[Zoide]

So... I was doing some things with my AC adaptor, and switched the polarity....

Then I plugged it into the Piccolo...

(sorry for the blurry pics.. don't want to reopen the smelly thing to take them again!)

And now a capacitor blew up, and I'm left with a nasty smell, some cancerigenous fluid, and a broken source

Does anyone know if the broken capacitor's replacement can be found at some place like Radio Shack? I'm in Costa Rica right now and it's not as easy as just ordering from Digikey or something like that.

Do I just de solder at the bottom of the board to remove the capacitor and then put a new one in and solder it at the bottom to fix it in place again?

Thanks,

Andrés

 

[JMT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide Does anyone know if the broken capacitor's replacement can be found at some place like Radio Shack? I'm in Costa Rica right now and it's not as easy as just ordering from Digikey or something like that.

From the picture, it's impossible to tell the value. If you can let me know, and if I have one, I would be happy to send you one.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide Do I just de solder at the bottom of the board to remove the capacitor and then put a new one in and solder it at the bottom to fix it in place again?

Yes and no. You would need to use some desoldering braid or a solder sucker to remove the old solder from the pads. You can then feed the leads of the new capacitor through and then resolder.

Yes, you do that from the bottom of the board.

 

[Zoide]

Thanks, JMT.

I sent an email to Andrija (the AOS man), and he quickly replied. Nice guy.

He says: "You most likely blew only the input capacitor, which is 330uF 16V.
Value is not critical, find another capacitor of 16V or 25V, it can be smaller or larger capacitance, but same size, and replace the one that blew. Radio Shack should have something."

So I'll first try looking for one at Radio Shack. But I definitely appreciate your offer and will consider it if necessary.

Andrés

 

[aos]

Yes, the input regulator has reverse polarity protection, so I'd hope that the only thing that blew was the input electrolytic cap which is 330uF 16V Panasonic FC but just about any electrolytic 10uF 16V or larger will do. If you can't find anything over there, I can send you one in an envelope.

 

[Zoide]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aos Yes, the input regulator has reverse polarity protection, so I'd hope that the only thing that blew was the input electrolytic cap which is 330uF 16V Panasonic FC but just about any electrolytic 10uF 16V or larger will do. If you can't find anything over there, I can send you one in an envelope.

Thanks for the offer. I'll probably be able to get the 330uF cap this Monday or Tuesday, since I found a place that should have a pretty wide variety.

Just in case, how would a uF different than 330uF affect the audio quality? Of course, the average person could care less, but in this hobby of obsessive perfectionism...

Thanks,

Andrés

 

[aos]

Theoretically maybe, in practice, I doubt it.

 

[Zoide]

YES!!!!

I have fixed my precious Piccolo

I ended up installing a 220uF, 16V cap from Radio Shack. So far, so good.

Though I must say, it was very hard to remove the old cap. I bought a desoldering tool (the one w/ the spring, which sucks on the solder when you press a button), and tried desoldering the old cap from the bottom. Even though I removed some solder, it wouldn't budge. So I pretty much ended up tearing out the old cap from the top, leaving only its metal legs. I then put the soldering iron on the base of the top-side legs and pulled with pliers...

Then the new one wouldn't go in. It finally worked after I cleaned up the holes by placing the iron on the hole on one side and using the desoldering tool from the other side.

(all of you experienced people must be horrified by my story, but hey... I'm just a beginner, at least it works!

)

Now... I also bought a cap that is 330uF, but is 25V. Which would be better? 220uF 16V or 330uF 25V?

Thanks,

Andrés

 

[dshea_32665]

Nicely done Zoide. All of us closet DIY wannabees are giving you a cyberspace high five!! Hey it is the only way to learn. You got to just go in and do it.

cheers,
dshea

 

[andrzejpw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide YES!!!! I have fixed my precious Piccolo I ended up installing a 220uF, 16V cap from Radio Shack. So far, so good. Though I must say, it was very hard to remove the old cap. I bought a desoldering tool (the one w/ the spring, which sucks on the solder when you press a button), and tried desoldering the old cap from the bottom. Even though I removed some solder, it wouldn't budge. So I pretty much ended up tearing out the old cap from the top, leaving only its metal legs. I then put the soldering iron on the base of the top-side legs and pulled with pliers... Then the new one wouldn't go in. It finally worked after I cleaned up the holes by placing the iron on the hole on one side and using the desoldering tool from the other side. (all of you experienced people must be horrified by my story, but hey... I'm just a beginner, at least it works! ) Now... I also bought a cap that is 330uF, but is 25V. Which would be better? 220uF 16V or 330uF 25V? Thanks, Andrés

congrats on fixing your dac. About your desoldering tool: the spring loaded ones take a bit of practice to use, but once you develop the technique, they can be really handy for taking off large quantities of solder. Braid is still necessary though to get the final stuff off. You just have to heat the pad up, then quickly move the solder sucker on to the remaining lead and press that little button.

About the input cap: like has been said before, the actual value of the cap really won't have much affect on the sound. 220uF is fine. What was more critical is that you used a capacitor of the proper voltage.