Halp! I Need Some Basic Parts Advice From All You Pros...

G

Ginsly

Well-known member
Hi All! I'm just starting out, with a couple non-PPCB builds under my belt. I've learned a LOT here already, and am prepping for a few PPCB projects.

I have to ask, since I can't for the life of me see a clear answer - what do most people use for middle-value nF caps? Looks like TDK is good for small pF value ceramics, and Nichicon & Panasonic are safe bets for uF electrolytic caps (please correct me if those brands DON'T matter). Looks like film caps of some variety are what to use for the middle values, but I'm not sure what type and brand makes sense. The voltage thing is confusing, too - is there one voltage rating (above 9v of course) that I should stick to for ALL caps? Seems like that may not even be possible... Don't wanna wind up with D-Battery sized caps! Tolerance % is also making my head hurt - Mouser's site has a LOT of options. I feel like I'm taking a test...

I learned a lot from Aion's Part Sourcing guide, but I can't imagine that using the more expensive WIMA and Kemet box caps will make any difference... I'm mostly building fuzz pedals, and I'm more concerned with buying parts that are within spec & keeping the noise floor as low as possible than "mojo". I see plenty of green and red "chiclet" film caps in builds, but I don't know what brand people like - IF those are acceptable to use. I'd love some input! I'd rather pay 8 cents a part than 50 if it makes no difference... These seem to be the ones I see a lot when it comes to box film: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/KEMET/R82EC1100AA50J?qs=Jv4FAWB%2B0HZxSuv4E1NFGQ==

Same thing with resistors, actually - some say they're pretty much all the same, some say to use Koa Speer, Yageo, etc... Honestly, I already have an assortment from Amzn from weeks ago that seem fine other than the wimpy legs...

I'm not buying huge numbers of anything, so I'm kind of rethinking Mouser as my best bet. Tayda seems great for many things, though I've been scared away from their ICs and transistors. StompBoxParts seems to be pretty good for the part amounts I'd need... They don't have everything, though.

I'm also going to need to get some pretty basic silicon transistors, and again, sounds like Tayda might not be reliable for that (?). Mouser then? Stompboxparts? The Aion site was a great start, but I think maybe there are some specific, top-shelf part suggestions on there that may not make any difference in the performance/noise floor/etc of my simple fuzz pedals. For basic silicons, I doubt I need to be going through Small Bear and paying a premium. I'd truly appreciate some input on these details, as I'm getting closer and closer to figuring out what makes sense for my personal builds.

I've gotten some great tips at TGP, but this place is a wealth of info! Unreal.
 
WIMA and Kemet for longer term performance IMO.
You can increase voltage rating without affecting anything but the size they take up in the build.
For tolerance just order extra and sort them yourself with a multimeter.
Wimpy leads break too easy.
Stomp Box Parts is an excellent source for parts
Take this all with a grain of salt as is just my two cents.
Welcome and thanks for stopping by!
 
Ginsly said:
(those brands DON'T matter)
Click to expand...
☝️That's been my stance on the matter.

Also - Don't let anybody scare you off buying anything from Tayda. If they stock it I'll buy it. Only thing I've stopped buying from Tayda is knobs. The ones from Stompbox parts just seem to show up in better condition.

As far as audio quality/ noise floor issues, I'll follow any type recommendations in the build doc/ board layout, but other than that I don't sweat it.
 
PunchySunshine said:
Welcome and thanks for stopping by!
Click to expand...
I really appreciate you taking the time to chime in! Everybody starts somewhere, and we remember folks like you.

Seems like the more basic white-box Kemets are what to stick with. Reliable, small footprint, not crazy expensive.

Still wondering what kind of "red chiclet" people are using, though...

When it comes to tolerance, it's more about what % to choose when scrolling through Mouser's endless options...

For instance, 5% seems to be good for film caps, whereas 20% seems acceptable for electrolytic caps... Is that about right?
 
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@Erik S - Ah! Ok, that's very good to know. Tayda does seem to have almost everything I'd need, but I've been warned about "factory seconds" or "fakes" when it comes to transistors, etc... Sounds like Tayda changes their stocking habits kind of regularly though, so maybe I won't worry too much about it.

