How does directionality work with (series) coupling caps?

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. Read 1675 times.

andyr

Some film caps have a preferred direction ... ie. one lead is longer than the other (which I think denotes the '+ve' lead?) or it has a 'dot' at the '+ve' end.

(I'm asking this because I'm about to get stuck into the cap upgrades to my GK-1!  :D )

Can someone explain how this works for coupling caps?  Obviously if you were using such a cap to bypass an electrolytic in a PS or as the parallel cap in, say, a 12dB/octave bass low-pass filter in a passive XO, the '+ve' end would go on the 'hot' wire.

But what about for coupling duty?  Is it simply a matter of taking the simplistic view and saying:

* on an input coupling cap, since there must be some current flowing, the higher voltage end is obviously at the input RCA ... so the '+ve' end of the cap should be connected to the RCA pin?

*  and on an output coupling cap, the lower voltage end is the "outermost" end ... so the '+ve' end of the coupling cap should be connected to the PCB and the other end soldered to the RCA pin?

Thanks,

Andy

AKSAphile

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 128
Re: How does directionality work with (series) coupling caps?
« Reply #1 on: 7 Jun 2009, 05:57 pm »
Some film caps have a preferred direction ... ie. one lead is longer than the other (which I think denotes the '+ve' lead?) or it has a 'dot' at the '+ve' end.


I would done it this way:


* on an input coupling cap, since there must be some current flowing, the higher voltage end is obviously at the input RCA ... so the '+ve' end of the cap should be connected to the RCA pin?

+ wire should go on middle "hot" pin of input RCA connector, - wire to the GK input


*  and on an output coupling cap, the lower voltage end is the "outermost" end ... so the '+ve' end of the coupling cap should be connected to the PCB and the other end soldered to the RCA pin?


+ wire should go on GK output pin, - wire to the hot pin of RCA output



andyr

Re: How does directionality work with (series) coupling caps?
« Reply #2 on: 8 Jun 2009, 02:51 am »

I would done it this way:

+ wire should go on middle "hot" pin of input RCA connector, - wire to the GK input

+ wire should go on GK output pin, - wire to the hot pin of RCA output


Thanks, AKSAphile - will do.  :thumb:

Regards,

Andy