What capacitors for 1.44MB floppy recap?

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djc6

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Oct 19, 2024
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I have a few 1.44MB floppy drives (all from SE/30s) that I would like to recap. I noticed the video from @JDW about this subject, but in the linked cart one of the capacitors is discontinued. I'm unsure what to replace it with that has a similar footprint/values/etc - anyone have an updated list?

Thanks!

 
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Paolo B

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Nov 27, 2021
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As usual with capacitors:
Same capacitance > must have
Same voltage > nice to have, but can be higher (e.g. replacing 10 V with 24V would be OK)
Same size, distance between the leads > must have / nice to have as long as they fit nicely
Same temperature rating > nice to have, can of course be higher (e.g. Replacing 85 C with 105 C)
 
JDW

JDW

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djc6 said:
I noticed the video from @JDW about this subject, but in the linked cart one of the capacitors is discontinued.
Click to expand...
I have updated the Mouser Cart.

But keep in mind that I have the following important note displayed directly under that Mouser Cart URL in my video description...

⚠️ Before you buy this cart, check your 1.44MB drive's capacitance values so you can confirm your drive is the same as my 1.44MB drive.
NOTE! Not all the capacitors are the same as 800K drive capacitors, so beware if also buying for an 800K drive. You should also consider recapping other boards too so you can add those capacitors to get your balance high enough to qualify for free shipping. I make no commission at all on Mouser Carts. I just provide it to be helpful. See my 800K drive video for details on how to go about recapping, since the location of capacitors is the same on the 800K and 1.44MB drives.
 
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Mk.558

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Nov 11, 2023
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The Mouser cart may come and go because of Year 2025 "Problems". In my signature, there's a image link in the Working with Disk Images section for the capacitors for a 1.44MB Sony drive.
 
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djc6

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Oct 19, 2024
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Mk.558 said:
In my signature, there's a image link in the Working with Disk Images section for the capacitors for a 1.44MB Sony drive.
Click to expand...

@Mk.558 I don't see a signature on your post, do you have a link you can share? Thanks!

IMG_2A9BB0DDF25A-1.jpeg
 
JDW

JDW

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Mk.558 said:
In my signature, there's a image link...
Click to expand...
Interestingly, I am not able to see your signature when viewing this page in Safari on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, as you can see from this iPhone screenshot...

1747009623415.png


But I am now using Safari on my 5K iMac, running macOS Monterey, and I can see your signature now. I consider that to be a forum software problem that needs to be resolved. Tagging: @fogWraith

For now, here is the URL you are referring to:

Classic Mac Networking v4.0
 
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djc6

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I received an email today from Mouser that three of the caps on the list you just updated are now EOL. They are still currently available, so people should stock up !
 
JDW

JDW

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Dealing with Mouser’s incessant changes is a full time job, so because they are still in stock I’m not going to waste time swapping them out for now. There are always replacements, so I’m not worried, but sometimes the only replacements available have slightly inferior specs (often ESR). So getting what’s in the cart now is a good idea.
 
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Mk.558

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Also don't select the option to ship it all in one bundle. I did that for my SE/30's analog board and PSU, and then COVID hit. I didn't get the final caps until almost 2 years later, because when one would come available, another would go out of stock.
 
JDW

JDW

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Mk.558 said:
...when one would come available, another would go out of stock.
Click to expand...
Some don't fault Mouser for that but I do. It's maddening.

Console5 is an alternative for some people because kits are always in stock and there are no out-of-stock capacitor games to play, but they don't have every kit needed, and it's not easy to figure out the part numbers and specs of their caps.

When people tell me to swap out caps, I make time to do it. But I don't make time to watch all my carts all the time, because again, it would be a full time job. And then there are times when I do a swap only to see another cap in the same cart go out of stock a day later. Crazy!

I think what some people do is find a substitute on their own so they can actually place the order. And so long as it will physically fit and they have experience doing such swaps, it will work out fine in the end.
 
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Mk.558

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I don't fault them for it. Because of... ... sigh Reasons, things are most likely pretty chaotic in the electronic world right now, so we can only fault them for so much. From what I was told most Japanese manufacturers make a bunch of item X, then switch the factory over to make Y, relying on stock to average out X before they have to switch away from Y or Z back to making X. They don't have enough space over there to make everything without resetting the factory.

We've also gotten "used" to a "mostly functional and stable" logistic system in the 2000s and 2010s. 2020 had a bit of a big speed bump, then recently in January 2025 another speed bump.

As long as the capacitors are proper spec and are from respectable Japanese brands, I don't care if it's Vishay or Chemi-Con or Panasonic or there's like 1 more iirc.
 
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