[Boatanchors] leaky cap data point

[Bill Cromwell]

Hi Phil,

It's wicked dangerous. Don't do this at home. Or school - especially if 
the school is in Texas.

I (ab)use a tiny tool (screwdriver) to separate the plastic base into 
it's two parts. Don't try this at home. The first time I unsoldered the 
wire in the tip where it screws down into the socket but there is enough 
lead wire to reach in with small cutters and cut those. But don't try 
that at home - it could possibly maim or kill you. If you are the least 
bit clumsy you could break the glass curly-cue and cut yourself badly. 
You could conceivably blind yourself so don't do any of this.

With the board out of the base you can unsolder or cut the four wires 
from the curly-cue (at the board end) and then dispose of that. Don't 
damage it since it has chemicals inside that could destroy all of the 
inner planets in the solar system. Dispose of it in whatever safe manner 
your local gov't provides for such things. It could also maim or kill 
you. So don't do any of this.

Next, unsolder all of the parts (that you want) on the board. There will 
be a couple of power FETs, some diodes, some resistors, some 
electrolytic caps, and some powdered iron or ferrite core inductors. 
Maybe one or two things I have forgotten. Oh yeah, some small caps 
besides the electrolytics. Soldering irons are *hot* and you might get 
burned. Don't do this at home or at all. Hot solder could go in your 
eyes or on your skin or in the wife's carpet when you pull the newly 
freed parts off the board. For God's sake don't do any of this. Also 
don't eat or even taste any of the parts or tools.

Does that help Phil? Now you know what to not do. So don't do it.

That should be enough disclaimers and warnings. And by the way - the 
coffee at McDonalds is still danged hot. If you are a senior citizen it 
is cheap, too ;)

I'm truly sorry for the abuse of the tiny screw driver but Craftsman 
doesn't make a crowbar small enough for the job and a pneumatic impact 
hammer just seems like overkill. That might put the obnoxious curly-cue 
at risk, too.

Good luck and 73,

Bill  KU8H

The Michigan Hillbilly


On 09/22/2015 09:39 PM, Phil wrote:
> Bill,
> Do you mind sharing with us how you 'safely' get into those CFLs?
>
> 73 de Phil,  KO6BB
> http://www.qsl.net/ko6bb/  (Web Page)
>
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> Merced, Central California, 37, 18, 37N   120, 30, 6W CM97rh
>
> On 9/23/2015 1:18 AM, Bill Cromwell wrote:
>> Hi
>>
>> I had a little time to go into an old AM-FM-SW receiver from the 
>> 1940s to examine the caps with my "new" Heathkit C-2. I haven't 
>> played with the C-2 very much and I wondered if *all* of those old 
>> caps could be *that* bad. So I got out some caps I have recently 
>> bought(in this century) and the C-2 likes every one of them. I'll 
>> inventory what is needed in the radio (all of the paper and 
>> electrolytic caps) but I'm guessing I will be replacing around a 
>> dozen or so caps. The electrolytics in the pwr supply filter are dead 
>> short! I probably have all I need right here. The power supply caps 
>> are only 40-20-20 at 200 volts and I think I have some good ones near 
>> that value harvested from curly CFL bulbs. I hate those high power 
>> RFI generators but they do have a few nice parts inside:) I don' wait 
>> for them to fail before the harvest <evil grin>.
>>
>> After running the leakage tests on the new caps I was really 
>> surprised at the fat, loud sparks I drew when I discharged them! I 
>> suppose they are in good condition. I have more confidence in the C-2 
>> now an old radio will soon be coming back to life.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Bill  KU8H
>
>