I'm considering going to all box style caps for films in the stuff I sell. It's really less about quality and more about aesthetics and possibly perceived quality. I'm definitely a sucker for the wimas. The 50v 1uFs are very compact. The problem with wimas is price. I've also used topmays, BC components and some white ones of unknown make.
I'm seriously considering going with all wimas because I really love the way they look, the quality is unquestioned, and I love that 50v 1uF. BUT I'm intrigued by the Epcos blue box caps. I don't know anything about Epcos and haven't done a price comparison. Just fishing for opinions.
I'd also be interested in recommendations of other brands too. Does anyone know who makes the white ones? I was recently inside a recent-issue Timmy and it was all white boxes in there. I've also seen cool looking yellow box caps but don't know where to get them, if they're any good, or if I could get that elusive compactness in the 1uF. (the wimas I got were something like 8H x 7L x 3.5W).
Wima's are overpriced IMO and not any better in our circuits. I buy Kemet's in bulk, but Epcos are fine.
my opinion is caps are caps
for the best epcos prices check avnet
the bright yellow ones are avx- out of production so you won't be finding those in any substantial quantity
light yellow is accutronics which was recently bought out by kemet
the white ones are probably kemet
like i said they all sound the same to me but ymmv
The Epcos blues are my bread & butter caps. They're more expensive at Mouser now than Kemets, so I get Kemets when I need a one-off or small quantity.
Avnet has very good prices on the blues, but their selection of values isn't that great.
I have been using this series of Kemets from Mouser
http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=MMK5105J63J04L4BULKvirtualkey64620000virtualkey80-MMK5105J63J04L4
AllenM
Or these, I just saved you 42%! http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kemet/R82DC4100AA60J/?qs=%2fha2pyFaduj8b%252bNUTxyGteuEFwdxMIbw8gy1IbYOiLoDIqO7T4ALnw%3d%3d
Seriously though, I use Kemets because of price and availability. They've been fine for me. I've got a spreadsheet with mouser part numbers for all major cap values if needed. Also includes resistors, etc.
Wow. Thanks for the quick replies.
I agree with the sentiment that the wimas have no functional advantage and that they are overpriced. Like I said, part of it is aesthetics. OK, most of it is aesthetics. They look great! But I think the epcos look great too. I know epcos makes a 1uF in the same small size as the wima but mouser doesn't stock them.
I think the kemets do look like the white ones I was talking about. Pretty sure that's what's in the Timmy. They look good too.
I think all blue would look as good as all red. I will probably order a few epcos and kemet next mouser order. Maybe I could get patriotic and use all three!
Here's the Timmy guts:
(http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx105/leevibe1/photo2_zpsb74f1e22.jpg) (http://s746.photobucket.com/user/leevibe1/media/photo2_zpsb74f1e22.jpg.html)
(http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx105/leevibe1/photo1_zpseeeea211.jpg) (http://s746.photobucket.com/user/leevibe1/media/photo1_zpseeeea211.jpg.html)
And here's a board I did with the wimas. Look at those skinny 1uFs!
(http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx105/leevibe1/photo_zps59752a64.jpg) (http://s746.photobucket.com/user/leevibe1/media/photo_zps59752a64.jpg.html)
Epcos are made by Panasonic. I like them. When I price them on my store I have to try and keep them inline with The Big T. The way I see it, if they are the same price as the arcotronics that "the big t" sells (USD -> AUD approx. the same cost) then they will be more tempting to buy the epcos's from my store which has worked for me so far. Of course, I don't have all the values :( I would like to eventually stock a larger range of both the ECQV's and Epcos's as I really don't think there is much need for any other capacitor beside these 2.
http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12_13
Paul
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 01:42:01 AM
Epcos are made by Panasonic. I like them. When I price them on my store I have to try and keep them inline with The Big T. The way I see it, if they are the same price as the arcotronics that "the big t" sells (USD -> AUD approx. the same cost) then they will be more tempting to buy the epcos's from my store which has worked for me so far. Of course, I don't have all the values :( I would like to eventually stock a larger range of both the ECQV's and Epcos's as I really don't think there is much need for any other capacitor beside these 2.
http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12_13
Paul
Is shipping to US competitive?
up to 50 grams is $3.00 (untracked). If all your buying is caps, you can get quite a few for $3.00. :D
I like Kemet MMKs, the Panasonic ECBs, and the Epcos ... it kinda depends on the value and quantity: Epcos has a great price break at 100 per, but Panasonic are affordable at 10 per, and sometimes more compact. I like the fact that Kemet values are easy to read when they're installed, just to double check things.
