Capacitors

Aug · Post by **Aug** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:42 pm

Here's a link to an online capacitor calculator I found recently. With all this modding/building that I've been doing, I've had to rely on others to get the right cap for the job...and that makes me nuts. So, when you want to know the value of a cap, you can look it up.

Example:

For this cap, the only thing printed on it is "203", so in the aforementioned link, simply type (203) in and calculate. What shows up is "20n" which is .020mf.

From a newer strat, this cap says "2A223J." So, just type in (223) and select "J" for the tolerance code, and you'll get "22n" which is .022mf.

And, for this badboy, you can see "2 715P200V 473J 0512." Obviously, the code you're looking for is "473J," so you'll type in (473) and select "J" to get "47n" which is .047mf.

dodgedartdave · Post by **dodgedartdave** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:21 pm

The 203 is from me and it came for Radio Shack.

What about the old ones that look like a dime?

Aug · Post by **Aug** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:54 pm

dodgedartdave wrote:The 203 is from me and it came for Radio Shack.

What about the old ones that look like a dime?

I don't know where to find those...but, I do have one in my Mustang, so I'll take a pic of that after I pry it from dots cold, dead hands...

Post by **dots** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:32 pm

nah, brah. you coulda taken it back a couple of weeks ago. i wish i woulda had some recordings or shows to do with it, but it's sat in the case 90% of the time.

dana · Post by **dana** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:58 pm

http://www.tubesandmore.com/
Antique Electronics Supply has lotsa shit,dunno if u heard of it,more than likely tho.they got lotsa lotsa tubes too.

dodgedartdave · Post by **dodgedartdave** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:22 pm

Aug wrote:
dodgedartdave wrote:The 203 is from me and it came for Radio Shack.

What about the old ones that look like a dime?
I don't know where to find those......

I can tell you were I got the one you have in the pic. I got it at Radio Shack. I'm pretty sure your mustang doesn't have that one in it. Well see when it come back though.

iCEByTes · Post by **iCEByTes** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:18 am

what builder you get aug ?

Spague ? , Xicon ? , Mallory ? , Jansen/angela

JordanD · Post by **JordanD** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:22 pm

Please sticky this.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:30 pm

The "ones that look like a dime" are ceramic caps. They function the same as the others. Down side is they can be microphonic. Some people claim to be able to hear the difference between the various caps but I have NEVER seen this proven. Normally, if you need low value caps you get ceramic. Also, ceramics don't normally come in high values that are needed for guitar use, the highest value ceramic cap I've ever seen was 105 and it was the size of a quarter, maybe bigger. For guitar use you will normally want to get poly caps, such as the green and orange ones shown.

iCEByTes · Post by **iCEByTes** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:31 pm

PenPen wrote:The "ones that look like a dime" are ceramic caps. They function the same as the others. Down side is they can be microphonic. Some people claim to be able to hear the difference between the various caps but I have NEVER seen this proven. Normally, if you need low value caps you get ceramic. Also, ceramics don't normally come in high values that are needed for guitar use, the highest value ceramic cap I've ever seen was 105 and it was the size of a quarter, maybe bigger. For guitar use you will normally want to get poly caps, such as the green and orange ones shown.

Yes have difference

between .22 , .1 , .3 ,.47 , .5
its can do different in range tone

Difference in makers is only the quality of material and quality formula
if have difference in tone between spague or mallory .... my Ears dont got that difference

i like use Spague Orange drop Premium coz they got soberb material quality
simple per that pay 55 cents in ceramical trash and pay .99 cents in an Spague ... of coz i get spague

i want test Vichy , they do for Audiophiles

luke · Post by **luke** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:36 pm

Now this is where you're really talking out of your backend Icey. Electrical components are made in their kazillions, there is absolutely no lack of quality in any parts made in this day and age. Do you even know what a capacitor is? It's just two metal plates placed very close together. It's impossible for one of these to be bad.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:50 pm

The "red and green generic Made in China just like all other caps in the world" caps are identical to all of those other makers. Just like Malik said, in this day and age there is no audible difference between one Made in China cap or another, even if one has a high end name stamped on it.

Dude I have seen some of the STUPIDEST scams for audiophiles. Shit like a bit of shellac in a jar selling for $50 for 10ml that you supposedly paint on your opamps to make them sound like tubes, or a $400 cedar KNOB that "enhances the audio quality" when you replace the volume knob on your stereo with it. That is the WORST market, and pedals are getting that way too with the mojo shit out there. It is retarded the prices people pay for "tone" when all of the parts are made in the same factories to the same standards.

There ARE differences in tone depending on what VALUE cap you put in, of course there is. There is a difference in ceramic caps vs poly caps in that ceramic are normally microphonic and poly isn't, since the space between the plates is filled with a hard material vs one that is sound dampening, but that is IT. Some people claim they can hear the differences between mylar/poly/ceramic/electro but it is bullshit. I've never seen this claim proven.

iCEByTes · Post by **iCEByTes** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:03 pm

capacitors bad maded can fail
http://www.badcaps.net/

also
Sprague is well known for developing the first tantalum capacitors and introducing the first surface-mount tantalum chip capacitors. This commitment to innovation is maintained today through the wide Vishay Sprague product line, which includes molded and conformal-coated surface-mount tantalum capacitors, leaded tantalum capacitors, and hermetically sealed tantalum capacitors for demanding applications.

