[sdiy] Reformatting Capacitors

[Scott Evans, Gen Mgr]

Hello all,

I am going to be reworking some gear that has not been on in 9 years,
and want to try reformatting the electrolytic caps before going to
replacement. Couple of questions:

1. Is this a waste of time? Should I just go ahead and replace? I may
just do this for the inexpensive ones.

2. How high a voltage for a reformat? Full voltage, 50%?

3. How fast should take the caps to the reformatting voltage, i.e. 25%
steps for 10 Minutes?

4. After this process is finished, how can I test the caps to see if the
reformatting is successful? I have a Fluke with capacitance checking,
will this do?

BTW, if there is a web page that describes the process, that would be
great.

Thanks in advance to all who reply, I appreciated your help.

Regards,

Scott Evans

"It is better to cherish virtue and humanity, leaving much to free
will ... than to attempt to make men machines and instruments of
political benevolence.  The world as a whole will gain by a liberty
without which virtue cannot exist."
Edmund Burke