New Arrival - Frequency Counter

[Winky Dink]

I acquired a Heathkit IM-4100 an assembly manual, and update notices. It looks like it was expertly assembled. I haven't dealt with any modern equipment before, with those newfangled transistors and such, so I feel like I'm starting from scratch.

My first issue: Should I replace the 6000uF/15v aluminum electrolytic? It looks healthy, of course, but it's about 37 years and 8 months old.

It has a slow-blow fuse that's intact, but it looks a little funky--the white stuff inside the fuse looks like it doesn't belong there. Replace it? Cost is maybe $3.00.



There's also some dark discoloration in one area around some diodes, to the left of the fuse in this photo:



The same area from the other side of the circuit board:



Is this just from a lot of rosin, or could it be from excess heat?

Last question: I anticipated needing a BNC-to-BNC cable, so I cobbled one together with junk-box connectors and video cable. Is this going to be adequate for what I'm going to be doing with RF signals?



I appreciate any advice I can get. If I can get these issues settled, then I'll look into calibration.