Build Etiquette question

[dlazzarini]

Hi all. I’m fairly new to the build community. I’m sort of an OCD perfectionist with things of this nature. I’m currently in the process of building the Muzzle. My problem lies with the 560n capacitor. After an extensive search of all the sources that I know I can only find one that is twice the width of the space it belongs in. It’s sandwiched between 2 other box capacitors so there’s no fudging it in. My question: is it considered a hack job if I mount the capacitor on the underside of the board? Should I just keep searching for the right dimension capacitor? I don’t want to start out this hobby as a hack. What do you guys normally do?

 

[Robert]

These will fit.

0.56uF 50V Multilayer Monolithic Ceramic Capacitor

AEC - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

To directly answer your question though, there's really nothing wrong with putting a cap on the back of the PCB if there is enough clearance. Is it ideal? Not really... But sometimes you do what you have to do.

Personally I would rather bend the leads at a 90 degree angle and mount it sitting on top of the adjacent components, but that is also arguably a hack job.

This sort of thing happens all the time in production runs... I've seen some things in high-dollar equipment produced by the big names that would make your skin crawl.

 

[dlazzarini]

These will fit.

0.56uF 50V Multilayer Monolithic Ceramic Capacitor

AEC - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

To directly answer your question though, there's really nothing wrong with putting a cap on the back of the PCB if there is enough clearance. Is it ideal? Not really... But sometimes you do what you have to do.

Personally I would rather bend the leads at a 90 degree angle and mount it sitting on top of the adjacent components, but that is also arguably a hack job.

This sort of thing happens all the time in production runs... I've seen some things in high-dollar equipment produced by the big names that would make your skin crawl.

Ha ha I bet. Thanks for the advice and link

 

[phi1]

To add to PedalPCB's comment, typically people don't put components on the underside of the board because on many builds there are pots that occupy that space. The Muzzle doesn't have the concern though since there is only one pot and it hangs off the board. To his point about clearance, it is imperative that the height of the capacitor is shorter that the area of the pot that mounts to the pedal enclosure (assuming you're using a pcb mount pot). I haven't looked at the data sheet but my hunch is a 560nF box type might be too tall. All things considered, your best bet is to go with the one PedalPCB linked.

About "hacks", it's kind of a personal preference thing. I do stuff like that all the time, either as a mod or to fix a mistake. The important thing is that your work is stable, i.e. it won't move around and there's no chance of a short happening somewhere. I also try to make it look reasonably neat, but that's secondary to me. Other folks seem to consistently turn out flawless builds, which is cool too.

 

[dlazzarini]

To add to PedalPCB's comment, typically people don't put components on the underside of the board because on many builds there are pots that occupy that space. The Muzzle doesn't have the concern though since there is only one pot and it hangs off the board. To his point about clearance, it is imperative that the height of the capacitor is shorter that the area of the pot that mounts to the pedal enclosure (assuming you're using a pcb mount pot). I haven't looked at the data sheet but my hunch is a 560nF box type might be too tall. All things considered, your best bet is to go with the one PedalPCB linked.

About "hacks", it's kind of a personal preference thing. I do stuff like that all the time, either as a mod or to fix a mistake. The important thing is that your work is stable, i.e. it won't move around and there's no chance of a short happening somewhere. I also try to make it look reasonably neat, but that's secondary to me. Other folks seem to consistently turn out flawless builds, which is cool too.

Thank you for the advice. Much appreciated

 

[Kingdog+]

Just te add to the above comments. I have a Moog System 55 that has mods and fixes thatinclude everything from flea clips and radio shack caps wrapped together to something that looks like a chewing gum wrapper. Getting your stuff working and stable to achieve your intentions is more important than style.

 

[Gordo]

If it sounds good...it IS good...

I hate doing it but sometimes it just makes the most sense.