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The RIFA Experience

MicroCoreLabs

MicroCoreLabs

Experienced Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
291
It seems that people are removing RIFA's as soon as they get a vintage machine before even powering it up once. This makes sense for those of us who have already experienced RIFA smoke, but will those who have not be cheating themselves of the experience?
 
Well, 99% of RIFA failures are benign (apart from the smell !) but I would not risk almost certain failure causing damage.
 
MicroCoreLabs said:
It seems that people are removing RIFA's as soon as they get a vintage machine before even powering it up once.
Click to expand...
But they're not if the line suppression capacitor is made by WIMA instead of RIFA ? :)

Yes, I'm having a little rant. Just like 'MFM drive', 'MFM controller', 'IDE', etc., 'RIFA' is now on the list of inappropriate names for things.
 
Yeah, it does seem like the "in" thing to do... But in doing so they miss out on exploding tantalum's and RIFA smoke which is part of the experience...
 
Chuck(G) said:
Don'tcha know? "Shotgun" re-capping a board is the "in" thing. I wonder how many boards this ruins in the grand scheme of things.
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I do agree with this whole heartedly but that particular brand of paper mains suppression capacitor are just not worth waiting for. We have 12 BBC micros and every single one smoked, I don't think any RIFA capacitors (other brands are available) have survived in any of our machines.

Mind you, the more 'exciting' ones are in Commodore machines. Little RC networks in an aluminium tube that go off like a little cannon. Took out at least one chip in my 8032SK just by sheer impact :)

So, like 90's Apple SMT capacitors, if I see a yellow X2 RIFA branded capacitor, it gets pulled.

Edit - ok, apple SMT's, I will try the machine first but if it doesn't work, they get replaced and the board often needs washing.
 
I lettem burn. It happens. Its not a big deal. I feel everyone makes to big of a deal out of it.exploding tantalums are far more serious.
 
When the RIFA smoke oozed out of my Osborne 1 it reminded me of the self-destructing messages in Mission Impossible.

The few tantalums that have exploded on me were startling! Loud pop and sometimes a light show!

I admit that I do snip off RIFAs now (without replacing them) before powering up newly acquired machines. I've had the RIFA experience enough times so im done. :)
 
I replace them.. when and only when they pop (unless im selling the computer). And i replace them because.its easy and they are cheap.
 
I noticed a RIFA when cleaning the power supply of my new Vaxstation 4000 VLC. As referenced above, my understanding was that you could just remove them without impacting functionality. A bit of desoldering later, and I had a dead power supply. I put the cap back in, and it starts up without issue. Replacements are en route.

mike
 
Weird.. they are just filters so the machine should work fine without them.
 
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Are you sure what you removed was a a RIFA filter cap which are rectangular and not one of the main bulk capacitors which are round?
 
The line filter capacitors are usually found placed across both line feeds or from one side of the line to chassis ground. If your RIFA isn't in that position, you know why your PSU doesn't work. Muntzing generally doesn't work with this stuff.
 
I put it under preventative maintenance.
If I need to make a power supply reliable for continuous use I might as well replace them while I'm in there.
 
legodude said:
I noticed a RIFA when cleaning the power supply of my new Vaxstation 4000 VLC. As referenced above, my understanding was that you could just remove them without impacting functionality. A bit of desoldering later, and I had a dead power supply. I put the cap back in, and it starts up without issue. Replacements are en route.

mike
Click to expand...

'RIFA' capacitors should be connected from Live to Neutral, Live to Earth and Neutral to Earth. Removing them should cause no problems with the functionality of the power supply unit.

Sometimes you find capacitors (C) and inductors (L) in a circuit - sometimes in a little box. See (for example):

1712132428372.png
1712132460100.png
If you remove the inductors (or the entire box) - then the incoming mains supply is not connected to the power supply unit itself (unless you make these connections yourself).

However, you are now messing around with the mains supply = risk of black smoke and electrocution. So, unless you know what you are doing, don't do it...

Dave
 
daver2 said:
'RIFA' capacitors should be connected from Live to Neutral, Live to Earth and Neutral to Earth. Removing them should cause no problems with the functionality of the power supply unit.

Sometimes you find capacitors (C) and inductors (L) in a circuit - sometimes in a little box. See (for example):

View attachment 1277130
View attachment 1277131
If you remove the inductors (or the entire box) - then the incoming mains supply is not connected to the power supply unit itself (unless you make these connections yourself).

However, you are now messing around with the mains supply = risk of black smoke and electrocution. So, unless you know what you are doing, don't do it...

Dave
Click to expand...

I'd love some education. This certainly looks like a RIFA filtering capacitor to me (just for clarity, the yellow one that says "RIFA"):
2024-04-03 07.20.40.jpg


Thanks
Mike
 
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