Add this to your toolbox!

[brandon7861]

Ignore the fact this video is about a video card. Ignore the thermal camera stuff too, just keep going. Don't even pause the video to go order a hot tweezers, the best is yet to come. Watch this video to the end to gain a new repair superpower!

edit to remove start time stamp

 

[19wrc333]

That was amazing.
I need a hot air station

Thanks!

 

[Cable Guy]

I watched to the end, can I order some hot tweezers now? Good stuff in there btw.

 

[19wrc333]

I watched to the end, can I order some hot tweezers now? Good stuff in there btw.

Those are cool too, very handy.
But one thing at a time, hot air station on my way. lol

 

[Eldorado828]

Ignore the fact this video is about a video card. Ignore the thermal camera stuff too, just keep going. Don't even pause the video to go order a hot tweezers, the best is yet to come. Watch this video to the end to gain a new repair superpower!

edit to remove start time stamp

I like the tweezers but I really enjoyed the theory about the capacitors.

Can you imagine how the cheap caps in the ranger radios fluctuate and how that's part of the reason why they're so unstable!

Good stuff!

 

[Cable Guy]

I like the tweezers but I really enjoyed the theory about the capacitors.

Can you imagine how the cheap caps in the ranger radios fluctuate and how that's part of the reason why they're so unstable!

Good stuff!

Good point about ranger and the tolerance of parts used. Temperature is a variable in the function of all electronic parts it seems, I have used hot/cold on things like transistors but never to check for faulty capacitors. The tidbit on charges piling up and leveling, that trick is definitely going in the bag.

The tweezers though, freeing up a hand is always beneficial when manipulating small parts. My next purchase is a tweezer lcr tester.

 

[brandon7861]

I watched to the end, can I order some hot tweezers now? Good stuff in there btw.

lol, yes! I think I decided on the Xtronic one, just waiting to hear what courier they ship with to choose the right address. I have been really impressed with their rework station and the iron has taken tremendous abuse. This tweezers station has the same standard iron my rework station has so that will be a nice backup.

 

[brandon7861]

I like the tweezers but I really enjoyed the theory about the capacitors.

Can you imagine how the cheap caps in the ranger radios fluctuate and how that's part of the reason why they're so unstable!

Good stuff!

I'm not sure if this effect is tied to temperature stability. I want to test this with cheap caps and the NPO ones side by sade just to know, but for it to be a fair comparison, they need to be the same value. I might have to order a new value cap to find out.

I do know that this trick does not work on electrolytic caps. They are too massive to have their temperature swing sufficiently fast. I tried on a 959 board, no response.

 

[Eldorado828]

I'm not sure if this effect is tied to temperature stability. I want to test this with cheap caps and the NPO ones side by sade just to know, but for it to be a fair comparison, they need to be the same value. I might have to order a new value cap to find out.

I do know that this trick does not work on electrolytic caps. They are too massive to have their temperature swing sufficiently fast. I tried on a 959 board, no response.

I was only commenting because it's a known issue with the ranger made radios and the mods out there to help improve it is in the temp sensitive ceramic caps in those circuits. Not that the caps are the only culprit but they are part of that equation and the mods out there use the npo ceramic caps that show some improvement.

I only related it because the video demonstrates the fluctuations of the caps in his specific circuits. It's interesting.