I first heard about the electrolytic problem after having lost my
third computer video card in a little over a year. At first I though
I might have a power supply problem that was blowing video cards, but
that didn't make a lot of sense, it wasn't blowing other
stuffs. Besides, the voltages were correct - at least at that
moment. Giving the board a good visual examination I realized that
many of the electrolytics had bulging tops and some had even blown
the tops and the fuzzy hair like stuff was sticking straight up and
out! Doing a little research I found out that the formula had indeed
been ripped-off- all but the stabilizing ingredient. I've since run
into this problem in several device ranging from our little Linksys
802.11x boosters around home to our water irrigation timer. I've had
to replace all of the electrolytics in those contraptions. Well, not
in the video cards. I discovered that many of the on-board
regulators and other magic devices on the video cards had turned into
jumper wires. I assume that in time better grade capacitors will
work their way into the manufacturing world.
So, in the past I'd learned not to let the magic smoke out. I would
like to add another word of caution: Don't let the magic hair out!
Burt, K6OQK
At 05:00 AM 5/24/2009, [email protected] wrote
From: Mark Sims <[email protected]>
Subject: [time-nuts] 5070B once more.... (actually electrolytics)
To: <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
The capacitor espionage story is quite true and well known to just
about everybody in the computer industry. Google "capacitor
corporate espionage" for a start. First hit is:
http://www.burtonsys.com/bad_BP6/story1.html from IEEE
Spectrum. More than one cap maker got the bad juice...
----------------------------------------
Burt I. Weiner Associates
Broadcast Technical Services
Glendale, California U.S.A.
[email protected]
K6OQK
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