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Capacitor Replacement for Aguilar AG500

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by VirtuallyReal, Apr 13, 2012.

  1. Apr 13, 2012 #1
    VirtuallyReal

    VirtuallyReal

    Oct 15, 2009
    West Palm Beach, FL
    I have to replace some capacitors on the power supply circuit board of my Aguilar AG500.

    It uses 4 Panasonic 15,000uf / 63v / +80 degree Celsius / 4 lead snap capacitors.

    What i want to know is this:
    Should i replace them with the exact same ones or could i consider a different/higher voltage/tolerance range to prevent them to fail again?

    I ask this because this amp head was designed in the U.S. using U.S. standards, but i live outside the U.S. (Latin America) and maybe the reason they went bad has something to do with the quality/consistency of the power grid here (the use of inverters is common here) so maybe different capacitors would protect my amp better, or prevent a future failure.

    Of course I'm no expert in electronics, and i do not intend to replace the capacitors myself... a qualified technician spotted the problem (two of the capacitors looks slightly "swollen") so right now I'm looking for replacement capacitors; just want to make sure i get the best replacements, given my particular situation.

    Maybe it is a silly question, but I'm just trying to prevent a similar problem in a short term.
     
  2. Apr 13, 2012 #2
    billfitzmaurice

    billfitzmaurice Commercial User

    Sep 15, 2004
    New Hampshire
    Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
    You can go larger with both the voltage and capacity. The power situation probably wouldn't kill capacitors any more than it would kill other power supply components.
     
  3. Apr 13, 2012 #3
    Dave B.

    Dave B. Guest

    Nov 8, 2003
    I saw your post, and thought we should chime in.

    Please note that the switching module will shut down at lower voltages than the capacitors can be damaged at in order to protect itself from an over voltage condition (if the voltage goes 20% above the nominal). The amp won't work with an under voltage condition.

    So, having capacitors that can withstand huge voltages is not useful, as the rest of the circuitry will not be able to operate under these conditions anyway.

    The capacitors on the board were specifically selected for this design, and replacing them with a different brand/series of components could cause some other problems (increased noise floor, distortion, etc.) So I strongly suggest having them replaced with the original part.

    Feel free to contact us, or have your tech contact us so we can assist you better.

    Best,

    Dave B.
     
  4. Apr 13, 2012 #4
    VirtuallyReal

    VirtuallyReal

    Oct 15, 2009
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Thanks Dave!
    I was about to send you guys a mail regarding this subject.

    Please send me a PM if you have any suggestions on where to buy these exact capacitors on-line.
     
  5. Apr 13, 2012 #5
    iiipopes

    iiipopes Supporting Member

    May 4, 2009
    If he can't find the original part, capacitors which are slightly over in rated capacitance or voltage rating will not cause any noticable performance characteristics. Sometimes the part just is not available, as with this application, where the capacitors seem to be a proprietary-design manufactured part. But never go lower in either, because there will be definitely performance issues, if not damage to the capacitors or the entire unit.

    I agree it's not like a tube amplifier with traditional power supply and output archetitecture, where you can never have enough capacitance or voltage rating.
     
  6. Apr 13, 2012 #6
    Joe Louvar

    Joe Louvar

    Jun 6, 2011
    Santa Rosa, CA USA
    Dave, that’s way cool seeing you help a fellow bassist get the right cap - right on bro. Both thumbs up. :)
     
  7. Apr 13, 2012 #7
    B-string

    B-string

    Nov 21, 2008
    Lake Havasu City, Az USA
    Panasonic IME are always a last resort.