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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: Hak Foo on Wed, 23 April 2014, 23:10:11

Title: The Ultimate Stabilizer for ALPS boards
Post by: Hak Foo on Wed, 23 April 2014, 23:10:11
A few dys ago, I was wondering if it would be possible to rig Costar-stabilized caps to fit on older boards which have ALPS-style stabilizers.

Unfortunately, a bit of a disaster trying to desolder an AT101W left me in the opposite situation-- Costar-stabilized boards with a glut of ALPS-stabilizer caps.

What can we do?  Force the ALPS-stablilzed caps to work with Costar stabilizer inserts.

What do you need?

Costar-stabiliser inserts.  If you're reading this with any degree of excitement, you probably already have a board or two to scavenge some extras from.

The original ALPS cap wires.  Unfortunately, the Costar wires tend to be too short and the wrong shape to engage the alps stabilizers.

(http://i.imgur.com/c1yyFMe.jpg)

What do you need to do?

Simply remove the "rear lip" of the insert, filing it down to near-flat.

(http://i.imgur.com/2mNJIK1.jpg)

Reinstall the stabilizer inserts, using the ALPS wire.  Save the original wire, in case you ever want to use a more modern cao.

(http://i.imgur.com/y53evvp.jpg)

As far as I can tell, this configuration is backwards-compatible, so it should let you swap in newer, Costar-stabilized caps whenever you want, just by changing the wire.



Title: Re: The Ultimate Stabilizer for ALPS boards
Post by: fohat.digs on Thu, 24 April 2014, 07:14:29
Thank you! This is excellent!

Now I need to find some loose costar stabilizer inserts, I can't scavenge any and certainly can't waste them.