madbeanpedals::forum

General => Open Discussion => Topic started by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 12:35:55 AM

Title: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 12:35:55 AM
hey there! i'm a VERY newbie here and in the world of electronics. i'm going to build  a Retrograde. i'm having a little trouble figuring out the caps values. all of the charts i've found don't seem yo add up to the bill of material listings. for example, the BOM calls for a 47uF at C8. when i look at my charts, the closest thing i've found is a 0.47uF, cap code 474. is this correct? thanks in advance for any help. LT
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: madbean on November 28, 2012, 12:45:08 AM
.47uF is the same as 470n, so it's a value 100 times smaller than 47uF.

Simple shortcuts:

.001uF = 1n = 102
.01uF = 10n = 103
.1uF = 100n = 104
1uF = 105
10uF = 106
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 01:01:09 AM
k... so 47uF and 0.47uF are the same. correct?
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: gingataff on November 28, 2012, 01:31:11 AM
No, as Bean said the 0.47u is 100x too small.

Maybe think of it like this, 0.47u is roughly one half (0.5) a "u" whereas 47u is almost 50 "u"s.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 01:36:41 AM
k. got it. the problem i'm haveing is i can't seem to find these values. not just on the charts, but also in the online store, such as Small Bear Electronics. i'm trying to find everything in one place, so as to save on freight charges.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: gingataff on November 28, 2012, 02:22:07 AM
You are probably looking under film type caps, try looking under electrolytic caps.
I'd be surprised if small bear dont have any.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 02:33:41 AM
wow! cool! uF mF are the same, correct? if so,  i'm down to 220R, 470R and 1k2 resistors...
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 03:14:29 AM
does the voltage rating matter on caps?
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: jkokura on November 28, 2012, 04:37:44 AM
Only that they need to be high enough.

Jacob
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: gingataff on November 28, 2012, 11:27:17 AM
Quote from: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 02:33:41 AM
wow! cool! uF mF are the same, correct? if so,  i'm down to 220R, 470R and 1k2 resistors...

Looks like SB use mf instead of uf so 47mf would be right, as for voltage anything above 16v is fine for the retrograde.
Some pedals such as the kingslayer bump up the voltage so you need a minimum of 25v for those.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 03:15:55 PM
thanks, gingataff! the value mixing is a tad confusing, but i'm finding it's quite common. i'm getting it, slowly but surely. it took me the better part of three hours to find most of the parts. i still have a half dozen more to find. it'll get easier with time. i'm hoping the PCB shows up today!
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: madbean on November 28, 2012, 10:04:52 PM
As far as the madbeanpedals projects:
- Anything between 1n and 680n should be a film cap. Use caps rated between 16 - 100v.
- 1uF will be film or electrolytic depending on what is doing in a particular circuit. Anything above 2.2uF is electrolytic. 16v is okay for most projects, a few projects require 25v rated caps.
- Anything below 1n is ceramic, but you can also use film or even silver mica if you want.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 11:21:27 PM
thanks, Brian! just a couple more questions, and i'll leave y'all alone. is a 1kB and a 1 meg-ohm pot the same? a 500kA and a 500K? and for the life of me, i can't seem to find anything that remotely resembles a 220R or a 470R resistor. thanks a million! LT
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: icecycle66 on November 28, 2012, 11:30:57 PM
Silver mica for the expensive mojo win!
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 29, 2012, 12:06:39 AM
thanks, Angelo! i think i'll stick with what i've found so far. i tried to look at the silver mica's, but there was nothing in the small bear site that was compatible, going by my "limited" (take that as NO) knowledge about electronics. :{D
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: GermanCdn on November 29, 2012, 12:18:02 AM
Quote from: TreeSlayer on November 28, 2012, 11:21:27 PM
thanks, Brian! just a couple more questions, and i'll leave y'all alone. is a 1kB and a 1 meg-ohm pot the same? a 500kA and a 500K? and for the life of me, i can't seem to find anything that remotely resembles a 220R or a 470R resistor. thanks a million! LT

1 kB and 1MB are not the same, they're a 1000X different. Kilo (k) = 1,000 ohms, Mega (M) = 1,000,000 Ohms.

500kA is a 500k logarithmic taper pot.  500 kB is a 500k linear pot.  Linear pots behave more or less in a straight line, so 50% of rotation represents 50% of value.  Logarithmic pots behave different, and the most dramatic change in value is in about the last 1/3 of the sweep.

220R and 470R are 220 Ohm and 470 Ohm, respectively.  You should be able to find those fairly easily.

Hope this helps
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 29, 2012, 12:29:19 AM
thanks, GermanCdn! the problem i'm having is for the Retrograde, the BOM is calling for a 220K and a 220R resistor in R5 and R6 respectivley. i'm assuming there is a difference....
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 29, 2012, 12:37:34 AM
i think i just answered my own question.... duhhhh
1k2=1.2kohm. correct?
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: madbean on November 29, 2012, 12:38:59 AM
Don't worry, you are getting the hang of it.

Just remember:
1R = 1 Ohm
1000 Ohms = 1k
10,000 Ohms = 10k
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 29, 2012, 12:54:38 AM
i have everything but the pots... does logarithmic taper=audio?
logarithmic does = audio (500kA A=audio) duhhh... praise the Lord and pass tha butter beans!! i'm on my way!! thanks guys for all the help! if you need any help building a drag car, drive line, chassis or suspension, just holler! that's what i do for fun! yes that's me and my car in the avatar.... :{D
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: madbean on November 29, 2012, 01:05:09 AM
Yes.

Log = Audio = "A"
Linear = "B"
Reverse Audio = CCW Log = "C"


Except, if you are in the UK, A= linear and B = log, don't ask me why. But, in the case of smallbear and pretty much all US suppliers what I wrote above is true.
Title: Re: Capacitor values and markings
Post by: TreeSlayer on November 29, 2012, 01:22:48 AM
see updataed post. and again, thanks a million!!! LT