Inverter - fix or replace

[TheEntertainer]

Hi guys,
My 12v to 240v inverter stopped working. It’s out of warranty so I opened it to see whats wrong.
As per the pic, a number of capacitors blew out.
I can buy new ones for about $40, desolder the broken ones and i stall the new ones.
I’m a little concerned that this may bring the inverter back to life yet I have not fixed the root cause and don’t want to burn my shed down, comes down to risk vs $$ vs limited knowledge on 240v systems.

What would you recommend, fix or replace with new?

Thanks

Jhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200301/40d5b7ff72f0a6f00ac082bd579098f5.jpg

[trout1105]

As new inverters these days are relitivly cheap I would be inclined to bin the damaged one and get a new one.[thumbsupbig]

[Tombie]

That’s just been a spike most likely.
Is it a good unit overall? If so, why not have a go if you’re confident in your skills.

[TheEntertainer]

Just wondering why the fuses did not pop in case of a spike?

Will order the parts today, looks like delivery is about two weeks. I’ll post back then.

[loanrangie]

I'd fix it , a trip down to Jaycar will get you the caps you need.

[Homestar]

Looks like there is water damage on the PCB as well - there's a bit of what looks like rust on the heatsink on a diode there - or it's got really hot - but there is also water tracking down to the RHS of that too - the cap above it looks water damaged too unless this is the electrolyte that's leaked out when it failed but it looks to be an old issue, not something that's just happened, and that cap doesn't appear to have vented like the others - it does look like water staining to me though - see this quite a bit on our control boards in gensets that are supposed to 'waterproof' but invariably aren't. I'd be cautious if you're not familiar with electronic diagnosis and repair - could be other issues and a 240 volt bit of kit isn't the best starting ground for learning IMO. Please take great care if trying this repair, it's not a beginner cap replacement, but something that will require good soldering and care.

Was it an expensive inverter or a cheapy? If it's a cheaper version, probably just better to buy a new one, but if it is a good one, maybe worth repairing, but please be careful - I wouldn't have expected a momentary spike to blow the caps like that to be honest - I think something else has done this, more likely a sustained internal short or overload. Just replacing the caps may not solve anything.

[Blknight.aus]

cheaper caps or dried out caps and trying to drive a switch mode power supply with it.

if you liked what it did pull all the caps and replace em.

if you're not fussed bin it and replace it.

if you've got a relly with a kid into electronics pass it on for a fix it its yours if you want project.

[TheEntertainer]

Hi guys,

Cost is around $430 for a new one. The inverter is well protected from the rain or any water. Unless it was some kind of leak like you said. I’ve ordered the capacitors but not able to find the 68uf 450v with a 8mm lead so I’m a little stuck. Perhaps you are right, best get a new one. Get someone to repair this one as a backup...

[Tombie]

Hi guys,

Cost is around $430 for a new one. The inverter is well protected from the rain or any water. Unless it was some kind of leak like you said. I’ve ordered the capacitors but not able to find the 68uf 450v with a 8mm lead so I’m a little stuck. Perhaps you are right, best get a new one. Get someone to repair this one as a backup...

https://au.element14.com/c/passive-components/capacitors/aluminium-electrolytic-capacitors?capacitance=68uf&voltage-rating=450v

2nd one down!!!

[TheEntertainer]

Is the lead spacing not 10 on the visha, or is it just to late and i need to go to bed... [emoji23]

[BradC]

Just wondering why the fuses did not pop in case of a spike?

Will order the parts today, looks like delivery is about two weeks. I’ll post back then.

Just a tip for future. RS components are free next day to most major cities. Check their stock and it'll tell you 5 days (from UK) or next day.

I'll resort to Farnell (Element14) if nowhere else has them, but use RS for most stuff. The low ESR caps you get at Jaycar or Altronics are good for a quick "get out of jail", but for a proper repair you want to make sure you use a decent brand name cap with as similar or better ESR than the unit that popped in any switching application.

I used the parametric search and oddly enough didn't find any with 8mm lead pitch. 14 with a 7.5mm pitch however.
https://au.rs-online.com/web/c/passive-components/capacitors/aluminium-capacitors