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WawaWHUT? This is one confusing preamp!

#161
Chef said:
All the old oil based posts are housed in a secret warehouse and will be hard to find
Super rare
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I saw a dude on eBay selling some of the really old posts a while back. I'm pretty sure it was Paul, takin' stuff from the vault so he could buy that fancy sports car he's always wanted.
 
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#162
agedhorse said:
Exactly who is suggesting discarding all the old, and ramming the new down the throat of the general public?

Did I miss something here?
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Apparently paying $80 for one 5 cent condenser isn't ramming the new down the throat of the general public? That's about what you have to pay for new "paper in oil" condensers these days, that will work for this type of preamp. Who is it? I'm afraid I can't answer that one for you. I was just a little guy when it happened, so all of that was over my head. Sorry!
 
#163
Chef said:
All the old oil based posts are housed in a secret warehouse and will be hard to find
Super rare
Click to expand...

Would the super secret warehouse be located in China by any chance? Right next to the Neodymium warehouse that's across the street from the baby formula warehouse?
 
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#164
beans-on-toast said:
Years ago they used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in capacitors and big transformers. NOS paper in oil capacitors are still available. They aren't good for you if they leak or explode. Maybe that's why some people don't like amps with printed circuit boards, also called PCB's, in them.

The current production paper in oil capacitors use something else and are safe. Unless your better half finds out how much you spent on them. Then you're not safe. So either way, maybe they are best avoided.
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Those old foil and film capacitors are as harmless as your ordinary Styrofoam cooler, as far as I know.
 
#165
nbtone said:
Apparently paying $80 for one 5 cent condenser isn't ramming the new down the throat of the general public? That's about what you have to pay for new "paper in oil" condensers these days, that will work for this type of preamp. Who is it? I'm afraid I can't answer that one for you. I was just a little guy when it happened, so all of that was over my head. Sorry!
Click to expand...

I would think paying $80 for a 5 cent capacitor is more like (way) overpaying for parts rather than "ramming the new down the throat of the general public". But, that's just my opinion. Others may arrive at a different opinion based on what you have posted.
 
#168
nbtone said:
Those old foil and film capacitors are as harmless as your ordinary Styrofoam cooler, as far as I know.
Click to expand...

On this sir, you are very, very wrong.

Folks who worked in the RF transmitter industry, the commercial lighting industry where core and coil ballasts were used, or any industry where high voltage was the norm, are well aware of the dangers presented by PCB containing oils and tars in capacitors and transformers. PCB containing oils were also used in large commercial hydraulic systems, some wire insulations, rummer and plastics compounds and even in paint and coatings. The PCB's were used primarily to augment the insulating qualities of oils and tars, and especially because they were not flamable.

PCBs are classified by the EPA as hazardous and cancer causing. They have been banned in the US since 1979. I remember when this happened, I was still in school and we had an in-depth discussion on the pros and cons to such compounds and why it made sense to ban it's use. That's when I discovered how many products it was in.
 
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#174
agedhorse said:
On this sir, you are very, very wrong.

Folks who worked in the RF transmitter industry, the commercial lighting industry where core and coil ballasts were used, or any industry where high voltage was the norm, are well aware of the dangers presented by PCB containing oils and tars in capacitors and transformers. PCB containing oils were also used in large commercial hydraulic systems, some wire insulations, rummer and plastics compounds and even in paint and coatings. The PCB's were used primarily to augment the insulating qualities of oils and tars, and especially because they were not flamable.

PCBs are classified by the EPA as hazardous and cancer causing. They have been banned in the US since 1979. I remember when this happened, I was still in school and we had an in-depth discussion on the pros and cons to such compounds and why it made sense to ban it's use. That's when I discovered how many products it was in.
Click to expand...
So if the oils that they used to use are banned, what do they use in the new mylar caps with the sterling silver wires? Surely they could still make PIO caps that would work in low voltage circuits like this one. I have heard that they used to use mineral oil in capacitors. Is that true?
 
#176
There are non-PCB alternatives being used, they just do not have the PCB's in them. One side effect of SOME of the new liquids (not just oil) is the propensity for absorbing moisture. This means that added precautions are necessary during manufacture, and better sealing of the can.

Yes, they used to 9and still do) use mineral oil, it's not the oil but the additives that can be the problem. I believe straight mineral oil is reasonably flamable, which is why the additives such as PCB were used.
 
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#178
beans-on-toast said:
I didn't realize that the thread was shut down for decontamination.
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You have no idea how horrible it was.
Thousands were lost.
The cleanup took weeks.
unstitched-shoes-tyvek.jpg
 
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#180
I meant people, not posts. You know due to the contaminationz.
People. Whatever. Expendables.

Losing posts would be totally unacceptable.

Can you imagine not being able to find, say, this thread, some day in the future? Like 2015?

:shudder:
 

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