Ever wonder about the Sprague Atom controversy?

[Chuck H]

I use nice radial 0.047/630v caps in them, one inch leads, and I have to clip the old wires off at the old cap body, then splice the new cap to the old wires. Looks crappy.

I've done that on two Mesa boards where you would otherwise have to unsolder half the flying leads to lift the board. Bah! I just snip the old caps out leaving the leads and actually bend hooks into the lead connections for the new caps. I'm certain as good a connection as done otherwise. And yes, looks like crap and I took some heat for admitting it here before.

[g1]

yes, looks like crap and I took some heat for admitting it here before.

I blame a lot of the current fetishization of aesthetics (with regard to amp guts) on the diy builders with no electronics knowledge. It's much easier to obsess over the angle of a wire bend than to actually learn whether it is relevant, or even counterproductive.
Your choice to NOT flip that board could have added a year (or more) to it's reliability, for all we know.

[HaroldBrooks]

I blame a lot of the current fetishization of aesthetics (with regard to amp guts) on the diy builders with no electronics knowledge. It's much easier to obsess over the angle of a wire bend than to actually learn whether it is relevant, or even counterproductive.
Your choice to NOT flip that board could have added a year (or more) to it's reliability, for all we know.

I very recently got out of the habit of wanting everything to look perfect in terms of orientation of components. I've experimented with slight repositioning of caps and resistors, and the only benefit seems to be when you move a component away from a high voltage line or pin. I have spend hours trying to get things to "Look" right, but I am done with it. As long as my solder joints are good, the components are solidly mounted, and nothing is too close to anything else or not able to spontaneously create a short, I've done my job.

It's easier for me because to date I've only worked on my own amps, and work they do. If you work fixing amps, you need to be aware of sniping that goes on if your work is brought to a tech who makes his living of criticizing others work, and redoes stuff that was perfectly fine the way it was.

This type of stuff has been done for years in many different repair areas, including automotive.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it is mostly (but not always) true, with the exception of something that is truly an accident waiting to happen like a part flopping around or a positive voltage lead almost touching ground.

Not having a resistor or capacitor with the exact same leads bent at a perfect 90 degree angle is not a problem of any sorts, IMHO.

[nickb]

..or redoing stuff the wasn't perfectly fine:-

[nosaj]

..or redoing stuff the wasn't perfectly fine:-

[ATTACH=CONFIG]53673[/ATTACH]

What the heck is that?
nosaj

[nickb]

What the heck is that?
nosaj

Ampeg portaflex. The main triple filter cap had been replaced by a three radial caps siliconed and tywrapped to a bamboo cane. The cane was siliconed to the chassis. It was all loose and floating around.

[Chuck H]

Ampeg portaflex. The main triple filter cap had been replaced by a three radial caps siliconed and tywrapped to a bamboo cane. The cane was siliconed to the chassis. It was all loose and floating around.

That's just stupid!..

Anyone knows you need to use hot glue for bamboo.

[J M Fahey]

What I can't understand at all, is how any self respecting modern manufacturer sells an electrolytic with a temp rating of 65˚!!!
I would never spec a capacitor in an amplifier build with a capacitor temperature rating like that, particularly in a tube amp.
having said that, I really never see them fail. My observation working on amps that use atom filter caps is that they may actually be a pretty reliable cap.

I bet the actual rating is 105C , if anything because they have the huge production line setup for that, period, but they have to PRINT 65C because some mojohead complained the modern ones have "cold analytical brittle sound" ... after reading the label that is