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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Oberon, NSW
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    63
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    13,354

    Default Failed start capacitors?

    It's official.

    As of this morning in my workshop, every cap-started motor that was made after the year 2000 has suffered at least one failed cap. Every bloody one of 'em, even the machines only a couple of years old.

    Off the top of my head, the tally is now a TS, 2x midi-lathes, linisher, belt sander, "bench" pedestal drill and, today, the BS.

    Considering that my main daily users are, without exception, over 30 years old and none of 'em has had a start cap replacement in their lives (well... to the best of my knowledge) I'm left with just one question for modern manufacturers... WTH?
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    1,813

    Default

    Welcome to modern manufacturing! One of the reasons I prefer restoring older machines over buying new, very little is made to last these days.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Aldinga Beach
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    478

    Default

    Best is to replace them with good quality caps

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    Oberon, NSW
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    13,354

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ericks2 View Post
    Best is to replace them with good quality caps
    What... the ones salvaged from 30yo machines?
    I may be weird, but I'm saving up to become eccentric.

    - Andy Mc

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Katoomba NSW
    Posts
    4,770

    Default

    Capacitors are, unfortunately, something that can be made to work very cheaply or they can be made properly to last many years. Buying better quality caps would certainly solve the problem.
    I'm pretty sure the motor manufacturers would source the caps as cheaply as possible as long as they worked when the left the shop. I follow a few electronics blogs and the first thing they check when opening up any electronics or restoring older equipment is the brand/quality of the capacitors. A very common cause of failure
    Those were the droids I was looking for.
    https://autoblastgates.com.au

  7. #6
    rrich Guest

    Default

    Considering that I am an old propeller head. . . . .

    If you have a really crappy electricity supplier, (Spikes and over voltages) it would not surprise me that you experience multiple capacitor failures. Generally speaking capacitors are voltage sensitive and keeping the Farad value the same, higher voltage rated capacitors can be substituted.

    Also on the feed to the machine, a 350 volt varistor can save the capacitor. The varistor sacrifices itself in the event of a spike. For each machine three varistors are needed; one across the line, one from hot to ground and one from neutral to ground.

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