I just finished a recapping project on my Meridian 557 Power Amp and was pretty surprised not to find any general purpose recapping threads when I was getting started. Yes, there are quite a few focused on specific projects but I didn't find any with general tips and ideas to help someone start and complete successful recapping projects. Does anyone else feel like this would be useful?
D
D
You may be looking in the wrong place.
Look for, "I re-capped my amp and now it doesn't work." threads
We have loads of those. 😀
Look for, "I re-capped my amp and now it doesn't work." threads
We have loads of those. 😀
Also search for, "I've recapped my amp and it doesn't sound any better" and "ORRRRsome, I've just recapped my amp and it sounds fantastic", been there, done both. I'll continue to recap selective amps, disassemble, clean and lube switches, opamp roll, whatever partly to provide problem free future use. There would be no consensus on a recapping "how-to", cap selection etc would kill the debate. Enjoy the hobby, tinker if you wish, learn something and enjoy the music...
Also, any re-capping discussion instantly becomes,
"My caps were more expensive than your caps, so they must sound better."
"My caps were more expensive than your caps, so they must sound better."
If you are new to this, this is my advise: replace one cap (or for that, any other part) at the time. Run the unit for a while and than go onto the next, repeat procedure. If you replace several and you have a problem: good Luck! E
Actually my recapping project turned out great. My amp sounds like it did when it was new (well, at least it sounds a lot better than before I recapped it ;-). But I have at least a bit of an advantage...
Yes, I'm pretty new here but I'm an EE/CS with quite a few years of experience in analog/digital hardware design and even more experience in software design, primarily large-scale Internet systems (often referred to a SaaS systems). Even so, I have not done a lot of work on high-end audio equipment and didn't want to add myself to the "oh no, I recapped my amp and now it doesn't work" list so I searched around for some general purpose info on recapping and there is not much of that around. As you say, most of it is about someone's specific project.
I think a thread containing recapping tips from people who know what they're doing could help reduce the number of people who fail when recapping their amps because they installed all their caps backwards or whatever else I'm sure has been done. Since this is a diy forum, there should be a lot of people with expertise that less experienced people would find useful.
Yes, I'm pretty new here but I'm an EE/CS with quite a few years of experience in analog/digital hardware design and even more experience in software design, primarily large-scale Internet systems (often referred to a SaaS systems). Even so, I have not done a lot of work on high-end audio equipment and didn't want to add myself to the "oh no, I recapped my amp and now it doesn't work" list so I searched around for some general purpose info on recapping and there is not much of that around. As you say, most of it is about someone's specific project.
I think a thread containing recapping tips from people who know what they're doing could help reduce the number of people who fail when recapping their amps because they installed all their caps backwards or whatever else I'm sure has been done. Since this is a diy forum, there should be a lot of people with expertise that less experienced people would find useful.
I'm a member on Audio Karma and checked there before I started as well. It's very similar, lots of threads on individual projects and as others have mentioned, a good percentage of those are posted after something goes wrong.
What I'm thinking of is a thread with a topic such as "Tips for recapping projects" or hopefully something better containing thoughts from experienced members regarding things they have learned in past recapping projects - things that will help and things to avoid.
For example, I purchased my 557 around 1997 and it's been used almost daily since then so the power mosfets were essentially fried to the heat pads so one of the first things I had to figure out was how to pop them off without damaging either. I found nothing helpful on that but came up with a way that works really well. I also ran an analysis of all the caps I removed and based on past projects I've done I'm seeing a pattern and it would be interesting if others can confirm that since it can potentially save people a lot of work and reduce the "oh no" risk. Stuff like that.
What I'm thinking of is a thread with a topic such as "Tips for recapping projects" or hopefully something better containing thoughts from experienced members regarding things they have learned in past recapping projects - things that will help and things to avoid.
For example, I purchased my 557 around 1997 and it's been used almost daily since then so the power mosfets were essentially fried to the heat pads so one of the first things I had to figure out was how to pop them off without damaging either. I found nothing helpful on that but came up with a way that works really well. I also ran an analysis of all the caps I removed and based on past projects I've done I'm seeing a pattern and it would be interesting if others can confirm that since it can potentially save people a lot of work and reduce the "oh no" risk. Stuff like that.
I think a thread with the inevitable disagreements and many dubious alternative contributions would become a voting fest of the most appealing parts choices rather than most sensible procedure and only further confuse. Perhaps the OP is looking for something concrete and authoritative like a repair manual - along the lines of a wiki but a thread really isn't the right place for detailed, authoritative advice.
In that case, you need to find a interested member who is a pro. repairer and knows what the procedure is, has done it all many times reliably then writes about how it goes for specific types of models because some types, such as pro. amplifiers or even class D amps for example, are a whole lot more demanding on experience, skills and specific practices than needed for your average domestic amp. Any such doc. also needs to go with all levels of experience and knowledge because many recappers are beginners, just testing the waters to gain DIY experience.
Many here can struggle through simple, class AB domestic amplifiers without serious problems because we read so many times how all the new guys make their mistakes first 😉. Then we think about our own specific issues and problems and avoid the worst of them entirely. That's smart - no need for lectures or definitive methodology. Just shift brain into gear, buy correct type rather than boutique caps, wait for the parcel to arrive then go for it, slinging solder everywhere 🙄
Oh, and one clear warning....never simply power up after any replacement work or mods. Use a DBT or if you are indeed confident in your ability to detect problems before they become disasters, a variac may be OK to start up with too, provided it's an approved type that meets your local power safety rules and you know how they should be used in this test mode 🙂
In that case, you need to find a interested member who is a pro. repairer and knows what the procedure is, has done it all many times reliably then writes about how it goes for specific types of models because some types, such as pro. amplifiers or even class D amps for example, are a whole lot more demanding on experience, skills and specific practices than needed for your average domestic amp. Any such doc. also needs to go with all levels of experience and knowledge because many recappers are beginners, just testing the waters to gain DIY experience.
Many here can struggle through simple, class AB domestic amplifiers without serious problems because we read so many times how all the new guys make their mistakes first 😉. Then we think about our own specific issues and problems and avoid the worst of them entirely. That's smart - no need for lectures or definitive methodology. Just shift brain into gear, buy correct type rather than boutique caps, wait for the parcel to arrive then go for it, slinging solder everywhere 🙄
Oh, and one clear warning....never simply power up after any replacement work or mods. Use a DBT or if you are indeed confident in your ability to detect problems before they become disasters, a variac may be OK to start up with too, provided it's an approved type that meets your local power safety rules and you know how they should be used in this test mode 🙂
Last edited: