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Bulging capacitors

  1. #1
    Just had a scary look inside this computer, I see one bulging capacitor and two that are bulging and sort of leaking.

    I wonder should I fix them now, or just hope for the best?

    The computer is a tower computer around 10 years old.
  2. #2
    A College Professor victim of incest [your moreover breastless limestone]
  3. #3
    A College Professor victim of incest [your moreover breastless limestone]
  4. #4
    just short teh circuit, you'll be fine.
  5. #5
    aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
    probably due to temperature

    bulging is ok (though whatever caused them to bulge will likely cause them to pop eventually), leaking dramatically affects their capacitance though.

    The effect depends on where they are; modern motherboards are too intricate to really predict what capacitor failures will do and replacing them is tricky given how tightly they're packed
  6. #6
    bling bling Dark Matter
    ther fukd bro they can pop but its nuthin to take ur fingers off its weak
  7. #7
    bling bling Dark Matter
    cross the connectors it will release the stored negatron energey
  8. #8
    benny vader YELLOW GHOST
    Originally posted by aldra probably due to temperature

    bulging is ok (though whatever caused them to bulge will likely cause them to pop eventually), leaking dramatically affects their capacitance though.

    The effect depends on where they are; modern motherboards are too intricate to really predict what capacitor failures will do and replacing them is tricky given how tightly they're packed

    any idea what those caps around the processor do ???

    i have one from from more than 10 years ago that i bought new and never get to use and i checked last year some of them caps had blown up and some are swelling.

    any experience with changing them ???
  9. #9
    A College Professor victim of incest [your moreover breastless limestone]
  10. #10
    benny vader YELLOW GHOST
    Originally posted by A College Professor they are camoflauged solid state storage and ur CPU secretly screen-caps and key-logs if you happen to be looking at child porn. if someone was to look at a very large amount of child porn the capacitor could no longer hold all of the evidence and it can blow the lid off and spill some of the data out

    c
  11. #11
    infinityshock Black Hole
    speaking of capacitors...

    back in the olden days we were taking apart giant 6-hp (give or take) electric motors for the copper and had piles of giant fist-sized capacitors. this one dude did something to wire them to live current then they would explode, literally louder than a mortar firework, and leaving a crater in the dirt.
  12. #12
    aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
    Originally posted by infinityshock speaking of capacitors…

    back in the olden days we were taking apart giant 6-hp (give or take) electric motors for the copper and had piles of giant fist-sized capacitors. this one dude did something to wire them to live current then they would explode, literally louder than a mortar firework, and leaving a crater in the dirt.

    kek, if you run power to them in the opposite polarity (positive to negative) they pop; I've never seen one explode like that but I wouldn't doubt it in high-voltage applications
  13. #13
    aldra JIDF Controlled Opposition
    Originally posted by benny vader any idea what those caps around the processor do ???

    i have one from from more than 10 years ago that i bought new and never get to use and i checked last year some of them caps had blown up and some are swelling.

    any experience with changing them ???

    I dunno, I'll see if I can find out. I don't recommend trying to change them because they're surface-mount; very difficult to solder by hand and they're so close to other components that the heat can destroy them. If you do try it at least make sure you remove the CPU from it's socket first
  14. #14
    benny vader YELLOW GHOST
    Originally posted by aldra I dunno, I'll see if I can find out. I don't recommend trying to change them because they're surface-mount; very difficult to solder by hand and they're so close to other components that the heat can destroy them. If you do try it at least make sure you remove the CPU from it's socket first

    i guess i'll have to.

    either i try to fix it or its going to be all wasted. i bought it in 2006. but back then the processor is quite pricey so i waited for the price to drop, and waited, and waited until i forgot about it completely and then finally, in 2016 i bought the AMD939 it needed for the price of scrap.
  15. #15
    mashlehash victim of incest [my perspicuously dependant flavourlessness]
    Originally posted by Issue313 Just had a scary look inside this computer, I see one bulging capacitor and two that are bulging and sort of leaking.

    I wonder should I fix them now, or just hope for the best?

    The computer is a tower computer around 10 years old.

    I had an old 2008 computer that just blue screened me the other day.
  16. #16
    infinityshock Black Hole
    Originally posted by aldra kek, if you run power to them in the opposite polarity (positive to negative) they pop; I've never seen one explode like that but I wouldn't doubt it in high-voltage applications

    i have no idea what he did but it made a mess. burned 'gunk' sprayed everywhere in addition to dirt and metal.
  17. #17
    Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]
    Originally posted by aldra probably due to temperature

    bulging is ok (though whatever caused them to bulge will likely cause them to pop eventually), leaking dramatically affects their capacitance though.

    The effect depends on where they are; modern motherboards are too intricate to really predict what capacitor failures will do and replacing them is tricky given how tightly they're packed

    I disagree. Bulging shows the cellular breakdown of electrolytic fluid inside the capacitor. Capacitors work in a data line to "smooth" or "regulate" a signal. Commonly, you'll find, on 10+ year desktop computers, the capacitors around the CPU are swollen or busted. Modern motherboards boast 10+ year capacitors, but motherboards from "off the shelf" computers at Best Buy or whatever, commonly have cheaper capacitors that are rated for 5-7 years.

    A bulged capacitor is a bad capacitor every time. No matter what. In fact, the capacitor doesn't even have to bulge to be bad. It can appear normal and have an extreme drop in capacitance. Only way to know for sure is to remove it from the circuit and test it with a multimeter.

    To OP, I'd replace any caps that were swollen. In fact, replace all of them in the general area. When one swells and loses capacitance, the load is often off-set to the surrounding capacitors and they too begin to fail. You can read the voltage and uF of them on the capacitor itself. Make sure you replace them with the correct polarity, positive in positive, etc. Basically, replace them in the same direction you removed them.
    The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!
  18. #18
    Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]
    Originally posted by benny vader any idea what those caps around the processor do ???

    i have one from from more than 10 years ago that i bought new and never get to use and i checked last year some of them caps had blown up and some are swelling.

    any experience with changing them ???

    They act to "smooth" or "regulate" the data signals the processor handles. Since the processor handles all computing, those lines could run to virtually anything. CPU being directly in line with RAM and Southbridge, your data line can be one of the two.

    Changing them is simple if you have the proper equipment. You need a soldering iron, leaded-solder, de-soldering braid, flux, and of course, your replacement capacitors. digikey.com or mouser.com is a good resource. Let me know if you need specifics on the technique to remove them.
  19. #19
    bling bling Dark Matter
    get a 9volt battery and connect it to the capasitor poles it will regenerate it
  20. #20
    Grimace motherfucker [my enumerable hindi guideword]
    Originally posted by bling bling get a 9volt battery and connect it to the capasitor poles it will regenerate it

    False. Once the electrolytic fluid has begun molecular breakdown, there is no "regenerating it".
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