I agree the Wimas have a swagger ... in fact I'm gonna try to build a Cardinal with Wimas, just 'cause.
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 01:42:01 AM
Epcos are made by Panasonic.
I'm sure you meant to say TDK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcos
Quote from: Blues Healer on March 14, 2014, 01:53:30 AM
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 01:42:01 AM
Epcos are made by Panasonic.
I'm sure you meant to say TDK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcos
Somewhere in the past I lodged "epcos = Panasonic" in my brain. You are quite right sir, thank you for correcting me there!
I'm all about the Panasonic film caps for aesthetic reasons. I've used epcos/arcotronics/kemet and they are all fine, but I agree that performance wise a cap is a cap. Those burgandy films just do it for me. I have Juansolo and all of his awesome builds to thank for my addiction! Luckily they are pretty cheap in bulk...
Quote from: Stomptown on March 14, 2014, 02:12:18 AM
I'm all about the Panasonic film caps for aesthetic reasons. I've used epcos/arcotronics/kemet and they are all fine, but I agree that performance wise a cap is a cap. Those burgandy films just do it for me. I have Juansolo and all of his awesome builds to thank for my addiction! Luckily they are pretty cheap in bulk...
Can't argue Jon. I wish they weren't going away!!
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 02:08:15 AM
Somewhere in the past I lodged "epcos = Panasonic" in my brain. You are quite right sir, thank you for correcting me there!
haha ... I only know, 'cause I was curious, and clicked on their company info on Mouser's site!
No worries thanks again I had them listed on my store as Panasonic as well :P lol whoops
Hey Lee, what do you mean they are going away? Are the ECQ's going obsolete or something!!? (has heart attack). I like these the best they are even smaller then box caps and aesthetically nice looking as well.
That was my understanding but I've been known to be wrong.
Hmm...maybe ill stock up!? (sad face)
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 01:42:01 AM
Epcos are made by Panasonic. I like them. When I price them on my store I have to try and keep them inline with The Big T. The way I see it, if they are the same price as the arcotronics that "the big t" sells (USD -> AUD approx. the same cost) then they will be more tempting to buy the epcos's from my store which has worked for me so far. Of course, I don't have all the values :( I would like to eventually stock a larger range of both the ECQV's and Epcos's as I really don't think there is much need for any other capacitor beside these 2.
http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=12_13
Paul
One day I'm gonna save up and do a bulk buy at your shop of caps resistors and lumbergs. You just have everything I need at a great price.
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 02:26:45 AM
Hmm...maybe ill stock up!? (sad face)
I would love to be wrong! They don't just look good. They look delicious!!
Quote from: Leevibe on March 14, 2014, 02:13:54 AM
Quote from: Stomptown on March 14, 2014, 02:12:18 AM
I'm all about the Panasonic film caps for aesthetic reasons. I've used epcos/arcotronics/kemet and they are all fine, but I agree that performance wise a cap is a cap. Those burgandy films just do it for me. I have Juansolo and all of his awesome builds to thank for my addiction! Luckily they are pretty cheap in bulk...
Can't argue Jon. I wish they weren't going away!!
(https://imgflip.com/i/7inoi)
tHAT IS WHY i'M STOCKING UP LIKE CRAZY! :P
Quote from: chromesphere on March 14, 2014, 01:52:32 AM
up to 50 grams is $3.00 (untracked). If all your buying is caps, you can get quite a few for $3.00. :D
Really? I'll have to give you a try next time. I never bothered checking your store out because I thought shipping would be a killer. I think your shipping may be cheaper than small bear - and I live in the same state!
Panasonics are my favorite as well, followed by EPCOS.
I don't see anything about them being discontinued on Panasonic's website. Am I missing something?
