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MLCC caps from China

Started by billstein, May 06, 2015, 10:26:15 PM

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billstein

Was browsing Ebay and saw all these great prices on MLCC caps. They are the yellow ones that look like Tayda's. Anybody have any experience with these?

GermanCdn

I've bought a few packages off the bay, your results may vary.  Of the ones that were a high enough value for me to check with my DMM, there was probably about 10% of them that were way out of spec.  Not bad for the price, but if you can't measure them, it's as much a crap shoot as anything.

They look remarably similar to the Tayda ones.
The only known cure in the world for GAS is death.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

mremic01

Tayda's are Z5U. Aren't those bad for audio circuits?

pickdropper


Quote from: mremic01 on May 07, 2015, 12:25:20 AM
Tayda's are Z5U. Aren't those bad for audio circuits?

Depends where in the circuit really and how close to their rated voltage they are being used.  Temperature is also a factor, but that likely won't come into play on a guitar pedal.

I never use Z5U because they are fairly crappy and only a few cents cheaper than getting a better cap.


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pickdropper

To answer your question Bill, if you don't know what they are, I wouldn't buy them.  Some of the cheaper caps have wildly open tolerances.  +80/-20% isn't uncommon.  That's in addition to the temperature and voltage fluctuations I mentioned above.

A better bet is to check Newark periodically for sales.  If you catch them at the right time, you can get good quality MLCC caps for a couple cents a piece.


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billstein


Quote from: pickdropper on May 07, 2015, 04:00:40 AM
To answer your question Bill, if you don't know what they are, I wouldn't buy them.  Some of the cheaper caps have wildly open tolerances.  +80/-20% isn't uncommon.  That's in addition to the temperature and voltage fluctuations I mentioned above.

A better bet is to check Newark periodically for sales.  If you catch them at the right time, you can get good quality MLCC caps for a couple cents a piece.


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I checked Newark for x7r's and they were expensive. Is there a cheaper brand etc. that you look for?

pickdropper


Quote from: billstein on May 07, 2015, 04:24:12 PM

Quote from: pickdropper on May 07, 2015, 04:00:40 AM
To answer your question Bill, if you don't know what they are, I wouldn't buy them.  Some of the cheaper caps have wildly open tolerances.  +80/-20% isn't uncommon.  That's in addition to the temperature and voltage fluctuations I mentioned above.

A better bet is to check Newark periodically for sales.  If you catch them at the right time, you can get good quality MLCC caps for a couple cents a piece.


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I checked Newark for x7r's and they were expensive. Is there a cheaper brand etc. that you look for?

Not really, you just have to catch them when they are on sale.  Usually their MultiComp (house brand) are priced reasonably.

But I also don't have a problem paying 10-20 cents for a cap if I am buying in small quantities (although I usually buy 100 or so as the price breaks get better).  It's a marginal increase in the cost of the pedal and I'd rather use a better quality part.  The Tayda ceramics are pretty lousy.


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