Elinchrom Universal 750s repair

[plusminus]

Hi,

I've had a capacitor fail in an oldish 750S head, which unfortunately is my only flash head at the moment and I can't afford to buy new equipment. Would it be easy to repair it by replacing the capacitor with a little amateur soldering? I don't want to bring it to a store for repair because that would cost more than what I paid for it, but of course I also don't want to cause more damage by tinkering with it when it wouldn't help. If only the capacitor needs to be replaced then I guess it would be relatively easy? Grateful for any experienced advice.

Thanks
Maik

[SergeiR]

if you find someone who repairs -s series for cheap do tell please.. I got two 1000s heads that need repairs ;(

[plusminus]

Someone from dpreview recommended Denis Willing (UK) and after contacting him by email I sent the head in. Fixed and returned within a few days for £64 incl. shipping and it's working again like a gem. http://www.ehffs.co.uk

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

I have three Elincrome heads like this, two 1500 S and one 750 S. I have had those for some 18 years. They are OK but the service is lousy. In the mid 90's an englishman took over the very respecteble factory in Rennance. But I also have Elincromes that are 32 years old and never needed service. That's what I call Swiss quality.

[plusminus]

Yeah that's probably why lots of pro's still rely on relatively old Elinchroms. The lack of electronics is an advantage when in comes to repairs. With newer models it's the same as in the car industry, if it's possible at all to fix a fault then only through some special service which charges a fortune.

[Brian C. Miller]

Look around in your local area for anyone doing TV, radio, or electronics repair. What's failed is a common 0.1uF cap, but I can't see the voltage rating or anything else on it. I can't tell if it's electrolytic (has a '+' sign, vitally important) or not. There are many electronics websites that have replacements.

If it were mine, it would be replaced inside of a few minutes, once I had the part.

[Leigh]

What's failed is a common 0.1uF cap, but I can't see the voltage rating or anything else on it.
I can't tell if it's electrolytic (has a '+' sign, vitally important) or not.
There are many electronics websites that have replacements.

To the OP: Where are you located? That can make a big difference when it comes to repairs.

A 0.1mfd cap in that European package is not all that common on this side of the Atlantic.
However, they are available from the vendors listed below.

I expect a voltage rating of 630 volts would be appropriate, but I don't have a schematic of that head.

It is definitely not electrolytic. Probably plastic film of some type (polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene,...).
The original is probably paper dielectric, which is why it failed. Paper deteriorates with age.
I would suggest replacing all similar capacitors while you're there, to reduce the probability of future failures.

If you choose to repair it yourself, buy name-brand* parts from a reputable distributor such as:
Mouser at www.mouser.com (This is where I get all my parts. I have an open account with them.)
DigiKey at www.digikey.com (They have a large stock, sometimes things that Mouser doesn't have.)
Newark at www.newark.com (Good reliable vendor, although I don't use them much.)
Allied at www.alliedelec.com (Worst online search function of any site I've visited.)

- Leigh

*Brands: Kemet (always my first choice), WIMA, Vishay, Cornell Dubilier (CDE), Nichicon, Panasonic

[plusminus]

I opened the unit and it's quite clear that now the other (old) 0.1uF has failed.

Leigh thanks for pointing out the different capacitor types. I'm based in London UK. I've been looking to buy a replacement, and found the original at Farnell. But I'm not sure which plastic film cap would be a suitable replacement? There seems to be a bewildering amount of choice, which isn't helped by my lack of knowledge about electrotechnics.

[plusminus]

Turned out I was too quick with my recommendation for EHFFS. The flash head worked on two shoots, during the third one it stopped midway through with another smoked capacitor. The old ones should have been replaced though in the repair. I emailed Mr Willing but so far not reply, which is slightly frustrating given the repair costs.

Brian thanks for the tip re electrolytic. I'll see if I can fix it myself when I get the chance.

[Leigh]

Yes, there's a huge selection of capacitor types.
Probably more variety than any other electronic component.

Without seeing a schematic of the circuit I can't recommend
a particular type, other than to match the installed parts.

With luck, those are still being manufactured.

- Leigh