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Thread ID: 81137	2007-07-17 23:53:00	Capacitors, 2nd opinion pse...	bazmeister (3216)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
569859	2007-07-17 23:53:00	My local guru has advised me that I have a "bulging" capacitor and as such my unit is in peril. I have an aging pc (about 6 years) although it has had a number of upgrades due to the usual problems (as you do) and is running pretty well spot-on for my needs at the moment....2 year old hard-drive for starters. He stated that it wouldn't be economical to replace the capacitor as it also involved mother-boards etc and that I should start thinking towards a new box. A few years back the ram failed at the slots and the secondary slots were used to accomodate a slower ram - I am now wondering if a new MoBo and fresh ram may give me a few more years running. In short, is he correct ?	bazmeister (3216)
569860	2007-07-18 00:26:00	Bulging capacitors were a common problem on older motherboards especially from the early P4 and AlthonXP era. If this is the case then its simply a matter of replacing the motherboard, but depending on the age of your system this might not be very easy. Chances are you wont be able to get a replacement new but there are plenty of secondhand boards floating around on TradeMe, with most going for less than $50. Some of the infomation you've been given seems a little suspect, ask your "local guru" to provide some more infomation.	Pete O'Neil (6584)
569861	2007-07-18 00:57:00	Hi Bazmeister There was a problem sometime back in reference to bulging capacitors in computers. This may indeed be the cause of your computer fault. From memory, I think the problem was mainly in the power supply unit but did occur in motherboards from time to time. Your unit could indeed be in peril as these things can leak their guts (electrolyte) into other parts. Not nice. This has the appearance of a brown crusty stain. This fault was caused by incorrect mixing of the electrolyte chemicals. This built up gas in the capacitor which finally lead to the bulging and escape of the contents. However, the replacement of a capacitor is not a major job, even including cleaning the guts of the old one up. Anyone claiming to be an Electronic Technician should be able to do the job economically. Therefore on this point, I suggest you take your computer to another serviceman. If the stain is not obvious, fault finding these things can be a pain. One wonders if this is the true cause of your Ram woes. However, in light of the Ram problems,the age of the computer and the fact all the capacitors on your motherboard came from the same batch, (so more will probably blow), you really do need to look at replacement. It is simply a matter of what you can afford to do. BURNZEE	Burnzee (6950)
569862	2007-07-18 01:08:00	What do you think is particularly suspect? Many of the boards from that era are prone to capacitor failures. If you're going to pay someone to replace it with a 2nd hand one off Trademe so that you can still use the original CPU etc it would be a waste of money to buy another identical unit that will probably also fail. The AMD boards (if that's what bazmeister has)that weren't prone to failure might be in demand as there are a lot of faulty Solteks.	PaulD (232)
569863	2007-07-18 01:20:00	Anyone claiming to be an Electronic Technician should be able to do the job economically. Therefore on this point, I suggest you take your computer to another serviceman. I'd disagree with that statement if typical TV repair prices are a guide. One of the 1st hurdles to overcome is finding suitable low ESR capacitors that will fit the space available on the board. There was quite a lot of discussion on usenet about this about 1-2 years back. The realistic options may depend on the socket type of the existing CPU.	PaulD (232)
569864	2007-07-18 01:20:00	My local guru has advised me that I have a "bulging" capacitor and as such my unit is in peril . He stated I should start thinking towards a new box . In short, is he correct ? He is if he pointed it out to you . Its rather obvious, you can see it . But he might just be trying to extract a new build out of you . In any case keep your data backed up and you could just wait till the thing dies on you . My neighbour had a sick motherboard and they let it go for 9 months . Also you won't necessarily need a complete new system, could just do motherboard, CPU, RAM if your drives and PSU are ok .	pctek (84)
569865	2007-07-18 05:19:00	Thanks for your input guys.... I indeed do have an AMD Athlon XP 1.10 gig. The MoBo appears to be a PC Company (remember them ?) K735A 1.0, bus clock 66 megahurtz. Strangely enough the system is working flawlessly at the moment, this came about because I had a Ethernet card fitted for Broadband. I have just been getting away with running my Flight Sim stuff for many years, have a reasonable video card. I have realised for some time that an update is probably overdue and may start looking towards a new box. I can see the point you make that a compatible MoBo may be difficult and to replace much more than that would start to be a bit dodgy, and possibly a waste of money. Decisions will need to be made.....tks again.	bazmeister (3216)
569866	2007-07-18 06:10:00	Thanks for your input guys.... I indeed do have an AMD Athlon XP 1.10 gig. The MoBo appears to be a PC Company (remember them ?) K735A 1.0, bus clock 66 megahurtz. PC company is just the company who constructed the computer from parts. I think they were using the ECS "Purple Death" motherboards around that time.	hcl (10925)
569867	2007-07-18 06:10:00	The availability of suitable capacitors is probably the biggest issue here . As already mentioned, finding suitable replacements of the right voltage, temp and grade may not be easy . Certainly anything that your local "electronics store" (if you can call it that) sells won't come anywhere near the grade . Then there is the issue of component stressing and the old adage of the weakest link . To be effective you need to replace ALL the caps, not just one or two that are bulging . In that light, a new motherboard is the better way to go . Not only are you getting new components, you are getting more recent technology . For $150 - $200 the cost of a new board isn't that unrealistic .	supertrouper (6665)
569868	2007-07-18 06:30:00	Jaycar stocked (electrically) suitable capacitors the last time this was raised here. The physical size might be a problem, but that's not insuperable (because of the tolerance on capacity of electrolytics, the next value down is always acceptable. ;) ) Paying the normal hourly rates could be expensive.	Graham L (2)
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