SWR Workingman 15 capacitor specs

[Digdeepbass]

My SWR Workingman 15 combo amp shut down during a gig this weekend...no power light and never came back on. I took the amp out and starting testing and when I put the tester on each lead on the capacitor, nothing registered. What are the specs of this capacitor....it reads: TI - 3.3J 250VDC 0022 MEXICO

Even better which part from Parts Express would be best to order?

Thanks!!!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Digdeepbass

I took the amp out and starting testing and when I put the tester on each lead on the capacitor, nothing registered. What are the specs of this capacitor....it reads: TI - 3.3J 250VDC 0022 MEXICO

Which capacitor? The one across the incoming AC line? If it's post fuse you won't get a reading if said fuse is blown.

[Digdeepbass]

It's the big yellow capacitor and no fuses are blown. I put the meter on both wires coming out of each end of the capacitor and no reading on the meter at all...shouldn't there be? I'm no electrician so bear with my ignorance...LOL

Thanks

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Digdeepbass

I'm no electrician so bear with my ignorance...

Why are you messing around in there? Tired of living?
'Big yellow' doesn't help much. A pic would. But I'm loathe to encourage someone to possibly electrocute himself.

[Rick Auricchio]

And if you're not using a capacitor-test mode on your meter---and the cap's leads are not disconnected from the circuit---you're not even testing properly.

Also, what other diagnosis have you done that led you to think the cap is the culprit?

[Digdeepbass]

Attached is a pic of the capacitor. I tried testing VDC at 250 and nothing

[will33]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Why are you messing around in there? Tired of living?
'Big yellow' doesn't help much. A pic would. But I'm loathe to encourage someone to possibly electrocute himself.

+1

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

And if you're not using a capacitor-test mode on your meter---and the cap's leads are not disconnected from the circuit---you're not even testing properly.

Also, what other diagnosis have you done that led you to think the cap is the culprit?

and +1


You're not going to be able to test it with the handy-dandy little $8 meter like most of us have laying around. If you're no electrician and aren't sure what you're doing, why would you suspect the cap?

[Digdeepbass]

The only reason I suspected the cap was because I test end to end connectivity successfully up to the cap. I continued to test after that and had success.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Digdeepbass

The only reason I suspected the cap was because I test end to end connectivity successfully up to the cap. I continued to test after that and had success.

A picture in circuit would have helped identify what it is.

I tried testing VDC at 250 and nothing

Perhaps because caps only pass AC? Without seeing the cap in place where it belongs and what you're trying to measure it's impossible to venture a guess.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

No offense Digdeepbass, but sounds like You're way over your head on this one.

Put the cap back and take the combo to a tech.

If the WM15 follows roughly the same circuit topology as WM10, it's an relatively easy fix, certain parts tend to blow in them IME.

BTW, You did check the fuse, right? You didn't say aything about that.

Regards
Sam

[BassmanPaul]

Answer me a question: if your microwave oven stopped working would you open it up and start "testing"? No offence meant but you are risking you life here for what?? To save perhaps $100! Isn't your life worth so much more?

If things did go south and you toasted yourself, you know, we'd never know. You would just stop posting and most of us wouldn't even notice.

Take the damn amp to a tech, get it fixed, pay the man his coin and stop messing with what you know nothing about!

PLEASE!!!

[greenboy]

I got so tired of dragging my long-range internet technician diagnostics text out. But there are still people who need the clue.

[Axtman]

In my limited repair experience has been that most failures in solid state amps are the output transistors. Sometimes other solid state components fail. Sometimes resistors burn up. Rarely do capacitors fail in SS amps. In old tube amps capacitors tend to weaken but that takes decades.

Take the amp to a qualified tech and maybe he will let you look over his shoulder.

Good luck!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by Axtman

Take the amp to a qualified tech and maybe he will let you look over his shoulder.

Typical labor rates: $30/hr, $40/hr if you watch, $50/hr if you help.

[Son of Bovril]

I've blown numerous fuses on this amp, especially if pushing a 4ohm load quite loud... it gets super hot and uses the heatsink/chassis for cooling so I think it just overheats. always keep a few spares handy

[peter_jan]

My bass player's Workingman 15T speaker cab just did the same thing yesterday: died for no apparent reason and since there's only the crossover and cap inside, it has to be one or the other. We tested his Hartke head and it worked fine on other cabs. The speaker appears fine and when he plays, a crackly tiny chirp comes from the tweeter: can't be the speakers.

The question is, how quickly do these caps go bad, and if it is the cap, what is the corresponding replacement? I have a similar Mexico-labeled cap as Digdeepbass. I can find a 250VDC cap in parts express, but 3.3J, does that match with 3.3uF?

What's the likelihood of a crossover dying?

I'm good with a soldering iron and I know about electrical safety, so thanks other commenters. Good warnings, but I want to try to resolve this without going to a repair shop.

[BassmanPaul]

Did you try the battery test to see if there is life still in your woofer. Sounds to me like you blew it.