[R-390] Orange Drop vs ceramic disc
rbethman
rbethman at comcast.net
Fri Apr 1 09:39:54 EDT 2011
OKAY, just my $0.02 worth.
We are talking about R-390A/URRs that *have* BBODs. My experience has
been that the pre '67 EACs have BROWN BODs. Such as the '51 contract
Collins Blue-Striper I'm restoring.
I've finally located the nasty caps under the RF deck. I had problems
identifying them based on color photos, and discoloration of components
from heat.
Looking at this from a "practical" aspect, I don't care to use Orange
Drops per se. They are TOO large and a pain to use.
Now that that is tossed out there, the SP-600 I got in trade in 2004 for
my '67 EAC, HAS been recapped underneath with ORANGE DROPS!
I have been running it pretty constantly. There have been NO issues.
My ears are still *real* good. Why, I have no idea. I'm NOT an
Audiophile, BUT I can hear when there is distortion. I only here it on
a very strong station that you have to start reducing the RF gain, AND
the volume.
I've been using some kind of film caps to recap the Collins. They
aren't ODs.
I *think* this is really getting blown out of proportion!
I'd have to ask Barry if having used ODs - "Do you notice ANY degradation?"
Bob - N0DGN
On 4/1/2011 8:54 AM, Cecil Acuff wrote:
> I think it's important to also mention...there are two different type of
> Orange Drop caps. Can't remember the designations without the catalog in
> front of me but...there are. I think one is metalized film and the other
> film/foil types....am I off track here?
>
> We need to make sure we don't direct folks using the Orange Drop terminology
> in a blanket fashion. As I remember one is recommended and the other not so
> much.
>
> I'll have to pull the catalog to fill in the blanks if someone else doesn't
> chime in...
>
> Cecil
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Barry"<n4buq at knology.net>
> To:<R-390 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 7:36 AM
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Orange Drop vs ceramic disc
>
>>> Those are metallized film capacitors, which for the reasons
>>> previously discussed (breakdown/self healing) are disasters waiting
>>> to happen in boatanchors. I'm not aware of any axial lead
>>> film-and-foil caps currently available. Much better to use the best
>>> part for the job (film-and-foil) and accept a bit of inconvenience
>>> installing them than to use a lesser part just for convenience.
>> I wish I had known. I recapped an R390A with these:
>>
>> http://www.justradios.com/capacitors.html
>>
>> Barry - N4BUQ
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