Noob questions

[tagwap]

Hi I have some more noob questions

1. I ordered the capacitors required for a project but the wima box caps seem tricky to decode. The numbers don't seem to match up with what I ordered. Is there a way to be sure of the value of a capacitor from the wring on the side? Or is there any other way of checking?

2. Pots. Is there a difference in pots at 16mm 12mm and 9pm or is it simply the size? If its only the size why not always use the smallest for space?

3. I build a king of clones and it works in bypass but very little signal gets through when engaged. How do you guys 'rock it before you box it?' is there a quick way to test the board without wiring it all up?

Thank you very much

[jkokura]

Hi there!

First off, welcome to the forum!

1. There may be an easy way. Can you post the readings you have on your caps? It's easier to tell you what your caps values are if you post what they do read.

2. There is a difference. The size actually refers to the pot's wafer size (I believe, it might also be the casing). You have a good point about size. One thing that you might note is that smaller pots are more specialized and are usually more expensive at our usual suppliers. The 16mm size is common enough, and it is easy enough to get them into the enclosures we use. Boss and many other major builders use 9mm with no issues. Many boutique builds use 24mm pots. They are reported to be more reliable and longer lasting, but that's pretty hard to prove. I recommend you use the size that makes sense to you.

3. You should read through two threads: "Rules for getting tech help" and "How to build your own testing rig". Both those threads will be a good start for you in finding the info you need. If you need some more help after you've read those, feel free to post again and we'll be sure to help you out.

Jacob

[mgwhit]

Try these cap codes:

http://www.csgnetwork.com/capcodeinfo.html

[tagwap]

Both answers are super helpful. I love this forum!! Thanks guys and sorry for posting this without following the rules. I'll be more careful in future. I checked out those two threads and they're also super helpful. I hope to build a testing rig now using the description in that thread but one question, do the jack's have to be mono? Reason being I have a couple of stereo ones spare. Actually now I think of it why is an input a stereo jack and an output a mono? (am I right in thinking that's the case even?!)

[mgwhit]

Stereo jacks are used as inputs because you can wire the battery ground through the extra lug so that the power switches off when there isn't a guitar cable connected to the input.

You can always use a stereo jack in place of a mono, you just can't do the battery trick.  And make sure you're using the correct lugs for the tip and the sleeve (i.e. omit the ring lug).

[tagwap]

Many thanks

[tagwap]

The capacitor charts you linked to were very helpful but just to be sure I wonder if someone could look at this photo of the capacitors I received and confirm their values? I just want to be sure. Thank you very much.



It's for the king of klones build btw.

[jkokura]

Consider the 'u' to be like a decimal. So the u1 is a 0.1uF cap. Th 1u is a 1uF cap. The bottom two are obviously 0.1 and 0.022uF caps.

The K refers to the tolerance.

The 63 refers to the voltage rating, meaning it can handle up to 63v of power.

Jacob

[tagwap]

That's what I thought. Thank you. In the case of the bottom 2 where there is just the number, and no letter how do I know if that rating is uF, pF or nF? is it simply common sense because of the size of the number?

I'm getting there slowly. I actually managed to get it boxed and working this afternoon so after a few problems my first mad bean build is almost there. Sounds brilliant as a low gain overdrive/clean boost. Thank you for all your help guys. Still needs painting but then pics will follow.

[jkokura]

Caps are almost always referenced by assuming they are written in uF. So for any cap you see a decimal, assume that they are 0.022uF (for example).

The only exception to this rule that I know of are ceramic caps. They will sometimes only have the value written on them in the pF range. So for example, a Ceramic cap with 47 on it will likely be a 47pF cap.

If all else fails, and you're struggling to know what a cap is valued at - use a multi meter that measures capacitance. Lots of them do, and you can get one for less than 10 bucks at radio shack or on ebay.

Jacob

[mgwhit]

In the case of the bottom 2 where there is just the number, and no letter how do I know if that rating is uF, pF or nF? is it simply common sense because of the size of the number?

Decimal points almost always indicate that the unit is microfarads (uF), especially if it's zero-point-something.  Nanofarads (nF) is a fairly uncommon unit to see expressly printed on a capacitor, although they sometimes show up in schematics depending on the preferences of the designer (e.g. MadBean). Nanofarad values are more frequently expressed as decimal fractions of microfarads or occasionally as thousands of picofarads.

Regarding the caps in your picture, the 63 means 63 volts and the K means 10% tolerance.  Looking at Mouser I can see that 63V is a common value for WIMA polyester film caps.  The bottom ones look fairly obvious: 0.1 and 0.022 has gotta be microfarads.  Those look like 2.5mm lead spacing -- I'm sure you've already figured out that 5mm is much more effective for poly film caps on MadBean boards.  The two 1u's are obvious.  I'm guessing that the u1 means 0.1uF, and that the reason it's written differently than the more obviously marked 0.1uF is because of the different form factor.

I'm getting there slowly. I actually managed to get it boxed and working this afternoon so after a few problems my first mad bean build is almost there. Sounds brilliant as a low gain overdrive/clean boost. Thank you for all your help guys. Still needs painting but then pics will follow.

Congratulations on getting it working!  I built the Aristocrat and really like that circuit in all of its switch configurations.

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Also with Wima caps, I've noticed that somethimes values in the pico/nano range are written exactly for what they are. For example a 2.2nf=0.0022uf will be written 2200 which would be 2200 pf. Comes pretty quickly once you understand.