All those polarized caps in the Sunking

[midwayfair]

I'm perffing one of these up (just finished the layout), and I'm wondering about all those 1uF electrolytics in the audio path. Is there a reason they're all polarized?

I'm specifically curious about the two surrounding the diodes at the "out" of the OD section and the "in" of the boost. Does using polarized caps there instead of box caps do something special with diodes in any way? I have an idea brewing right now, and it would be nice to know if it has some special effect so it can be transferred to other circuits.

[jkokura]

I've been told that it pretty much doesn't matter if you use polarized or non polarized caps in pedals. I imagine they're used there because that's what was used in the original, and why they were used is a mystery we'll never know. I suggest you socket and/or breadboard and experiment for yourself.

Jacob

[midwayfair]

I've been told that it pretty much doesn't matter if you use polarized or non polarized caps in pedals. I imagine they're used there because that's what was used in the original, and why they were used is a mystery we'll never know. I suggest you socket and/or breadboard and experiment for yourself.

Jacob

Cool, thanks. This is what I expected. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a possibility here that it had something to do with blocking the diodes off or some completely esoteric nonsense, or, more importantly, if it had something to do with the different voltages of the two halves of the pedal. This really is two pedals in one, not cascaded stages like most pedals.

I do know that there's at least one design (I can't remember what pedal) where a polarized cap was necessary in the audio path to prevent sound from going backward or something. But it was a modulation effect of some sort, I believe.

[gtr2]

It was probably done solely for cost reasons.

[jubal81]

I've gone to all multi-layer ceramics for 1 uFs. Tiny and simple.

[midwayfair]

I've gone to all multi-layer ceramics for 1 uFs. Tiny and simple.

Me too, except when box caps just look cooler. But that's mostly because of my 1590A addiction ....

It was probably done solely for cost reasons.

Giggle.