Because electrolytics are heated internally in most SMPS
(secondary side) applications, I wouldn't think extra venting
or supplemental cooling with a tiny fan would add much
toward the caps' lifetimes... they're just destined to fail.

One tends to think of electrolytics as /inherently/ failure-prone. But has
this always been true? Or are you thinking just of switching and/or "tightly
packed" power supplies?

I've been buying electronic equipment, used and (mostly) new for 45 years,
and very, very few items have had bad 'lytics, or 'lytics that turned bad. I
remember a used KLH compact stereo that needed new caps, and two JVC hall
synthesizers that needed replacement PS caps. (The latter had been built
with known-bad caps.) And that's about it.

I owned several KLH Model Eight table radios (circa 1960), and none ever
needed a new 'lytic.

On a vaguely related note... It's nice to see that more and more products
are coming with switching wall warts.


I recently had a small accident with an RCA/China VR5220-A
pocket digital voice recorder, where it slipped into the sink while
the water was on, so I opened it to get all traces of the water out.
I was just a little surprised to see 105 C rated electrolytics inside
(all of 'em, and quite a few, too).

Perhaps the manufacturer used premium caps in all its products, simply to
avoid multiple inventory.