Where to get HV caps? 5-6 KV, 0.01-0.1 uF

Hello all!

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted. Since they are about 23 years old I plan on replacing
all three of them.

There is one capacitor directly across the AC input that is rated
0.011 uF, 4 KV AC. There are two more that I think form part of a
doubler that are rated 0.1 uF, 5 KV DC. Each of the three are about
1" diameter by 3" long (25 mm by 75 mm).

A turn through the Digi-Key and Mouser catalogs didn't find anything
suitable. The case size and lead arrangement is fairly non-critical,
because I have lots of room to work with. I can get an entire
replacement power supply for $120, but I'd like to try fixing this one
first.

Any suggestions on where to buy capacitors like this in small
quantities?

Thanks!

Matt Roberds

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

mroberds@worldnet.att.net wrote:

Hello all!

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted. Since they are about 23 years old I plan on replacing
all three of them.

There is one capacitor directly across the AC input that is rated
0.011 uF, 4 KV AC. There are two more that I think form part of a
doubler that are rated 0.1 uF, 5 KV DC. Each of the three are about
1" diameter by 3" long (25 mm by 75 mm).

A turn through the Digi-Key and Mouser catalogs didn't find anything
suitable. The case size and lead arrangement is fairly non-critical,
because I have lots of room to work with. I can get an entire
replacement power supply for $120, but I'd like to try fixing this one
first.

Any suggestions on where to buy capacitors like this in small
quantities?

Thanks!

Matt Roberds

Have you checked with the OEM of the electronic air cleaner?


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Mike Harrison]

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:10:36 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

mroberds@worldnet.att.net wrote:

Hello all!

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted. Since they are about 23 years old I plan on replacing
all three of them.

There is one capacitor directly across the AC input that is rated
0.011 uF, 4 KV AC. There are two more that I think form part of a
doubler that are rated 0.1 uF, 5 KV DC. Each of the three are about
1" diameter by 3" long (25 mm by 75 mm).

Try ebay.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Mike Harrison wrote:

On Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:10:36 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

mroberds@worldnet.att.net wrote:

Hello all!

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted. Since they are about 23 years old I plan on replacing
all three of them.

There is one capacitor directly across the AC input that is rated
0.011 uF, 4 KV AC. There are two more that I think form part of a
doubler that are rated 0.1 uF, 5 KV DC. Each of the three are about
1" diameter by 3" long (25 mm by 75 mm).

Try ebay.

I'm not the one looking for them. You snipped the wrong parts of the
message you replied to.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Homer J Simpson]

<mroberds@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:NZjYh.236388$JN6.83559@newsfe17.phx...

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted.

Not always a bad sign.

Any suggestions on where to buy capacitors like this in small
quantities?

Try locally?

 

[Ray King]

Hi, Matt,
To be safe you might check the high voltage diodes ( usually a doubler )
Sometimes they can look similar to a cap. There are usually two caps and two
diodes. Sometimes the two diodes are in the same package with three leads.
Or in a larger plastic block.
Regards,
Ray




<mroberds@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:NZjYh.236388$JN6.83559@newsfe17.phx...

Hello all!

My electronic air cleaner has quit working and I have narrowed it down
to the HV power supply. Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors,
particularly because the wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to
have melted. Since they are about 23 years old I plan on replacing
all three of them.

There is one capacitor directly across the AC input that is rated
0.011 uF, 4 KV AC. There are two more that I think form part of a
doubler that are rated 0.1 uF, 5 KV DC. Each of the three are about
1" diameter by 3" long (25 mm by 75 mm).

A turn through the Digi-Key and Mouser catalogs didn't find anything
suitable. The case size and lead arrangement is fairly non-critical,
because I have lots of room to work with. I can get an entire
replacement power supply for $120, but I'd like to try fixing this one
first.

Any suggestions on where to buy capacitors like this in small
quantities?

Thanks!

Matt Roberds

 

mroberds@worldnet.att.net wrote:

Any suggestions on where to buy capacitors like this in small
quantities?

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

Have you checked with the OEM of the electronic air cleaner?

"You'll kill yourself! But if you manage not to kill yourself, you need
to buy our replacement power supply for $120."

"Homer J Simpson" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote:

mroberds@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:NZjYh.236388$JN6.83559@newsfe17.phx...

Right now I am suspicious of the capacitors, particularly because the
wax (?) on the end of one of them seems to have melted.

Not always a bad sign.

Well, the HV transformer appears to be putting out - the secondary is not
open, and when the primary is powered with 120 V, the secondary is
something more than 750 V AC open circuit. When I connect the secondary
to the diode/cap board, with the DC output unloaded, the voltage across
the secondary collapses to zero. Measuring across the input to the
diode/cap board with nothing else connected, I get about 130 ohms. Given
that the input is probably 3 or 4 KV AC, this implies an input current of
over 20 A, which doesn't seem likely.

From: "Ray King" <rayjking@bellsouth.net>

To be safe you might check the high voltage diodes ( usually a doubler )
Sometimes they can look similar to a cap. There are usually two caps and
two diodes.

It is a doubler circuit, with an additional capacitor directly across
the AC input. The diodes look like normal diodes, just bigger - maybe
0.25" diameter by 1" long (6 by 25 mm). Neither diode is a dead short
but my DMM's "diode test" range can't convince them to conduct, either.
I think I need to test them with something more than the 9 V the DMM
can put out, though.

Matt Roberds

 

[Homer J Simpson]

<mroberds@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Fbl_h.268680$JN6.190573@newsfe17.phx...

It is a doubler circuit, with an additional capacitor directly across
the AC input. The diodes look like normal diodes, just bigger - maybe
0.25" diameter by 1" long (6 by 25 mm). Neither diode is a dead short
but my DMM's "diode test" range can't convince them to conduct, either.
I think I need to test them with something more than the 9 V the DMM
can put out, though.

Try a 12 volt (or variable) wall wart with a 1 K resistor in series.