AudioCircle

Audio/Video Gear and Systems => The Starting Block / Introductions => Topic started by: lls on 20 Jan 2018, 05:40 pm

Title: capacitors
Post by: lls on 20 Jan 2018, 05:40 pm

How many years do caps last?

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: FullRangeMan on 20 Jan 2018, 05:51 pm

About 10 maybe more w/soft start.

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: Phil A on 20 Jan 2018, 06:50 pm

Welcome to AC!

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: Speedskater on 21 Jan 2018, 08:19 pm

There was a time period when electrolytic capacitors didn't last very long do to bad chemistry. (there is a long story about that and I don't remember the whole story or the time period)
Before and after that period, electrolytic capacitors should last three decades or much more. While film capacitors should last well past 50 years. (that's for capacitors made by major industrial manufactures)

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: JakeJ on 22 Jan 2018, 12:53 pm

Hello and welcome to AC, lls.

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: FullRangeMan on 22 Jan 2018, 06:03 pm

Quote from: Speedskater on 21 Jan 2018, 08:19 pm

There was a time period when electrolytic capacitors didn't last very long do to bad chemistry. (there is a long story about that and I don't remember the whole story or the time period)
Before and after that period, electrolytic capacitors should last three decades or much more. While film capacitors should last well past 50 years. (that's for capacitors made by major industrial manufactures)

Today the planned obsolescence has taken all the electronics industry.

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: ArthurDent on 23 Jan 2018, 12:44 am

Greetings & Welcome to AC lls   :thumb:

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: who?me? on 11 Feb 2018, 08:03 pm

FWIW, older NAIM products are known for needing capacitor replacement at some point ..

Title: Re: capacitors
Post by: audioengr on 11 Feb 2018, 09:05 pm

If modern electrolytic caps are not stressed or operated at or over their rated voltage and the temperature is not high, they should last 50 maybe even 100 years.  Shelf life is certainly this long.

Most caps in low-power electronics last virtually forever, however their performance will deteriorate over hundreds of years.

Electrolytics used in power amps are another story.  Their temperature is usually elevated and they are constantly stressed by AC and high discharge currents, as well as power on current surges.  Soft-start helps, so inrush limiters can prolong life.  Failure is often catastrophic with the cap shorting and smoking, creating a lot of heat which usually destroys the circuit board.  I would say 20-30 years if the amp is well-designed.

Steve N.