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I'm just posting this for entertainment, but it's been like an extended Fourth of July in the shop.
I'm working on a 1968 Vox Super Continental Combo Organ for a client, and it happens to be one of the models made in Italy and full of Ducati brand electrolytic capacitors.
At one point, the client had come by to check on the progress of repairs, and while we were standing in front of it, a bang came from the organ so loud that it made us both jump back. The odd thing was that the organ was turned off at the time. I'm assuming heat/pressure had built up while it was on and finally breached the end seal at that moment.
So, I rebuilt the power supply.
Two days ago, I was working on the "walking bass" circuit, and another loud pop issued from the organ. This time, it was a Ducati electrolytic on the bass board. It blew the end seal out like a cork from a champagne bottle. At this point, I contacted my client and said, "I think we need to replace all of these." He agreed.
The only really interesting part is that these capacitors showed no signs of impending failure before they blew. The axials seem to be the worst. So if you ever see any gold or blue-jacketed Ducati electrolytic capacitors, toss and replace. I think Ducati and the other Italian capacitor manufacturer of that era, Facon, may be tied for last place in terms of long-term reliability.
Because I've had an American-made Vox Continental for 20 years, I thought I knew what we'd be in for with this repair, but though the units made in Italy use many of the same circuits and sound virtually identical, repairing them is a completely different experience.
David
I'm working on a 1968 Vox Super Continental Combo Organ for a client, and it happens to be one of the models made in Italy and full of Ducati brand electrolytic capacitors.
At one point, the client had come by to check on the progress of repairs, and while we were standing in front of it, a bang came from the organ so loud that it made us both jump back. The odd thing was that the organ was turned off at the time. I'm assuming heat/pressure had built up while it was on and finally breached the end seal at that moment.
So, I rebuilt the power supply.
Two days ago, I was working on the "walking bass" circuit, and another loud pop issued from the organ. This time, it was a Ducati electrolytic on the bass board. It blew the end seal out like a cork from a champagne bottle. At this point, I contacted my client and said, "I think we need to replace all of these." He agreed.
The only really interesting part is that these capacitors showed no signs of impending failure before they blew. The axials seem to be the worst. So if you ever see any gold or blue-jacketed Ducati electrolytic capacitors, toss and replace. I think Ducati and the other Italian capacitor manufacturer of that era, Facon, may be tied for last place in terms of long-term reliability.
Because I've had an American-made Vox Continental for 20 years, I thought I knew what we'd be in for with this repair, but though the units made in Italy use many of the same circuits and sound virtually identical, repairing them is a completely different experience.
David
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