mace fx board trouble... HELP!!!

[bk_renesis]

I hope this is where it should be posted so here goes...

i was doing some final testing for fitment into my obiwan hilt before i finalise my solder points (messy) and apply the hot glue. I thought i better test the led and so on and wired it up. As soon as i removed my kill plug the led lit up even though it was very dim.

I thought here we go what did i do now and went over the board to see if any of my exposed wiring was shorting anywhere. I couldn't find anything wrong so i went ahead and removed the plug (same result) and i activated the switch.

The led lit up like xmas but was still dimly lit upon deactivation. I did the jiggle test to see if anything was loose and the black thing you see pictured fell off.

The board still works fine for sound, swing and clash, but the led doesn't quite switch off.

So i am requesting the assistance of Masters on these forums to tell me how bad i fudged this up and what i can do to to replace this piece. So any help will be greatly appreciated at this point and i would want to avoid the DPDT switch option at this point.

Once again any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Darth Xusia]

I believe that is a capacitor. If it is not burnt, you should be able to solder it back on.

[Ari-Jaq Xulden]

Its a capacitor. Just replace it with a new one.

[equinox13]

yep definitely a capacitor. and from the looks of it, the leads are still on the board. you'll need to replace it.

[cardcollector]

All you need to do is read the specs on the side ofthe capacitor, then buy a new one to replace it

[bk_renesis]

You guys are champions... i'll be off to the electronics shop first thing in the morning. Hope this was the problem all along.

Wooohooo!!!

[bk_renesis]

Ok sorry for the dub-post

The capacitor reads 100mf (m is the greek one) 16v & -40+100(degree symbol) with a capital "T" under that.

Am i making any sense or is that exactly what i ask for?

Cheers again guys.

[equinox13]

yep - just write it all down on a piece of paper and ask for that. and i would get a couple just in case the dielectric gel overheats when you solder it the first time. just as a backup.

[bk_renesis]

Thank you once again.

[Jedi-Loreen]

And make sure you observe polarity!

If you solder it in the wrong way, the capacitor can explode when you put power to it. The dielectric coated paper inside the metal housing is what explodes, while the housing becomes a projectile.

It won't kill you, but it can leave a mark, and you definitely don't want to get hit in the face. I've seen them leave marks on metal or plastic things.

Or, you can hurt yourself when you jerk in reaction to the noise, which sounds like a firecracker going off.

I know this from personal experience when I used to work on computer monitors in the '90s before boards had more surface mount components on them.

Am I trying to scare you? Maybe.
I'm trying to ensure that you use care when you replace your capacitor. Sometimes bad things can happen when you reverse polarity on some components.