Polymer caps. Discuss.

Stickman393

Stickman393

Well-known member
Decided to look into these cause I keep seeing them in commercial pedals...

As a replacement for aluminum electrolytics: PROS: SUPER low ESR, much longer shelf-life than similar electros. Solid electrolyte, no potential for drying out. Good at handling ripple, Relatively compact too.

Cons...potentially more expensive (though Kemet's are pretty reasonable through mouser), much more prone to (dc) leakage, higher voltage ratings and specific values can be difficult to track down in through-hole format.

Seems like a decent option for power supply filtering applications, maybe not so much for coupling. I decided to try out a few in my HAARP rebuild. Shoot, they look good at least.

Discuss. Anybody out there reach for these?

Added bonus for y'all holistic pedal builders, they're "Organic". So...you know...they're non-gmo. Or something. Add it to a blurb, someone'll believe it.
 
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These things? I always thought they were a different style of electrolytic. They are sexy indeed.

Funnily enough, the amazon listing for these had "organic" in the title. :ROFLMAO:
 
Yessir, those are they.

There are a few different types. Hybrid organic polymer caps also use a liquid electrolyte that significantly cuts down on leakage...but again the issue of availability is there.
 
I'm kinda liking the fact that the ones I'm using on my build are pretty low-profile, easy to guide my soldering iron around. It's a boon for components that are flush-mounted to the board...less leverage in case you accidently bump it (I've wrecked one or two electros by dropping boards and having the leads literally pull out.

My primary motivation here is that the idea of a longer-lasting electrolytic cap appeals to me. Something where I can have a BUNCH on hand without having to worry about shelf life, plus feeling a bit safer about using slightly lower voltage ratings (read: less than double operating voltage) due to their resiliency in handling ripple current.

Regardless of what I do in the future, I'll still likely be using traditional low impedance, low-leakage electros for coupling purposes though, given that DC leakage can be a problem with the polymer caps.

I dunno, I'm unreasonably picky with component choices. Far more than I have any right to be given my level of knowledge with electronics and semiconductors. Plus I like shiny things.
 
First build giving these a shot, HAARP. Hoping to find the time to slap it together tomorrow.

Behold. I built the intelligent relay board before the HAARP, and there ain't no way I'm gonna try to unsweat that 100uF cap.

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