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G6Tanuki · 15th Feb 2018, 7:04 pm

Tantalums - whatever colour - don't age well, and should be treated with the same degree of intrinsic suspicion as classic 'waxies'.

Assume they're guilty until proved otherwise!

This applies even to the cylindrical metal-cased 'mil-spec' ones: they're a known issue in things like the Clansman PRC320 power-supply [module-5] and associated PLL/ramp-generator, where their leakiness can put a nauseating 'warble' on your SSB signal or flip a CW signal well-outside the receiver passband on a random basis. While you can still source replacement tantalums [with associated NATO stock-number] for around £80 each! the smart money replaces them with current-production generic 130-centigrade-rated wire-ended electrolytics which do the job just fine.

15th Feb 2018, 7:04 pm	#24
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,007	Re: Tants Tantalums - whatever colour - don't age well, and should be treated with the same degree of intrinsic suspicion as classic 'waxies'. Assume they're guilty until proved otherwise! This applies even to the cylindrical metal-cased 'mil-spec' ones: they're a known issue in things like the Clansman PRC320 power-supply [module-5] and associated PLL/ramp-generator, where their leakiness can put a nauseating 'warble' on your SSB signal or flip a CW signal well-outside the receiver passband on a random basis. While you can still source replacement tantalums [with associated NATO stock-number] for around £80 each! the smart money replaces them with current-production generic 130-centigrade-rated wire-ended electrolytics which do the job just fine.