Here is their list of discontinued products:
http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/electronic-components/tertiary-navigation/product-information/discontinuation-notices.aspx
Thanks guys. I post untracked and have 'select' (small & light) guitar pedal related parts so I can post it cheaply. Without all the sales I get from the US I wouldn't have a store put it that way :D So this is the only way to go
Hoping those Panasonics aren't obsolete as well pickdropper :'(
Paul
ECQ-Bs were discontinued around 2009/2010 - ECQ-V is the replacement line, very much in production as far as I know.
I can't find anything that suggests they are obsolete either! I did hear that somewhere a long time ago but I think there is just some confusion out there because of the ECQ-B's and other lines that were discontinued. It is a bummer that the ECQ-V's only go down to 10mF though. Does anyone know if the Topomay caps that look like the Panasonics are still available in bulk (other than small bear)? If so I would like to stock up on the values below 10mF so I can get that consistent look...
Quote from: Stomptown on March 14, 2014, 03:18:01 AM
I can't find anything that suggests they are obsolete either! I did hear that somewhere a long time ago but I think there is just some confusion out there because of the ECQ-B's and other lines that were discontinued. It is a bummer that the ECQ-V's only go down to 10uF though. Does anyone know if the Topomay caps that look like the Panasonics are still available in bulk (other than small bear)? If so I would like to stock up on the values below 10uF so I can get that consistent look...
I think you might be thinking of a different line? ECQ-Vs are film caps, not electros. I got a bunch of them in my last Mouser order.
Quote from: lincolnic on March 14, 2014, 03:13:09 AM
ECQ-Bs were discontinued around 2009/2010 - ECQ-V is the replacement line, very much in production as far as I know.
That was my understanding as well.
I like the V series better, too. Most are lower profile than the Bs.
Agree with Stomptown about the values, though. Wish they went down below 10n.
Quote from: lincolnic on March 14, 2014, 03:20:01 AM
Quote from: Stomptown on March 14, 2014, 03:18:01 AM
I can't find anything that suggests they are obsolete either! I did hear that somewhere a long time ago but I think there is just some confusion out there because of the ECQ-B's and other lines that were discontinued. It is a bummer that the ECQ-V's only go down to 10uF though. Does anyone know if the Topomay caps that look like the Panasonics are still available in bulk (other than small bear)? If so I would like to stock up on the values below 10uF so I can get that consistent look...
I think you might be thinking of a different line? ECQ-Vs are film caps, not electros. I got a bunch of them in my last Mouser order.
I meant mF! ;D
Quote from: lincolnic on March 14, 2014, 03:13:09 AM
ECQ-Bs were discontinued around 2009/2010 - ECQ-V is the replacement line, very much in production as far as I know.
OK, well that makes me happy. I think I had those as being the same in my mind.
Now I'm more conflicted though because I like both styles but I kind of want to go one way or the other and the boxes just edge out the panasonics a little bit for some reason.
Quote from: Leevibe on March 14, 2014, 03:51:23 AM
Quote from: lincolnic on March 14, 2014, 03:13:09 AM
ECQ-Bs were discontinued around 2009/2010 - ECQ-V is the replacement line, very much in production as far as I know.
OK, well that makes me happy. I think I had those as being the same in my mind.
Now I'm more conflicted though because I like both styles but I kind of want to go one way or the other and the boxes just edge out the panasonics a little bit for some reason.
Go with what you like. Both will work fine.
Late to the party, but I basically concur with just about everything said so far.
I dig Epcos. I switched over to those when AVX went from being the "cheap Wima replacement" to mojo gold because of being discontinued.
Way back when I had a little parts store, I bought all of my box caps from Newark. They consistently had the best prices and wide availability. Just look for the online promotion priced stuff, which is denoted with a little red star icon. You basically get the best quantity price break at any quantity.
Here's an example:
http://www.newark.com/epcos/b32529c102k/capacitor-poly-film-1000pf-63v/dp/02M8812
It's 1n Epcos for $0.06 each, any quantity.
Quote from: Haberdasher on March 14, 2014, 12:30:57 AM
my opinion is caps are caps
(snipped)
Agreed with Keefe -- golden eared people might hear a difference. For me, it's past the point of diminishing returns.
I've been buying box caps from Tayda... They work fine and I haven't had any issues. Should I get something else? I haven't figured out how to use Mousers website yet, too many details and I am lost. Any tips for usage?