Vishay?s acquisitions of capacitor manufacturers including Tansitor and North American Capacitor Company (Mallory capacitors) further strengthened its product portfolio. Vishay has consolidated all of its wet tantalum capacitors under the Vishay Sprague brand name. Vishay is the number one manufacturer of wet tantalum capacitors worldwide.

http://www.vishay.com/company/brands/sprague/

quality can ???
i dont accept cheap trash maded my chinese slaves into my house
also i dont agree slaaving people and i dont suport or give money for they do that

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:14 pm

You are talking about caps in a GUITAR. Not in a $20 billion jet aircraft. Those caps are for one not necessary, two not going to make an AUDIBLE difference, and three most likely manufactured in China in the same factories as all of the others. They might have their RnD elsewhere but the factories that make them are the same as the generic ones. This discussion is moot anyway because you CANNOT HEAR THE DIFFERENCE in a guitar.

Further, your bad caps reference talks about a batch of caps that were made badly, in one chinese factory, for digital products. THE REPLACEMENT CAPS ARE MADE IN THE SAME PLACE. Unless you are trying to say that only the Chinese have bad batches of product put out and factories in the US and elsewhere are immune? Cars made in the US factories haven't ever had to be recalled?

And you will never use an electrolytic cap in a guitar anyway.

euan · Post by **euan** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:32 pm

PenPen wrote: Further, your bad caps reference talks about a batch of caps that were made badly, in one chinese factory, for digital products. THE REPLACEMENT CAPS ARE MADE IN THE SAME PLACE.

And you will never use an electrolytic cap in a guitar anyway.

+1 here

I know full well about this. Cos if you worked in computer support you'd find your computers working randomly, open them up and see dome/leaky/blown caps.

Thank god I'm a laser printer tech these days, cos I got bored of blown caps.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:36 pm

euan wrote:
PenPen wrote: Further, your bad caps reference talks about a batch of caps that were made badly, in one chinese factory, for digital products. THE REPLACEMENT CAPS ARE MADE IN THE SAME PLACE.

And you will never use an electrolytic cap in a guitar anyway.
+1 here

I know full well about this. Cos if you worked in computer support you'd find your computers working randomly, open them up and see dome/leaky/blown caps.

Thank god I'm a laser printer tech these days, cos I got bored of blown caps.

No shit? That's awesome. Before becoming a sysadmin/dba/developer I used to work at a mom n pop computer store, primarily as a salesman (top the whole time I was there) plus the techs actually wouldn't do tech work for me after they figured out I knew what I was doing, and made me do any upgrades on the sales floor, along with any minor hardware repairs that came in the door. So I saw this issue often also. We have a lot more in common than I thought.

End thread derailment. Nice link, Aug.

euan · Post by **euan** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:54 pm

Another thing I have to see is that guitar electronics only need to cope with a frequency range of 100hz-3Khz give or take and very little voltage or current. They are hardly going to be stressed too much.

Now if you are talking about using quality capacitors in amplifier and hifi thats a different deal. In amplifiers its all about the high voltage and current. And in the hifi world the frequency range is a lot wider. Argue all you want about what you can hear, but being able to put out the stuff you can't matters as well. At times that is what stops a record feeling sterile because of what you are feeling in the frequencies you are not hearing.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:13 am

when i was in school, this old guy ray descibed caps and the one thing that i remember the most is that they aren;t exact, they suposed to be but they never are, they always have a biased towards one or the other.
and this guy knows his shit.
he builds guitar amps
hes also a retired engineer.
i have some papers and drawings he did for me that i should really post up but im lazy and a drunkard

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:47 am

Pretty much all parts have a tolerance rating that describes how far off of their listed value they are. I mainly use 5% resistors, which can vary up to 5% of their value either way. Caps are the same. That guy was right on.

luke · Post by **luke** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:25 pm

Icey dude, capacitors aren't made in a sweatshop. Machines make electrical components in the millions every single day. A capacitor is literally just two plates of metal really close together, and they're machined to get that close without touching, for obvious reasons. You don't have a little Chinese slave putting your metal together, so stop being so damn racist about the Chinese.

I'm surprised you're not bitching about knobs too, because you know turning your pots a couple of degrees could instantly totally change the entire effect of your capacitor. It's such a minor effect, you really need to stop bitching about poor quality ones.

I've spoken to people at school about electronic components too, they told me about the construction process and how all the parts are identical. Always. That's just the way it's done.

And here's another one for you. Surely vintage parts are more faulty than brand new "CHINESE MADED" ones made by a supposed slave? I can't imagine Icey ever replacing his vintage caps for some new ones.

Actually I can.