Can I mix 3 different brands of electrolytic capacitors?

[aventy28]

I have this power circuit board for a mini HiFi system, that has leaky caps, I bought the capacitors needed for the replacement...however there are of three different brands: Jamicon, Capxon and
Rubycon.

Replacement of leaky caps are
- 6 Jamicon 1000uf 50v
- 2 Jamicon 470uf 35v
- 2 Nichicon 10uf 35v

The ones I bought for this replacement (and the only ones available due to this COVID19 situation) are

- for the 1000uf 50v: 4 are Capxon brands & 2 are Jamicon brands but 63v were available and 50v were out of stock, so I bought them.

- for 470uf 35v: 2 Jamicons were bought

- for 10uf 35v: 2 Rubycons were bought

My question is: is it ok to replace the leaky caps with the mentioned different brands of new ones above?

Or should I just wait for this COVID19 situation to be over, and just get the same brands of those leaky caps when it restock?

 

[Externet]

Using different brands of capacitors should not be detrimental. Try not to use the brands recognized as trouble-prone.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

There is no problem using an 63 V capacitor in stead of an 50 V type.
The 63 V type will likely last longer as it has more headroom and is less stressed.

Bertus

 

[shrtrnd]

Above responses all true.
Hopefully, you won't have a problem, but as Externet alluded to, there are a lot of counterfeit Chinese components loose
out there that don't hold-up. It pays to try to buy brand-names from reputable suppliers. (even though the brand-name can also be counterfeited by the Chinese).
I'm mentioning this in case you experience a problem shortly after your repair. Don't assume that just because you replaced
those caps recently, that they don't need to be retested if a problem reoccurs.
Good luck with the repair.

 

[hevans1944]

If it is possible to do so, it is a good idea to check the electrolytic capacitors for leakage current at their operating voltage and to test them for their Effective Series Resistance (ESR) over the range of frequencies each is expected to "filter" or otherwise pass through a signal.

ESR testers seem to be more common than leakage testers, but you can cobble up your own leakage test with a variable-voltage DC power supply and a sensitive microammeter, all connected in series across the capacitor under test. Pay attention to getting the power supply polarity correct because electrolytic capacitors are (usually) polarized. Also include in this test circuit a normally-closed momentary switch (toggle or push-button) in parallel with the microammeter or a sensitive milliammeter. This is to allow the capacitor to charge to its working voltage without passing the charging current through the current-measuring device.

After adjusting the power supply to the working voltage, wait a few seconds before actuating and quickly de-actuating the switch to temporarily remove the short across the current meter. If there was any indication of current, wait a few more seconds and repeat the actuation and de-actuation of the normally-closed switch. The goal is to measure zero leakage current, sourced by the variable-voltage DC power supply to the capacitor, after the capacitor is charged to its normal operating voltage.

Of course nothing is perfect, so you might see a microampere or so of leakage through a perfectly good electrolytic capacitor, but certainly nothing in the milliampere range or higher.

 

[caps]

To check the electrolytic capacitors, you can use a Chinese transistor tester.
He has a Vloss function (leakage).

 

[roughshawd]

As long as all the requirements are there, it really doesn't matter where you got the device you use...