My First Recap - Kenwood KA-7100

Kester #186 is good, comes in a felt tipped dispenser pen.
http://www.all-spec.com/products/KF18615.html

Another I've been using lately that's worked pretty good is the "MG Chemicals" rosin flux. You can use a small bush to apply it.
http://www.all-spec.com/products/835100ML.html?gclid=COa1jYCB3cACFehaMgodcR8A7A (just a bit messier to work with)

If you don't have any, it would be a good idea to snag some desolder braid. .100 width would be fine (flux impregnated)
Chem-wik, Tech spray and MG are some good brands.
http://www.all-spec.com/products/10-5L.html

Another thing to consider is what you are going to clean up the flux with. Some recommend aerosol flux remover. But in my opinion it's just a bit too aggressive.
Isopropyl alcohol does a good job, preferably 99 percent. Although I have used the 91 percent drugstore stuff in a pinch. You can use an acid brush to do the
cleaning, absorbing everything with a wipe. Kimwipes are an really good candidate for this. They are thin enough you can actually bush on top of the wipe itself
and the dissolved flux will be absorbed.

Thanks! I've got it all ordered, except of the isopropyl alcohol. The ten pack chisel iron tips. Flux, solder, cleaner... can wait to practice what I've learned!

sstudley said:

Thanks! I've got it all ordered, except of the isopropyl alcohol. The ten pack chisel iron tips. Flux, solder, cleaner... can wait to practice what I've learned!

Click to expand...

Super, having all of the correct materials will certainly go a long way.

Well as it turns out, the original problem was the switch that opens and closes the 110 & 220 VAC circuits. I now have the power light coming one. Now I have to figure out what I messed up chasing various red rabbits.

So, here's were I'm at. I have good power numbers up to and through the fuses. The original transformer is back in and the 110-220 VAC switch has been bypassed. I couldn't get any worth while readings off the caps or output transistors because the heat sink was getting pretty hot, pretty fast and thus powered down the system.
I have seen this behavior once before (hot heat sink) and the cause that time was that one of the leads for one of the output transistors was shorting on the heat sink.

My plan, unless I hear otherwise, is to desolder the output transistors and see if I can line the lead holes with heat shrink, as a make-shift insulator.

This has been an eye opening learning lesson on many fronts. All of your comments have and will be, greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,
Steve

I resoldered the output transistors as meticulous as I am capable. They look pretty good, the solder welds that is. My numbers did improve (I think) on the filter caps. The filter caps read 46.7 +- .4 VDC. The output transistors are reading .6 VDC - .9 VDC, with the volume set at "-70db". QUESTION: How are output transistors read, does the volume setting impact those reading?
The heat sink is still getting pretty hot.
Thanks!

I discovered the filter caps are not consistent. The two on the left are reading good, just shy of 47 VDC, but the two on the right are 67 and 19 VDC left to right respectively. Further clarification on the output transistors - the inner 2 are reading .6 +- .05 and the outer two are .9 +- .05 VDC. Baring any suggestions, my next step will be to reflow the solder on the filter caps as suggested by echowars some time back in the thread. Then check the numbers again.

Another step in the right direction, I think. After re-flowing the solder on the filter caps, they are now reading a consistent 42.nn VDC across all four caps. FWIW: My soldering is much improved, however far from ideal.
Output transistors are still holding the same numbers. The next step, baring input from the forum, will be to re-seat the output transistors. Only this time I may take the heat sink out, just to make sure there isn't any solder shorting a circuit.