Large elctrolytic capacitor on 800XL motherboard.

[morelenmir]

At the top left of the 800XL motherboard - if the keyboard is oriented normally - there sits a pretty large electrolytic capacitor, very close to the power switch. Is there anything special about this component or can it be swapped out for a new 470uF, 16V part without too much specificity? I am a big fan of the 'Rubycon' brand, or failing those I have found 'Nippon Chemi-con' spares to be almost as good.

[Bryan]

There's nothing special about it. It's only job is to filter the 5V coming in so it has a pretty easy life.

 

Nichicon, Rubycon, Elna, Panasonic, United Chemi-Con, are all good brands.

[morelenmir]

There's nothing special about it. It's only job is to filter the 5V coming in so it has a pretty easy life.

 

Nichicon, Rubycon, Elna, Panasonic, United Chemi-Con, are all good brands.

Many thanks Bryan, I'll pick up a Rubycon replacement from Farnell then:

 

http://uk.farnell.com/rubycon/16zl470mefc10x12-5/cap-alu-elec-470uf-16v-rad/dp/1144690

[gilsaluki]

Ebay sells all brands of caps, for real cheap. Shipping is free.

[morelenmir]

Farnell have gone free-delivery as well these days - the capacitor in question cost me 83p with VAT included and should get here by Wednesday!

 

In terms of general electronics these days though you are absolutely right. I would pretty much never go in to Maplins any more. Absolutely everything they sell can be got cheaper from ebay. Even quite esoteric things like project cases or specific types of solder are easy to get hold of that way.

[Mclaneinc]

Maplins has gone down hill since my days running a store, its gone all 'Tandy' with mixed bags of stuff and its all WAY over priced but to be fair we were never cheap. Also when I do go in to one I find the staff almost useless, my staff all had some form of knowledge of either electronics or computing, enough to offer help and suggestions.

[1050]

Tandy as in Radio Shack Tandy brand? OMG - it's contagious. Used to be one could count on Radio Shack but no more, they don't know who they are there for, eBay store was pretty good for three months and next to worthless now. Sorry for your losses.

[morelenmir]

Maplins has gone down hill since my days running a store, its gone all 'Tandy' with mixed bags of stuff and its all WAY over priced but to be fair we were never cheap. Also when I do go in to one I find the staff almost useless, my staff all had some form of knowledge of either electronics or computing, enough to offer help and suggestions.

 

I hate to say it Paul, but I am genuinely discouraged from going in because I do not want to be pounced on by one of the assistants there. They know next to nothing, probably actually nothing about electronics and have zero interest in anything other than car audio equipment. And the prices are just insane... All of which is a colossal shame that makes me extremely sad.

 

There was a time that my pal and I would make a near pilgrimage all the way to Leeds simply to walk around in the Maplins there. It genuinely was - for us as 15 year olds interested in electronics - an almost religious experience. There was simply no where else to go. Being able to see all these amazingly specific and esoteric components and pieces of equipment was... awe inspiring.

 

Incidentally my single capacitor came this morning, wrapped in a huge jiffy-bag... I almost feel guilty!!!

[Mclaneinc]

Tandy as in Radio Shack Tandy brand? OMG - it's contagious. Used to be one could count on Radio Shack but no more, they don't know who they are there for, eBay store was pretty good for three months and next to worthless now. Sorry for your losses.

 

We had a Tandy / Radio Shack shop directly opposite my Maplins shop, their staff were utterly pointless and were classed as 'box shifters', no brains but sales related commission. The cheeky manager asked me if I would come and work for him as a deputy manager, my reply also contained the word OFF.

[Mclaneinc]

 

I hate to say it Paul, but I am genuinely discouraged from going in because I do not want to be pounced on by one of the assistants there. They know next to nothing, probably actually nothing about electronics and have zero interest in anything other than car audio equipment. And the prices are just insane... All of which is a colossal shame that makes me extremely sad.

 

There was a time that my pal and I would make a near pilgrimage all the way to Leeds simply to walk around in the Maplins there. It genuinely was - for us as 15 year olds interested in electronics - an almost religious experience. There was simply no where else to go. Being able to see all these amazingly specific and esoteric components and pieces of equipment was... awe inspiring.

 

Incidentally my single capacitor came this morning, wrapped in a huge jiffy-bag... I almost feel guilty!!!

