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Subject: Caps [was RE: [motm] Re: 510 Parts Question...]

From: "Adam Schabtach" <adam@...>
Date: 2006-12-14

Yeah, I've done the same thing: order a bunch of parts, everything arrives okay but the caps turn out to be the wrong physical size. Even worse, with RoHS shifting everything around, the part numbers that I used to usethat I knew were correct are no longer valid, so I have to start from scratch. However, since I'm switching to SMT for all of my DIY projects, it's a little easier because the package sizes are well defined. E.g. 1206 is the same size regardless of who you're buying from; no need to peer at the spec sheet to figure out whether you're getting the right lead spacing.
 
And then there's the challenge of trying to pick what type you need for a new design--polyester, metal film, ceramic, blah blah blah... This is one of the things that separates Paul from us amateurs: he knows which caps to use, and why. :-)
 
Regarding pico/nano/micro: if you have a Palm OS PDA, there is a very handy freeware app called YAUC, which is an acronym for Yet Another Unit Converter. It does unit conversions for just about any quantity you can name, including capacitance. It's much easier than trying to shift the decimal point by groups of three in your head. Heck, it's so handy that it's probably worth buying a cheap Palm on eBay just to run it.
 
--Adam

From: Mike Marsh [mailto:michaelmarsh@...]
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 11:55 AM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [motm] Re: 510 Parts Question...


Caps are the bane of my DIY existence. Can't tell you how many times
I've gotten a Mouser packeage with HUGE caps instead of ones that fit.
You'd think I would learn after so many years, but alas.

And don't EVEN get me started on pico to nano to micro.

Mike

--- In motm@yahoogroups. com, "Adam Schabtach" <adam@...> wrote:
>
> To elaborate slightly on what Paul said:
>
> 1) cap colors are (almost always) irrelevant and change with the
> manufacturer and other random influences. I don't know of any
instance in
> which the color of an electrolytic cap is meaningful. It's the
capacitance
> and voltage ratings (and the physical shape) which are relevant.
Other cap
> types seem to be differentiated by color but again this varies from one
> manufacturer to another and cannot be depended upon.
>
> 2) I think B.P. designates Bi-Polar, which is another way of saying
> non-polarized. I developed this theory last time I ordered non-polarized
> caps, but it's only a theory.
>
> --Adam
> (often mystified by caps)
>
>
> _____
>
> From: Paul Schreiber [mailto:synth1@ ...]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 8:08 AM
> To: motm@yahoogroups. com; James Elliott
> Subject: Re: [motm] 510 Parts Question...
>
>
>
>
>
> Of course they are correct.
>
> Paul S.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: James <mailto:johans121@ ...> Elliott
> To: motm@yahoogroups. <mailto:motm@yahoogroups. com> com
> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 9:03 AM
> Subject: [motm] 510 Parts Question...
>
> I'm going through the parts received with the 510 kit and I noticed some
> discrepencies with the capacitors.
>
> 1) The 10mfd 50V (polar) electrolytic caps (C4, C8, C15, and C16) are
> supposed to be orange according to the installation instructions.
Mine are
> black with a grey stripe on the negative side. Mine are labeled as
10uf50v
> B0613 PET VZ(M). Are these okay?
>
> 2) The 10mfd 50V non-polar electrolytic caps (C1, C3, C5, and C13) are
> supposed to say NP on them (I'm assuming to indicate that they are
> non-polar). Mine are blue'ish, do not have a stripe (however they do
have a
> long lead and a short lead), are identified as 10uf50v B.P. 64IOT,
and do
> not say NP. Are these correct?
>
> Thanks,
> Jim
>
> _____
>
> Check out the
>
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