[sdiy] SMT caps got me worrying

[Neil Johnson]

Hi,

Tom Corbitt wrote:
> One mistake I commonly see with anyone new to SMT caps, especially
> tantalum; the band denotes the POSITIVE side, not negative like
> electrolytic caps.
>
> Trust me, the tants will let you know when they are unhappy....

Not always true.  Maybe so for tants (but then in my experience tants
have _always_ marked the +ve lead, even on through-hole parts).  But
for surface-mount aluminium electrolytics it varies.  For example the
ones that Dan has linked to clearly states in the datasheet that the
NEGATIVE is marked.  But some Panasonics that I've used mark the
positive.

As always, check the datasheet of the part you intend to use.

Cheers,
Neil
-- 
http://www.njohnson.co.uk