has the original Nichicon caps and sounds very good without hum or buzz.
I've measured the 8000uF PSU caps and they were in tolerance.
I probably will recap it but it's working fine. The same applies to the cassette deck & tuner.
It was a pleasure hearing those old ABBA & DOORS LPs when I was testing.
I've measured the 8000uF PSU caps and they were in tolerance.
I probably will recap it but it's working fine. The same applies to the cassette deck & tuner.
It was a pleasure hearing those old ABBA & DOORS LPs when I was testing.
The only logical scale for temperatures is a Celsius of course Kelvin too. Fahrenheit scale, if you think for a second is the most [del]idiotic[/del] illogical scale of temperature measurement... Ah, yes, tradition I see.
@ garbage Thanks for the link. 2.6 in the Nichicon spec sheet states 2 years shelf life under normal room temperature conditions (guaranteed performance without reforming).
As for Celsius, I am lucky to live in Europe where it is widely used. 😉
The idea of buying 3 and returning 1 would solve the situation, However I am not sure Mouser would except the return under these circumstances.
As for Celsius, I am lucky to live in Europe where it is widely used. 😉
The idea of buying 3 and returning 1 would solve the situation, However I am not sure Mouser would except the return under these circumstances.
@MAAC0 The esr measured ok, but I wasn't sure about the capacitance. I replaced them out of precaution and was pleasantly surprised by the improvement in sound. The old caps have found a place in my chip amp, which I use during the heatwave, as the Marantz produces a lot of heat.