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Registered Member #2628
Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627
I have alot of can sized electrolytics with screw terminals, 385V/4700uF. At the moment, and for the distant future I won't be using them anymore, but at least half of them were in use recently (past 6 months, on and off). maybe in a few years I'll bring them out.
When the capacitors are in thier cardboard boxes, they are kept upright with some space between them, and are not shorted, so they hold a 10V-15V charge idlely.
What would be the best way to store them for a few years that would help increase thier shelf life? Should I take them out every few years to reform them?
As of now I would say that the capacitors are about 5 years old as it is, and are kept in boxes in my basement at 20C.
If you don't want to conpleatly short theme maby you could use a 1-10m resistor on each one (but it night not make any difference to shorting them) I don't know
Registered Member #2628
Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627
It would be easier to short them I suppose, main reason I didn't want to is because I have about 200 of them, and it takes time to unpack and do all of them. I'll do it next time I have some free time I guess.
Registered Member #30
Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706
Ideally when electrolytics have been in storage for a long time, you should reform them before use and reject any excessively leaky ones. "Long time" is more like 10 years than 2, but on the other hand, I'd want to test every capacitor before use in an application where they were part of a big parallel bank and a failure could have extreme consequences.
You can read about reforming on some vintage radio site, I forgot which.
As far as I know, electrolytics don't charge up of their own accord. If you previously charged them up and discharged them, they have some "dielectric memory" and will regain a little charge, but I've never seen it build to a dangerous voltage.
I know that Rifa don't ship their big ones with the terminals shorted, as I once bought a surplus unopened crate of the things.
Registered Member #2628
Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627
Thats how they are packed also, these are Aerovox caps, I've had some RIFAs shipped to me the same way to, box of 16, stacked upright with spacers, no mounting hardware therefore no jumpers.
Its nice to know that 2-3 year is a short time for the capacitors, I'm fine with reforming them, but nice to know they won't go "bad".
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Storage of capacitors?