The Epcos caps are nice and the QC on them is good. As said above, if you get them from Avnet, the pricing is pretty good.
I love the look of the WIMA caps and their quality. Also, if you really want accuracy from a filter, their FKP series are nice. They have the little 2.5mm spacing guys available too which are great for the super tight builds. The other thing is that the price is much better on them in the EU, or at least it was. When I lived in the UK I could get them for about the same price I pay for the Epcos caps in the US.
Lately, I've been moving to the ECQV's they sound just as good to me, I haven't had a single issue with them and I like the way they look.
I use epcos caps. I have a whole bunch that I got from an ebayer in bulk. Prices were really good - better than mouser, even at quantity.
Quote from: blearyeyes on March 14, 2014, 08:16:29 AM
I've been buying box caps from Tayda... They work fine and I haven't had any issues. Should I get something else? I haven't figured out how to use Mousers website yet, too many details and I am lost. Any tips for usage?
filter down caps to film, radial, 5mm lead spacing at a range from 50-100v and it's hard to go wrong in my experience.
i don't usually filter to brand name, but i'm not really picky. i do however re-sort according to lowest price first and then go down the line looking for the quantity price breaks.
once you get used to it, it's pretty easy.
Quote from: RobA on March 14, 2014, 12:27:55 PM
The Epcos caps are nice and the QC on them is good. As said above, if you get them from Avnet, the pricing is pretty good.
I love the look of the WIMA caps and their quality. Also, if you really want accuracy from a filter, their FKP series are nice. They have the little 2.5mm spacing guys available too which are great for the super tight builds. The other thing is that the price is much better on them in the EU, or at least it was. When I lived in the UK I could get them for about the same price I pay for the Epcos caps in the US.
Lately, I've been moving to the ECQV's they sound just as good to me, I haven't had a single issue with them and I like the way they look.
How does Avnet price&shipping go? I do not find any info on their page.
I had to cancel an order today with Mouser because they were applying a wrong VAT.
I though they products had already the VAT included because there was no info during checkout!!
(Then I went to terms and condittions and there they said that VAT and taxes are applyed after checkout)
Quote from: micromegas on March 14, 2014, 02:01:53 PM
[...]
How does Avnet price&shipping go? I do not find any info on their page.
I had to cancel an order today with Mouser because they were applying a wrong VAT.
I though they products had already the VAT included because there was no info during checkout!!
(Then I went to terms and condittions and there they said that VAT and taxes are applyed after checkout)
To get to their webstore you need this address, http://avnetexpress.avnet.com (http://avnetexpress.avnet.com).
Their prices are really good on some things and not so good on others. Mouser is better for resistors. On caps, it can be either of them that has a better price. They have really good prices on most stuff from TI, ST micro, and Microchip. They usually have better pricing on their bulk transistors too.
I have no idea how their international shipping and service is. For the US, they are fast and about the same price as Mouser. They have free shipping coupons show up occasionally too.
Their website is horrible. It doesn't work at all with some browsers. It's search will cross with other peoples' searches and sometimes return totally unrelated search results. You have to just hit the back arrow to get back and sometimes retry repeatedly to get the search results you want. Still, their prices can make it worth it. If you get really lucky, on some parts they have this weird thing where you can get the bulk price break on singles because they are trying to get rid of a partial lot of something.
I think the Mouser VAT thing is because they are primarily a corporate sales place. I didn't use Mouser when I lived there, but RS, Rapid, and Farnell can be competitive on pricing and availability.
Quote from: RobA on March 14, 2014, 02:35:44 PM
Quote from: micromegas on March 14, 2014, 02:01:53 PM
[...]
How does Avnet price&shipping go? I do not find any info on their page.
I had to cancel an order today with Mouser because they were applying a wrong VAT.
I though they products had already the VAT included because there was no info during checkout!!
(Then I went to terms and condittions and there they said that VAT and taxes are applyed after checkout)
To get to their webstore you need this address, http://avnetexpress.avnet.com (http://avnetexpress.avnet.com).
Their prices are really good on some things and not so good on others. Mouser is better for resistors. On caps, it can be either of them that has a better price. They have really good prices on most stuff from TI, ST micro, and Microchip. They usually have better pricing on their bulk transistors too.
