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Beomaster 8000 Restoration: Replacing of Electrolytic Capacitors

PictureBeomaster 8000: 3D printed adapters for modern small form factor reservoir caps.
Electrolytic capacitors contain wet chemistry. Over time they can leak or dry out, which can dramatically reduce their capacitance or even cause short circuits. The likelihood that this happens strongly depends on the usage and storage history of a Beomaster 8000. Regular use is the best antidote since the oxide insulator of the aluminum electrodes in standard electrolytic capacitors is then electrochemically replenished, which helps prevent short circuit and electrolysis conditions. However, there is nothing that can be done if the hermetic seal is broken over time and the electrolyte dries up or leaks out.
If any of these effects occur the affected capacitors need to be replaced. If longterm stability over the next decades is desired, all electrolytic capacitors need to be replaced on all boards of the Beomaster, including the big main reservoir capacitors for the output amplifiers. This is a pretty time consuming procedure, since the Beomaster needs to be fully dismantled, to access all capacitors. There are probably of the order of 100 capacitors that need to be replaced. The actual work is not too difficult. All it takes is to remove all the boards and replace the capacitors...
Please, visit these blog entries at http://beolover.blogspot.com for some detailed accounts of this restoration procedure: