Hello all~
I am having a problem with my homebrew amplifier and am looking for some
advice. It is a 4-1000A amp in a rack with the HV power supply mounted to the
bottom of the rack.
As of late I started to hear an intemittent snap or arc. After some
investigation I discovered that this arc was coming from the side of the
metal case of my 32uF 4500V oil filled GE cap (it is not coming from the
screw terminals). It just seems to arc to the bottom of the rack cabinet and
happens anywhere from every 5 to 10 minutes. It is mounted with a bracket to
the bottom of the rack which is painted steel. I sanded the paint down to
bare metal to be sure there was a good electrical connection and this has
reduced the frequency of the arcing. Unfortunately when it does arc now, it
is an even louder SNAP! I even soldered a ground strap to the cap and
grounded it to the chassis with no effect.
What do I do next ???
Thanks for any and all suggestions,
Jim
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