So.. if you were me, what kind of ceramic/film/electrolytic caps would you buy (from Tayda I assume)? There are still many options, especially with film caps - I'm really struggling with box vs chiclet, ha... But I don't know what kind of "reds or greenies" people like!

Tayda has a nice "quick ordering" page for resistors too, I assume you use those to good effect as well?

Thanks for the advice, this is already very helpful!
 
Looks like TDK is good for small pF value ceramics, and Nichicon & Panasonic are safe bets for uF electrolytic caps (please correct me if those brands DON'T matter).
Click to expand...
Brand doesn't matter until it does, basically. I have a bunch of cheap Chinese parts that have great tolerances and work fine. Look for Chanzon brand stuff on Amazon, except for ICs, which are hit and miss.

Looks like film caps of some variety are what to use for the middle values, but I'm not sure what type and brand makes sense.
Click to expand...

Generally. There are times a film cap won't fit, and you need to find something like an MLCC.

The voltage thing is confusing, too - is there one voltage rating (above 9v of course) that I should stick to for ALL caps? Seems like that may not even be possible... Don't wanna wind up with D-Battery sized caps! Tolerance % is also making my head hurt - Mouser's site has a LOT of options. I feel like I'm taking a test..
Click to expand...

12V minimum for me, just so there's a little room for voltage swings. Tolerance varies with the type of capacitor, and won't matter too much. Measure your caps before you install if you're concerned, and sort out the best ones.

I learned a lot from Aion's Part Sourcing guide, but I can't imagine that using the more expensive WIMA and Kemet box caps will make any difference...
Click to expand...

Long-term reliability is the main difference.

I'm mostly building fuzz pedals, and I'm more concerned with buying parts that are within spec & keeping the noise floor as low as possible than "mojo". I see plenty of green and red "chiclet" film caps in builds, but I don't know what brand people like - IF those are acceptable to use.
Click to expand...

You'll find that noise floor is more a function of your transistors/ICs, wiring, etc.

I'm not buying huge numbers of anything, so I'm kind of rethinking Mouser as my best bet. Tayda seems great for many things, though I've been scared away from their ICs and transistors. StompBoxParts seems to be pretty good for the part amounts I'd need... They don't have everything, though.
Click to expand...

@StompBoxParts has a great, fairly curated selection of parts. I buy bulk stuff from Amazon, and transistors/diodes/things I need to be nice from SBP. You can also get great stuff from Small Bear, but the SBP collection is a bit more sorted and reliable for the money in my experience. I spent $1500 there this year :eek::ROFLMAO:

I'm also going to need to get some pretty basic silicon transistors, and again, sounds like Tayda might not be reliable for that (?). Mouser then? Stompboxparts? The Aion site was a great start, but I think maybe there are some specific, top-shelf part suggestions on there that may not make any difference in the performance/noise floor/etc of my simple fuzz pedals. For basic silicons, I doubt I need to be going through Small Bear and paying a premium. I'd truly appreciate some input on these details, as I'm getting closer and closer to figuring out what makes sense for my personal builds.
Click to expand...

Get a couple nice mojo ones. I really like BC108/109s, and BC238s. You can get cool, NOS ones for a dollar a piece usually. I throw one or two cool transistors and germanium diodes in every SBP order. For very generic transistors, I've actually had great luck with cheap Chinese parts. 2N3904s, 2N2222As, etc. ICs have been hit and miss. I have a bag of JRC4558s, for example, where 1 in 10 doesn't work. The bag of 50 was $7, though, so the part cost and time spent testing them makes sense.

Another word of advice is to be careful using a center punch to mark enclosures for drilling. Aluminum is brittle, and you WILL crack it if you come down on it like you're wielding Mjolnir
 
Ginsly said:
@Erik S - Ah! Ok, that's very good to know. Tayda does seem to have almost everything I'd need, but I've been warned about "factory seconds" or "fakes" when it comes to transistors, etc... Sounds like Tayda changes their stocking habits kind of regularly though, so maybe I won't worry too much about it.

