capacitor help

[brianpa717]

i have a qatron 8 track changer that has two bad capacitors that leak when powered on it say 3000mvd 20vdc can i replace it with 2200uf 35v cap

 

[brianpa717]

i have a qatron 8 track changer that has two bad capacitors that leak when powered on it say 3000mvd 20vdc can i replace it with 2200uf 35v cap

 

[JimB]

it say 3000mvd 20vdc can i replace it with 2200uf 35v cap

Maybe.
The voltage rating, 35v for the new capacitor against 20v for the old one is OK.

But, and this is a big but, the new capacitor only has a capacitance of 2200uF compared with 3000uF for the old one.
It could be that 2200uf is not enough.
You could try it and see if it works ok, but I would be inclined to find some 3300uF capacitors and use those.

JimB

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The specs on capacitors have VERY wide tolerances, it's almost certain that 2200uF will be perfectly fine - and the original design specs on the capacitors will have included a high safety margin as well.

 

[brianpa717]

this mite be a dumb question but what does the capacitor do? is it used for sound in a audio system or does it have someting to do with electric curent. if i put that 2200uf 35v in instead of 3300uf will it be ok im afraid of having a melt down or the thing to start smoking. Its a rare 8 track player its a qatron 48 8 track changer and belive only 500 of these were made

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

this mite be a dumb question but what does the capacitor do? is it used for sound in a audio system or does it have someting to do with electric curent. if i put that 2200uf 35v in instead of 3300uf will it be ok im afraid of having a melt down or the thing to start smoking. Its a rare 8 track player its a qatron 48 8 track changer and belive only 500 of these were made

They are simply reservoir capacitors, they smooth the power supply, and provide the high current capability for loud peaks.

The size makes VERY little difference, and the units are designed to work with much smaller ones - to carry on working as they dry out over time.

I've replaced thousand and thousands of electrolytics over the decades - you basically use whatever sizes you've got (within reason) that will fit in the space available. I used to keep a wide range of values and voltages, but typical values to keep would be 470uF, 1000uF, 2200uF and 4700uF which in different voltages fits pretty well anything. I also kept 680uF, as it was a common one in a particular PSU, and space was a bit tight for a 1000uF.

I would also say it's essential to use 105 degree ones (85 degree are a waste of draw space), and only those from good manufacturers (such as Panasonic).