[labusas]

Would you gentlemen clarify for me if Electrolytic Capacitors (like Black Gate) can be mounted upside down on the solder side of PCB?  Does that affect venting or anything else?
If there's no room to mount it flush can it be mounted with 1/8 or 1/4" spacing? Again are there any performance issues with that?
Thanks for your input in advance.

[mgalusha]

Would you gentlemen clarify for me if Electrolytic Capacitors (like Black Gate) can be mounted upside down on the solder side of PCB?  Does that affect venting or anything else?
If there's no room to mount it flush can it be mounted with 1/8 or 1/4" spacing? Again are there any performance issues with that?
Thanks for your input in advance.

It should make no difference what the orientation is. I have some that are upside down in my phono preamp and they seem fine. Matter of fact, all the electrolytics are upside down in it.

A little spacing from the board is OK, at last as far as I know. It's not necessarily OK with very low value caps as the extra lead length can introduce small amounts of extra capacitance that may effect the circuit. Shouldn't be an issue with electrolytics.

mike

[ASi_TEK]

I agree not a problem. In some occasions I have to mount a cap in a power supply that is too large and cannot use the existing holes/opening space, so I extend the leads with silver wire and mount and secure the cap seperately. Most caps are not dead on to their rated capacitance values (I've measured many) it doesnt really matter.

[TheChairGuy]

labusas,

Great question, but waaaay over my head and the nature of Audio Central.

I've moved your post to it's proper place in The Lab.

[randytsuch]

If I install a bigger lytic, and need to make the leads longer to do it, sometimes I will bypass with a film, if I can get the film cap closer to the board, and keep it's leads short.  Depending on the lytic, may help to bypass it anyway.


Randy

[labusas]

randytsuch wrote:
" I will bypass with a film"

Could you clarify what do you mean by bypassing with a film. Is that connecting two caps - electolitic and film-  in series, or replacing lytic with film?

[randytsuch]

randytsuch wrote:
" I will bypass with a film"

Could you clarify what do you mean by bypassing with a film. Is that connecting two caps - electolitic and film-  in series, or replacing lytic with film?

Bypassing is putting a film cap in parallel with the lytic.  You would normally pick a film that is maybe 1/100 the value of the lytic.  The film will do better at filtering high frequency noise, and the lytic will do the rest.

Randy