I have no idea how their international shipping and service is. For the US, they are fast and about the same price as Mouser. They have free shipping coupons show up occasionally too.
Their website is horrible. It doesn't work at all with some browsers. It's search will cross with other peoples' searches and sometimes return totally unrelated search results. You have to just hit the back arrow to get back and sometimes retry repeatedly to get the search results you want. Still, their prices can make it worth it. If you get really lucky, on some parts they have this weird thing where you can get the bulk price break on singles because they are trying to get rid of a partial lot of something.
I think the Mouser VAT thing is because they are primarily a corporate sales place. I didn't use Mouser when I lived there, but RS, Rapid, and Farnell can be competitive on pricing and availability.
Thanks Rob. I think is time for me to make an study about where to buy components. I really dig mouser bom/project tools, but the VAT things makes them more expensive than my local distributor.
As the projects I plan to build right now are just for me and not for sell, I might just ask my boss if I can do the order through the company to skip VAT taxes.
I've been using EPCOS since I started. I'm pretty fond of how they look and they are cheap. No quality issues either.
Out with the grey, in with the blue? :D
If blue weren't a good sounding color there would be no such thing as sprague atoms or lake placid blue strats.
Blue def has teh mojo toanz duder
Honestly I've gotten a lot of kemets with smudged lettering on them never had that with EPCOS. That pretty much switched me to EPCOS.
Quote from: aballen on March 18, 2014, 01:38:57 AM
Honestly I've gotten a lot of kemets with smudged lettering on them never had that with EPCOS. That pretty much switched me to EPCOS.
Probably because it's harder to smudge laser etching than pad printing. :-)
But yeah, I like EPCOS better as well. They look nicer, which of course is what sounds best.
most of the epcos I get are stamped so that's pretty much impossible for those. I think I've had printed epcos as well, but like you said, no smudging.
Edit: Ahhh Dave! Laser etched...of course :D
Oh man, im going to have to take a photo of the arcotronic cap I got from tayda a few months ago when I get home. I think I kept it. It will make you question the QC of both companies, its pretty funny!
I got a cap from Tayda that was double engraved with two diff values. Shocking, I know
Quote from: chromesphere on March 18, 2014, 01:44:02 AM
most of the epcos I get are stamped so that's pretty much impossible for those. I think I've had printed epcos as well, but like you said, no smudging.
Edit: Ahhh Dave! Laser etched...of course :D
Oh man, im going to have to take a photo of the arcotronic cap I got from tayda a few months ago when I get home. I think I kept it. It will make you question the QC of both companies, its pretty funny!
"Tayda: selling mostly usable parts since 2009." ;D
This seems like the topic to post a photo of this cap. Its from tayda. Probably still works, I actually haven't tested it. I dont know why I even hung onto it. For a laugh?
Oh I have a question. If tropical fish have mojo, how much mojo does a 1 legged tropic fish have!? Have a look at that sucker!
That's for asymmetrical... hmm. Yeah, I'm stumped.
If you can get em, do try Evox Rifa caps. I used them on some builds and had a fantastic sound that was uber smooth without loosing highs and very veeery accentuated in mids. Really, I built a couple of zendrives like a couple of years ago, and while everything else was identical, the one with these caps sounded the best and had the smoothest and middiest sound.
As to the "look" of caps, I constantly buy styroflex, and I am not sure I love how they sound...
Quote from: Cortexturizer on March 26, 2014, 06:50:01 AM
If you can get em, do try Evox Rifa caps. I used them on some builds and had a fantastic sound that was uber smooth without loosing highs and very veeery accentuated in mids. Really, I built a couple of zendrives like a couple of years ago, and while everything else was identical, the one with these caps sounded the best and had the smoothest and middiest sound.
As to the "look" of caps, I constantly buy styroflex, and I am not sure I love how they sound...
Three questions about the styroflex:
- is that styro as in polystyrene?
- did you measure to see if the values were close to the others?
- did you use them throughout the circuit or in certain places only?
I've thought about putting styrenes in as smoothing caps in my OD. Mic cloners swear by them as being essential in certain applications. I think ill socket the next build and give them a go. Plus I think they're gorgeous.