Technics SP-10 TT motor capacitors?

Raul, I think you have the completely wrong idea in this rare case. For me, the reason to change the electrolytic caps in ANY device that has been sitting on a shelf for 20 years is simply to avoid a failure that could damage other, much more irreplaceable parts, NOT to make the turntable "sound" better in any way. If you read what I wrote, I did say that for a unit that has been in constant or intermittent service all along, probably this is less of a risk. Further, forget what I may think, Bill Thalmann agreed. He spends his days fixing broken electronics. Also, he did not solicit the work; he is snowed under with repair jobs. He had/has no ulterior motive whatever.

Having vented on that subject, I admit there ARE some sp10 users who think it is necessary to install Black Gate electrolytics in the PS, for reasons you suggest. I used Panasonics that cost less than a buck apiece in most cases.

Strathorncat, Sounds like you know how to read a schematic and have an SP10 service manual. You will therefore know or be able to see that the external PS is far from "state of the art", even for 1980. I think this means that Technics built it as good as it had to be for the job it has to do: supply 5V and 32.5V regulated voltages and unregulated 140V to the main circuits built into the chassis. If one were really a zealot, one could build a "better" outboard supply, with better more modern regulators, a reguated 140V supply, etc. I doubt it would make much difference. Still...... I think about it once in a while. This falls far short of externalizing all the in-board circuitry as well, which I would be very reluctant to do.

Sure. I can see some value in that. But, that's a ways down the road for me. I just fell into my sp-10 and got an extra power supply off ebay and recapped both, so I hope to not have to worry about DC voltages for a while. I did notice that it was nothing special. I figure I'll get the deck ready to spin and start playing with plinth's, arms and cartridges. I'm "turnin' knobs" in the rest of my system, as well. Got lot's of low hanging fruit to benefit from.

I do wonder about one thing, however. Currently, I have a Grace 840F tonearm with a Grado Ref. Sonata and I get a bit of "the" hum. I'm wondering if there might be an easy way to shield/ground the motor/platter better within the deck. I've read that it's most likely due to the cartridge, but just thinking, since I'm about to crack it open anyway...

Thanks

Dear Lew: I think I understand what you posted about and that kind of prevention is that: a prevention, I?m not against it.

What I say is that I don't know/read/experiences anywhere on that kind of failure in a SP-10, but could happen.

Anyway, the whole subject is that we have to take care on our Sp-10s, no doubt about.

My question still is the same: any improvement?

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Raul, Sorry for the tone of my post, if it was too intense. In response to your latest, I can only say that there definitely ARE reports on the internet, on various other sites, of SP10s that won't hold speed, that have lost torque, that are plain "dead", etc. It is not unlikely that many of these problems were caused by old electrolytic capacitors that had become leaky and then destroyed downstream transistors or ICs. As Strathorncat said, I don't expect any "improvement" over the basic as-new performance of a fully functional SP10 Mk2A.

Stay tuned for the battery-supplied SP10, however. (Not hard to do for the 5V supply.) That would be cool.