Fortec Lifetime Ultra Cap's on Boards

[AerialPhotoLab]

I wanted to check on this before I decide it I was just going to replace this unit with the upgraded double unit that 3ABN is using now. The shipping costs for a repair I figured are not worth it so like a monitor I have I figured it was worth taking a look inside before making a choice of what to do with it. I found that 5 caps were blown. One on the main board and 4 on the power supply board. I figure they are only a few cents each (like the ones in my $300 monitor that blew) and it was worth putting new caps in to see if it did the trick.

I would like to know if anyone can tell me which of the capacitors on the position of C11 to C14 which ones are the 1000uF 10V and the 470uf 16V. When I first looked at it I thought they were all the same 470uF 16v and then after I had them all out and were getting rid of the bad ones I found that two were 100uF 10V. I had thought it was that C11 & C12 were 1000uF 10V and the other two were 470uF 16V but I noticed that C11 has blown again.

As it sits right now it "displays" the menu stuff but it will not recieve anything so I figure the caps that are the issue are the ones that power to the incomming signal section of the board.

If you know which caps from C11, C12, C13 & C14 are the 1000uF 10V and are the 470uF 16V please drop me a note. Otherwise I will just do the upgrade I have been tossing around anyway and be done.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[TRG]

Sounds like you had a power surge or possibly even an indirect lightning strike. You might get lucky by replacing just the caps but I'll bet there are other components that are bad too. If it was a lightning strike you might have taken out the LNBF too. Hence no receive.

 

[AerialPhotoLab]

Well I tried the LBNF and that did not do it. It is down low enough that lightening SHOULD not be an issue but..... And of course all of this stuff is on surge protection (as if that really would work with thousands of volts in a direct hit).

I had been having a lot of problems with it getting hot even when it was off. Prior I has some issues with it going dead till I unplugged it for 30 minutes and so on to have the unit reset itself.

My only other potential concern would be R24 but that one is still on the board and does not seem to be flawed just looks like taht area may have gotten a bit hot by some discoloration on the board itself.

Just unfortunately I had already pulled all 4 caps off the board before I noticed that though they looked identical they were actually two different ratings.

One thing though is that the board no longer was hot after I put this together. I did set up the 3ABN dual kit on the house and I was going to bring the other dish and set it up at our office with this receiver IF I get it completely alive again. If not they I just need to get the upgrade kit so it is not a total loss.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[SatelliteAV]

Positions are:
C11, C12- 1000uF 10V
C13, C14 - 470uF 16V

These are very often blown in the Lifetime Ultras.

 

[Larry1]

All caps not created equal

In a particular monitor we repair for a manufacturer at work, we replace 5 capacitors with a better quality capacitor that prevents them from blowing the vent over time. The new capacitors are the same voltage, same uF value, and even the same manufacturer, just the old ones are black and the new ones are green with gold writing. I don't know what the differences are in the two types, but the new ones do not blow like the original ones used. It is not that the manufacturer has discontinued the black ones for the green ones, as we buy both the black and the green ones from the same manufacturer. The black ones are used in another power supply, but do not blow at the same rate as in one particular power supply. (monitor power supply)

 

[AerialPhotoLab]

Larry,

I 100% agree! Now for any reading that do not know a CHEEP cap is say 4 cents let's say and of course they buy them by the thousands! And a FANTASTIC one is say 8 to 10 cents. Now you consider you pay $300 for a monitor don't you think they would use one with a longer life and better caps!

ANYWAY That is what I did. My total bill for the repair rather then tossing it was about $1.00 and about 20 minutes work or so. I did have to leave it appart until the caps made it in. I am just always amazed at how quality can be sacrificed on somethign that expensive for something so in expensive!!

Also Brian,

THANKS for passing along hte C#'s for me. I will make sure I have them correct tomorrow when I get to work. That is a HUGE HELP!!!

Kevin

 

[Larry1]

It's not just one is a cheap cap and one is a great cap. One in one application may be great, but poor in another application. There is a lot more to a cap than just voltage and value (uF). Might be that the switching power supply design or other components are causing too much stress to the caps. At work, the exact same capacitors that fail in one switching power supply are reliable in another desgin switching power supply. If it was simply a cheap cap, then I would expect it to fail in all the switching power supplies. And that monitor in your analogy, if it is a LCD monitor, using a "better" cap may just make it last untill the flourescent tubes in the backlight fail. Nowadays, it seems as if the only concern is if it will make it past the warranty period. And it seems there is no longevity to any design as the next model uses a new design.

 

[AerialPhotoLab]

Yeah tell me about it! I had a $700 stereo in my car that lasted 1.5 years and I just sent it with $120 to fix it.

Anyway, I just got in and checked the caps and I had them correct and C11 blew again. I may try the other one I have just to see but my guess is that something a little more major is bad.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[Larry1]

Make sure they are not reversed in polarity. There is a + and a - to the capacitors. Usually the - will be indicated on the capacitor with a stripe, and on the board there may be a circle where the cap is to go with a 1/8 dark moon near one lead.

 

[Larry1]

Well.... did you get the power supply working?