I was just about to ask about that. Thanks so much for that, I was tempted to throw the thing out before replacing the caps, and you prompted me to keep it instead. Trying to order caps now. Will post back with my results.
I didn't mean to argue, I had just made a typo. I meant to write "is this a good place to be increasing cap voltage" cause I read there are some cases where it's not good to. But since you all said I can go up, I'll try to order double the voltage capacity.
Hmm...I'm trying to order from Digikey. I can't find anything that exactly matches my measurements from my calipers. Calipers read:
~ 7.65mm distance between leads
(Is it 7.5mm I should be looking for as a standard?)
~ 13mm can diameter.
~ 7.65mm distance between leads
(Is it 7.5mm I should be looking for as a standard?)
~ 13mm can diameter.
Those are components measurements in "mils" = thousandths of an inch, the measurement scale for PCB components for decades.
Often called "Imperial" scale or ruler in PCB software.
Exact pad center to pad center spacing to insert those legs is 300 Mil = 0.3*25.4mm = 7.62mm
FWIW standard DIP IC width is also 300 Mil.
Most classic components, specially thruhole were created in Mils, while modern SMT parts in general are born Metric.
Can diameter is 500 Mil or 0.5" or 12,7mm
Add plastic sleeve thickness and you get measured 13 mm
Not critical at all, but leg spacing is.
That said, since "world is Metric" (except USA) parts dimensions nowadays are given in mm, even if they were born Imperial.
You´ll find many "weird" measurements actually being quite logic and straightforward if thought of in Inches.
We old dinosaurs resist change, of course 😉
I replaced the bad caps on the weekend with some high grade aluminum Nichicons. Both original caps were measuring off way off rated values, even the one that wasn't bulging. The desoldering process was not fun due to the tiny pad size. It still takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes before the PC recognizes the miniDSP on the USB port. However, now, I think (not yet sure) that it is connecting reliably.
Even after replacing the caps, I still couldn't get it to update the firmware to the current version, but I just keep trying. The device wouldn't acknowledge it was connected to the PC even right after syncing with it. But I persisted. And I persisted. On about my 20th try, the firmware updated.
That means now I need to do more testing.
One interesting thing is that miniDSP support insisted that swapping out the bad caps wouldn't make any difference to how reliably the thing would connect.
And by the way, I can confirm that these units are supposed to have a 2.5A slo blo fuse in them. I'll update my other thread to reflect that info.
I'll post back after I learn more.
Even after replacing the caps, I still couldn't get it to update the firmware to the current version, but I just keep trying. The device wouldn't acknowledge it was connected to the PC even right after syncing with it. But I persisted. And I persisted. On about my 20th try, the firmware updated.
That means now I need to do more testing.
One interesting thing is that miniDSP support insisted that swapping out the bad caps wouldn't make any difference to how reliably the thing would connect.
And by the way, I can confirm that these units are supposed to have a 2.5A slo blo fuse in them. I'll update my other thread to reflect that info.
I'll post back after I learn more.
For anyone still following:
After replacing the bad caps, the device is recognized by my PC but appears to keep "flapping". This is a term for frequantly losing and regaining (USB) connectivity. A firmware update was supposed to fix this. It did not, on my unit. Other people report the firmware update fixed the problem on their unit.
After replacing the bad caps, the device is recognized by my PC but appears to keep "flapping". This is a term for frequantly losing and regaining (USB) connectivity. A firmware update was supposed to fix this. It did not, on my unit. Other people report the firmware update fixed the problem on their unit.
Try on a different PC? Try batteries to temporarily power the MiniDSP (isolated...)? Laptop on batteries vs desktop?
I've tried it on my laptop. No change. I haven't tried it on batteries. I'm curious...why do you think batteries would remedy USB flapping?
I should've been more clear in my last post. Acc. to MiniDSP rep, sync. with the unit is happening (at least sometimes). They say they've never seen anything like it and don't have any suggestions. The pattern is weird now. The PC no longer takes a long to recognize the unit has been connected via USB. It gives you the USB insertion sound immediately. And it recognizes immediately when I disconnect the USB. But if you leave it on long enough, eventually it starts flapping. Often, it will stop flapping. I don't know electronics like you all do, but I'm guessing something just isn't staying stable?
I asked MiniDSP if there was any reason I couldn't use it in its current state (since at least sometimes I can sync it). I'm waiting for a reply.
I should've been more clear in my last post. Acc. to MiniDSP rep, sync. with the unit is happening (at least sometimes). They say they've never seen anything like it and don't have any suggestions. The pattern is weird now. The PC no longer takes a long to recognize the unit has been connected via USB. It gives you the USB insertion sound immediately. And it recognizes immediately when I disconnect the USB. But if you leave it on long enough, eventually it starts flapping. Often, it will stop flapping. I don't know electronics like you all do, but I'm guessing something just isn't staying stable?
I asked MiniDSP if there was any reason I couldn't use it in its current state (since at least sometimes I can sync it). I'm waiting for a reply.
The first thing I would do is look for bad connections and dry joints in the USB circuit. Next would be checking the voltage rails are stable.
Have you tried a new USB cable?
Have you tried a new USB cable?
Not necessarily because dry joints often make contact when the device is cold and become intermittent when it warms up. Best to do a visual inspection.
In the workshop we had a small oven we used for re-flowing PCBs. If you have an SMD rework station with hot air gun you could go over the PCB with the hot air to re-flow the solder.
In the workshop we had a small oven we used for re-flowing PCBs. If you have an SMD rework station with hot air gun you could go over the PCB with the hot air to re-flow the solder.