Hard to see with the lighting / reflections, but the bottom black cap (probably 470uF 80V) might be bulging, and the top middle cap seems to have lost the plastic at the top which might be due to bulging/stretching. but Like I said, it's top view with reflections, so...the bottom 18,000uF cap also looks a bit bulged, but the light might play the trick.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
Mouser has been my source for 95% of parts I buy. You can rely on quality parts from real manufacturers. They really take care of the customer. When you don't realize they are taking care then you can be assured they are. I used to buy occasionally from DigiKey until they tried to weasel out of selling knock off transistors and after they discovered it was true there was no refund.
Richard, those caps are crying "replace me!".
(This post was last modified: 05-18-2026, 10:44 AM by RodB.)
Hello Rob,
I’ve been ordering from Mouser since the late ’80s. This weekend, I finally got a chance to work on the amp! I replaced all 10 electrolytic capacitors on the main power supply board, and half of them were leaking. Here’s a photo of the set disassembled.
Richard, Those are humongous electrolytics! The unit must weigh a ton. How old is the unit? Also, where do you get the push-button switches? Should be able to get a nice chrome washer to cover the damage they did to the hole. I too buy mostly from Mouser and use the project feature. I also use the projects to keep "wishlist" items. Have you tried RS https://us.rs-online.com/ ? It is the old Allied, and you can find some very good deals on caps and resistors. Keep the photos coming! Joe
What I have done in the past was to create parts lists for multiple projects at once so I could buy in volume, it costs more up front but saves on shipping and per unit. I was going to make a big order with Mouser for electrolytics to redo some of my old transistor based stuff, as well as resistors, but I haven't had as much time to work on these things lately.
Somewhat related, especially with regard to audio gear, beware of some of these vendors selling recap kits on fleabay. I watch a channel on Y.T called "Spare Time Repair" and someone sent him a Bose Waveradio to fix, the unit has 30+ electrolytics in it, the "kit" had between 6 and 10 , and they were all of those awful Chicom mystery brand caps, the price $50. Those caps are the ones you can buy on the same platform in bulk bags right from the "Middle Kingdom" for under $10, shipped!
Regards
Arran
(This post was last modified: 09-15-2026, 02:38 AM by Arran.)
Hello Arran,
I do the same—create parts lists for multiple projects at once so I can buy in bulk. It costs more upfront, but it saves on shipping and per-unit costs. My go-to parts dealer is Mouser Electronics, and I’ve been buying from them since the 1980s.
I too like watching "Spare Time Repair" I also buy stuff from Goldmine electronics and
James Co.
Man, that new Hakko desoldering station really gets the job done, though I still use solder wick too. I’m running low on 4.7µF electrolytic capacitors, so I’ve added them to my Mouser order list.
Sincerely Richard
Hello guys,
Update: I ended up ordering 100 Panasonic 4.7µF electrolytics, and get this—Mouser upgraded my order from ground to 2nd-day air for free. I only had two 4.7µF electrolytics left, which is why I placed the order. I’ve rebuilt two boards so far, and the one I’m about to work on next is the amplifier board.
Hello Guys,
Well this weekend I will work on this unit again it's my last 3 day weekend for a while .
Rob,Yes, those capacitors were squealing when I was trying to remove them, but with that Hakko desoldering tool, they didn’t put up much of a fight.
Well Joe, this amp weighs close to a ton, and as for Allied, they used to have a warehouse in Seattle that I visited back in the '90s. It’s been about a year since I last ordered from them, but they still offer good prices. This weekend, I’ll be uploading some new photos and working on building my new high-power dummy load.