# Replacing capacitor from unworking TV with some other capatitors which has not the same value [closed]

I am repairing (trying to repair) my TV.

I found 1 capacitor 25V $1500\mu$F which i think is bad (it has some weird shape at top) I don't have any capacitors with that value but I have some similar to that

• 25V $470\mu$F x3
• 35v $1000\mu$F

Can I replace the bad one with this 35V $1000\mu$F, or can I combine them (serial or parallel)?

## closed as off-topic by Nick Alexeev♦Oct 22 '14 at 16:57

This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:

• "Questions on the repair of consumer electronics, appliances, or other devices must involve specific troubleshooting steps and demonstrate a good understanding of the underlying design of the device being repaired. See also: Is asking on how to fix a faulty circuit on topic?" – Nick Alexeev
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If you put your three 25v 470uF caps in parallel, you'll get a 25v 1410uF cap with 3 times the current rating and 1/3 of the ESR (equivalent series resistance) of the individual caps. Depending on the application, this will be close enough capacitance (original tolerance is probably +/- 20% or so) and the lower ESR could be nice too...unless your jerry-rigged setup dwarfs the caps' ESR with its own actual resistance.

• So, if i connect my 3 capacitors 25v 470uf in parrallel, it would be good replacement for the bad one? – Ricky Oct 22 '14 at 17:01
• Probably. If you keep the leads short, it might even work better than the original. Not that it would be noticeable though. – AaronD Oct 22 '14 at 17:44

If you combine capacitors in parallel, their value will add.

(C1 + C2 = Ctotal)

• 2x 1000uF capacitors in parallel will be equal to a single 2000uF capacitor.

If you combine capacitors in series, their value will divide:

(1/C1 + 1/C2 = 1/Ctotal)

• 2x 1000uF capacitors in series will be equal to a single 500uF capacitor.

You should be able to replace the faulty capacitors with any that have:

• The same (or higher) voltage rating
• The same capacitance (with more knowledge of the circuit, it is possible that other values could be used)
• The same polarity

Replacing these can be pretty dangerous (read: physical harm could definitely result) unless you know what you are doing, though. Make sure to unplug the TV, and also discharge the capacitors before removal.

Your original capacitor is very likely bad. I had the exact same problem on one of my TVs and I repaired it by replacing the capacitor. Your new capacitor(s) must have the same or higher voltage rating (i.e. 25V or higher) but should have the same capacitance ($1500\mu$F).

You can achieve a $1500\mu$F capacitance with one $1000\mu$F capacitor in parallel with a pair of $1000\mu$F capacitors in series -- the series capacitors have an equivalent $500\mu$F capacitance, and the parallel combination of that $500\mu$F and $1000\mu$F capacitance adds to $1500\mu$F.

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab

It would probably be easiest to just buy a $1500\mu$F capacitor rated for $\geq 25$V, though, since the PCB will only have space for the one original capacitor. They are pretty cheap on Amazon.