So.. if you were me, what kind of ceramic/film/electrolytic caps would you buy (from Tayda I assume)? There are still many options, especially with film caps - I'm really struggling with box vs chiclet, ha... But I don't know what kind of "reds or greenies" people like!

Tayda has a nice "quick ordering" page for resistors too, I assume you use those to good effect as well?

Thanks for the advice, this is already very helpful!
Click to expand...
That quick ordering page for 1/4W metal film resistors is the bees knees. Unless the build calls for the little 1/8w resistors, that's what I use for everything.

I buy the cheapest caps Tayda has that meet the type/ voltage rating/ component size I'm looking for.

I stick with Box caps, I haven't messed with the chicklets except for some breadboard stuff. The boxes just seem nicer to work with.

There are some builders here that spring for all the top-shelf stuff, and even get picky about color matching all the components on a build, those folks are having fun, and I enjoy seeing those build reports very much, but don't get hung up on thinking you need any of that to build perfect-sounding reliable pedals.
 
When I was buying from Tayda maybe 10 years ago, there were some QC issues: spindly leads on everything, no-name lugged 3PDT switches failing outright, electro caps being WAY out of spec, toggle and foot switch epoxy having abysmal thermal performance.

These days, the only things I've got from them that haven't been up to snuff have been the breadboards, and one batch of electros, but I've steered clear of the names I don't recognize.

They stock Panasonic, Nichicon, Rubycon (in some values and packages). Never had problems with the bog standard film or MLCC caps, either. Also second on the ICs. 99% success. I couldn't tell if one of the PT2399s I got was a latent defect or if I gave it too much voltage. But their other chips, op-amps in particular, have performed.

@Harry Klippton I'm curious what you hate about them. Sorry you've had a bad experience :/ and not saying your experience is invalid or anything like that, I'm just wondering if there's something to look out for (besides just straight up not working, obviously).

I've had bad luck with these, but thankfully was only a few—hit or miss epoxy wise:
www.taydaelectronics.com

3PDT Stomp Foot / Pedal Switch

3PDT | ON-ON | Latching | Solder Lugs | Long Lasting | High Quality
www.taydaelectronics.com www.taydaelectronics.com
 
dont cheap out on those shitty blue 3PDTs. why even bother. i swear people only buy them so they can make a joke about fucken white washers.

get the black alpha ones. way better quality. yeah its a hell of a click but that's 3PDT life.
www.taydaelectronics.com

ALPHA 3PDT Stomp Foot / Pedal Switch

ALPHA | 3PDT | ON-ON | Latching | Solder Lugs | Long Lasting | High Quality
www.taydaelectronics.com www.taydaelectronics.com

if you're gonna complain about those then giddy up and go for soft relay switching instead.
 
owlexifry said:
dont cheap out on those shitty blue 3PDTs. why even bother. i swear people only buy them so they can make a joke about fucken white washers.

get the black alpha ones. way better quality. yeah its a hell of a click but that's 3PDT life.
www.taydaelectronics.com

ALPHA 3PDT Stomp Foot / Pedal Switch

ALPHA | 3PDT | ON-ON | Latching | Solder Lugs | Long Lasting | High Quality
www.taydaelectronics.com www.taydaelectronics.com

if you're gonna complain about those then giddy up and go for soft relay switching instead.
Click to expand...
I've used these lately, I agree it's a hell of a click but at least it feels sturdy.
 
I agree with others here, a lot of the Tayda hate comes from years past. I've been building since 2016 and Tayda has been improving all that time. I think ordering everything from them for your first builds might be a good way to go. That said, I do get some disappointing things from them from time to time. Most recent was the "Karl Lumberg - For serious projects" jacks, which were crap. I also don't buy electros or MLCCs from them, but that an old bais, others here use them.

When I order from mouser, I'm usually stocking up on stuff, buying caps in quantities of 50-100. That's where their prices and shipping make the most sense. Also, for jacks and switches, I usually stock up from lovemyswitches.com.
 
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