View Single Post
Old 2nd Sep 2007, 3:59 pm   #71
G8DLG
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 48
Default Re: Vintage radio safety

Quote:
Originally Posted by wave solder View Post
Hello,

I am in the Electric Motor trade, and the motor run capacitors that we use are often passing several amps (quite a few in the case of a 2.2Kw motor) continuously and are absolutely perfect for using as capacitative droppers in Radio's and the like. (and it is very rare when one fails and when one does they are designed to go open circuit)
Capacitive droppers are not safe by any means,they may be ok for a motor that wont mind the spikes,harmonics,rf that a capacitor eagerly will let through.Another point is a capacitor is frequency AND WAVEFORM dependent,,I would never,never use one as a dropper in a radio that I care for. There were only one or two manufactures that tried this idea,may have been ok when the AC mains was a clean sine wave,and no rf.
A capacitor feeding heaters would be almost a dead short at RF!
G8DLG is offline