Hi everyone just wondering I'm picking up another TV next wknd its a Kriesler and the guy said that it was working perfect then they put it into storage and its been there for 12yrs is there anything I should do befor plugging it in and turning it on? cheers

It may have been working 12 years ago, I doubt it will now.

All of the elecrolyticcapacitors will have likely dried out or depolarised. If they have depolarised they will present as a short circuit and rectifiers and the main power transformer placed at risk of being destroyed. On odd occasions electrolytics in this condition will explode

There will also be a need to inspect for deterioration of wiring and rodent damage.

Marc

That's a possibility. But I've never had a serious problem with the upright "Ducon" power supply electrolytics found in Australian sets. They just lose a bit of capacitance.

Thanks guys also if I change caps can I use new style caps ?

I have been fixing radio's on and off since the sixties and had a rush of around 300 valve ones in two years recently.

The newer metal can ones are of a structure that is less apt to explode but, will still fail in time if not used. I have seen daily drivers with sixty year old electrolytics still working.

The axial & PC mounts can still explode & I have seen at least 6 recently. High turnover means you see lots more faults & stupidity from fidlers.

Marc

Bling, I can't see a problem using new caps as long as they match or exceed the original ratings. If you were going to replace an upright can type with an axial lead type, you'd have to mount it on a tagstrip and cover the exposed leads with plastic tubing.

Myself, I'm thinking of building or buying a tester for high voltage capacitors so I only have to replace the bad ones.

Thanks guys I love this site so much info and help

I have developed a routine of gently powering up old electronic equipment to give the electrolytic capacitors a chance to reform.

Depending on your skill level there are a number of options on how to do this.

If you have a variac this is easily done on equipment with silicon diode rectifiers on the HT line. You start off at a low voltage and work up. It's best to remove the valves when using this method.

A cheaper option is to use a lamp limiter. This involves wiring a incandescent lamp in series with the item to be tested. Start off with a low wattage (around 25w) and work up to 60w. This allows a limited current to flow into the item under test and short circuits or excessive currents are shown by the lamp lighting up at full brilliance and staying bright. Again, remove all valves.

NOTE: Only do this if you know how to safely work with mains voltages.

The above methods don't work with equipment with valve rectifiers.

My preferred method is to use a 0 to 300 volt bench power supply. This way I can attach the power supply via a 1000 ohm 10w resistor direct to the HT line of the equipment I'm testing and slowly increase the voltage to about 200v over a period of around 10 minutes. The resistor limits the maximum current that can flow and prevents nasty surprises. On valve equipment, with the valve heaters cold very little current will flow and the voltage drop across the 1000 ohm resistor at 200v should be less than 30 volts. Anything over this may indicate a fault. Any electrolytic capacitors that feel warm or hot indicate a faulty (leaky) capacitor.

Depending on the age of your Kriesler you may find that most of the parts in it are still ok as long as you power it up slowly.

There is quite a bit more involved in this topic and it really needs to be explained more fully especially if you're a beginner with operating/restoring valve equipment. I've covered this briefly to give you an idea of whats possible before replacing parts just because they're old instead of seeing if they are faulty.

Just to let everyone know, I'm having internet access issues and have not been able to post much for the last 3 weeks. I'm about to loose all internet service at home for around 4 weeks but I'll try to pop in occaisonally if I can.

Andrew

Thanks andrew its not what he desc`ribed on the phone its a 59 model so I think ill just put it on ebay unless someone here finds it of interest as its colour and not really what I was after he told me it was b&w and a 50s console model thats ok

Haha I did some research and if it was in better cond id prob keep it because the 59-1 is the first colour TV for Kriesler so its prob worth quite a bit so ive got it on ebay as I dont really like the style and if I sell it I can buy another one haha even though ive got too many TVs