Recapping StudioMaster Mix Down Classic?

[stevieb]

Board is about 12-15 years old. Not heavy use.

How many caps might need changing? I am assuming it's a fairly easy recap job, the board having channel strips and being well-built.

Anybody?

 

[briank]

Never done it but I doubt it's really necessary on a board of that age, unless you're hoping to upgrade the console to better-than-stock. My Mixdown Classic never showed signs of needing fresh caps and if I was going to do anything for preventative it would be the PSU.

It won't be as easy as a modular console where you can just pull a channel out of the frame and work on it--getting to those strips requires opening up the frame and removing all the knobs from the channel to get 'em out.

 

[stevieb]

Thanks, briank. Just what I was looking for.

 

[GCalo]

You definitely want to replace all the power supply caps and then look at schematics for each board and isolate the audio signal path caps. Those are most important.

Nichicon has the PW series of caps for power supplies.

Try to replace the non-polar caps with good quality film-polypropylene, polystyrene, or mylar - in that order.

Nichicon has an excellent line of very high grade non-polar (bi-polar) electrolytics. It is the ES series.

So you have good options and the improvements will be very noticeable.

 

[dementedchord]

12-15yrs isn't that old for caps unless it's been sitting idle for years... yep lack of use is a big killer for electrolytics... and the electro's are the only ones that need to be replaced in most instances... that said.. it wouldn't hurt to do the power supply and perhaps 2-3X's the filters... theyt were bigger and much more expensive back when so it was one of the places they would cut costs at...