Recapping a console?

[thesearchforlight]

What exactly does recaping invole?
And what else should/can you do to a console to make it sound better?

[I'm Painting Again]

it means taking out and replacing all the capacitors..on the channels and power supply..you could also change or clean the potentiometers..

[Scodiddly]

More specifically it usually means replacing all the aluminum electrolytic capacitors, since those tend to dry out after 20-30 years.

[lobstman]

If your console is modular it's pretty easy, and you can do it slowly over time without taking your desk out of service- just do one module at a time. If it isn't, you pretty much have to gut it and do it all at once.

Recapping is simple, just make sure you get the polarity correct. Get a schematic, figure out the values and quantities you need, and order 'em (Digikey, Mouser). Although caps are cheap, you'll need a lot of 'em, and it adds up fast. Get a small pair of snips, a desoldering tool, and a good iron (and solder, duh). A jig of some kind to hold the module is really heplful, too. I always wear shop glasses when soldering (my shop teacher would be so proud!)- if you'd ever accidentally flicked a bead of hot solder an inch from your eye, you would too. Just do it.

Clip the old cap out, then desolder the legs and clear the holes. Then seat the new cap, solder it in, and clip the extra length off the legs. Even though the board is marked with the correct polarity, I always do caps one at a time to minimize the chances of screwing up. Repeat a couple thousand times, and you're done.

[Derrick]

It's also avisable that you take great care in not overheating any traces you are soldering (or desoldering) on the circuit board. If you do, the trace will lift right off the circuitboard! This can happen if you use a iron set too hot, or by holding an iron too long at the trace.

[Leopold]

And remember to wash your hands.

[I'm Painting Again]

Get a small pair of snips, a desoldering tool, .

an entire console with a 5 buck plastic desoldering tool from rat shack..lol..ouch!!

they have electric vaccume desoldering tools that are much better but much more $$$loot$$$..

have a pro do it..thats another thing that will help your sound..unless you are a great and experienced solderer and can understand schematics and use a mutimeter correctly and all that jazz..its not really that tough but if its something you never did before then i would not go the diy route..