 

Yes, when I was at Maplin I started as Atari tech sales, I had little electronics but I picked up stuff fast so it wasn't an issue, the shops in my days were so different than these ones today, Maplin started as a home business by a pair of guys called Doug and Roger, after they got the first shop it was a friendly little business, the customer base was in to it and as the shops grew the style stayed the same, you had time for the people, the computers made us more busy but when I took over the managership I kept the customers feeling that they were worth something, it was how most of the shops were including Leeds, happy helpful faces and oddles of goodies, sadly as they went for huge expansion Doug and Roger decided to bring in things like toy cars, boats and cheap crap from Asia but flogged it at outrageous prices, managers stock meeting were all of us wondering what crap Doug and Roger were going to stick in the catalogue this year and IF half of it would even work.

 

The shame was that with the overly rapid expansion they needed the cash back in as profits so we as managers were pushed to break stupid targets, basically they did the doctor thing in essence, where you go to the doctor now and you have 10 mins to be seen and kicked out, in the shops they just wanted fast turnover and more of the shop became so Tandy like it was shameful.

 

Needless to say the punters started voting with their feet as components and the like were now secondary to stupidly priced PC parts, the quality of staff suffered, when I left all but one of my staff also left soon afterwards, said the place wasn't the same and the whole selling ethic was pure box shifting, there was nothing to get their teeth in to so they felt their skills were wasted and they were right, all got very good jobs elsewhere.

 

Now Maplin is a German owned (last I heard) mess, disco balls, laptop coolers and utterly stupid stock and prices.

 

As for your cap you got, don't you hate it when they do that, SVP sent me a memory stick out once, it came in a 12X12 cardboard box full of packing chips.......Sad...

Edited December 16, 2015 by Mclaneinc

[Keatah]

RadioShack's pricing is truly frightening.

[morelenmir]

 

Yes, when I was at Maplin I started as Atari tech sales, I had little electronics but I picked up stuff fast so it wasn't an issue, the shops in my days were so different than these ones today, Maplin started as a home business by a pair of guys called Doug and Roger, after they got the first shop it was a friendly little business, the customer base was in to it and as the shops grew the style stayed the same, you had time for the people, the computers made us more busy but when I took over the managership I kept the customers feeling that they were worth something, it was how most of the shops were including Leeds, happy helpful faces and oddles of goodies, sadly as they went for huge expansion Doug and Roger decided to bring in things like toy cars, boats and cheap crap from Asia but flogged it at outrageous prices, managers stock meeting were all of us wondering what crap Doug and Roger were going to stick in the catalogue this year and IF half of it would even work.

 

The shame was that with the overly rapid expansion they needed the cash back in as profits so we as managers were pushed to break stupid targets, basically they did the doctor thing in essence, where you go to the doctor now and you have 10 mins to be seen and kicked out, in the shops they just wanted fast turnover and more of the shop became so Tandy like it was shameful.

 

Needless to say the punters started voting with their feet as components and the like were now secondary to stupidly priced PC parts, the quality of staff suffered, when I left all but one of my staff also left soon afterwards, said the place wasn't the same and the whole selling ethic was pure box shifting, there was nothing to get their teeth in to so they felt their skills were wasted and they were right, all got very good jobs elsewhere.

 

Now Maplin is a German owned (last I heard) mess, disco balls, laptop coolers and utterly stupid stock and prices.

 

As for your cap you got, don't you hate it when they do that, SVP sent me a memory stick out once, it came in a 12X12 cardboard box full of packing chips.......Sad...

 

That is really interest history Paul! I never knew they had such a small beginning. Did you ever make it down to the Leeds shop? It used to be on a pretty much totally otherwise industrial, back alley. Getting there was an adventure in itself, but when you did... It was like the Thornton's of electronics. 'Component heaven since 1977'!

 

You really hit the nail on the head as well - radio controlled toy cars and super-cheap helicopters... 'Executive toys'. Its like they are trying to be another 'Gadget Shop', whose fate should tell them something. Even the PC equipment they do have is not only very marked-up, but very low quality. They do not even go for the enthusiast market who just might pay out a little more to have easy access to the more expensive nVidia cards and so on. The only time I go there now is if I simply cannot bring myself to wait to get something - and even those incidences are few and far between with free shipping from Farnell and most ebay shops too. Worse still they have a 'style' as well - it is all car audio and the 'staff' either are drawn from the 'boy racer' pool or are told to act like they have been. Either way... Massively off putting - to the extent that some time ago my wife refused to go in with me any more after experiencing what amounted to sexual harassment.

 

What is especially sad is the fact there is even now - perhaps, with the current perceived coolness of LeMaker, Arduino and Raspbery Pi especially now - room in the market for a really good, dedicated electronics supply company. Older, well trained and interested staff with a large stock of onsite parts would bring me back - even if the bits happened to be a few pence more. But... As you mentioned - they are after the quick profit.