falco_femoralis
Member
Does it matter? I use elecs but see builds with tants occasionally. I make sure to get low profile elecs for double PCB builds. Am I wasting my time?
Tantalums vs Electrolytics
- Thread starter falco_femoralis
- Start date
jessenator
Well-known member
There are pros and cons to each. Price, tolerances …reactions to reverse polarity.
Anymore the hottest topic is more about ethical sourcing of the material and manufacture. From the sounds of it, you're more likely to buy a blood diamond than not.
Based on what I've gleaned, there's nothing wrong with electrolytic caps. There might be some ground gained by using bipolar/nonpolar in applications in the signal path, and using film caps for 1μF (if they fit the footprint), but they're not "bad"
I have still some tantalum caps that I'll use here and there, mostly if I don't have the value on electrolytic on hand, but I don't plan on buying any more of them.
My 2¢
Anymore the hottest topic is more about ethical sourcing of the material and manufacture. From the sounds of it, you're more likely to buy a blood diamond than not.
Based on what I've gleaned, there's nothing wrong with electrolytic caps. There might be some ground gained by using bipolar/nonpolar in applications in the signal path, and using film caps for 1μF (if they fit the footprint), but they're not "bad"
I have still some tantalum caps that I'll use here and there, mostly if I don't have the value on electrolytic on hand, but I don't plan on buying any more of them.
My 2¢
Stickman393
Well-known member
Buy vintage, and, like, the blood is in the past.
Which, like, means that it's old blood. Which is better. Cause it's harder to clean off. The stain has set.
It's the forced labor in the mines that give you that extra bit of toan. Little bits of the souls of slave laborers transfer into the tantalum. And innocent victims of civil wars.
Yup. The world is...well, the world is a broken place.
There's the Responsible Minerals Initiative. Kemet apparently follows that, but God knows if that's actually effective, and how much slips through the cracks.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the biggest tantalum exporters in the world. They...well, they're a good example of what happens when an economy and political system is predicated largely on extractive industries. There are problems.
Film caps now come in 1uf values with 2.5mm lead spacing. I tend to use those over tants or electros. At least if their height doesn't become a problem.
Tants are impossible to avoid in consumer electronics. Ethical sourcing be damned: your phone is soaked in blood minerals. Computer too.
We're all bastards. Unwitting bastards, but bastards none the less. Bastardry is the water we swim in. We live in it, breathe in it, die in it, and transfer our souls to the never-ending extractive system that typically doesn't result in an awesome guitar toan. Typically.
I dunno. I've taken to buying vintage, due to the aforementioned advantages of old blood. The guy who died mining my tantalum probably would be dead by now anyways, right?
I may be a little cynical. Individual market choice is going to be a matter of personal ethics. It's not going to change systemic problems.
I'll use them only in select locations. Electros are the better choice most of the time. But if you have a spot that is leakage-adverse, they do the job well.
Which, like, means that it's old blood. Which is better. Cause it's harder to clean off. The stain has set.
It's the forced labor in the mines that give you that extra bit of toan. Little bits of the souls of slave laborers transfer into the tantalum. And innocent victims of civil wars.
Yup. The world is...well, the world is a broken place.
There's the Responsible Minerals Initiative. Kemet apparently follows that, but God knows if that's actually effective, and how much slips through the cracks.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the biggest tantalum exporters in the world. They...well, they're a good example of what happens when an economy and political system is predicated largely on extractive industries. There are problems.
Film caps now come in 1uf values with 2.5mm lead spacing. I tend to use those over tants or electros. At least if their height doesn't become a problem.
Tants are impossible to avoid in consumer electronics. Ethical sourcing be damned: your phone is soaked in blood minerals. Computer too.
We're all bastards. Unwitting bastards, but bastards none the less. Bastardry is the water we swim in. We live in it, breathe in it, die in it, and transfer our souls to the never-ending extractive system that typically doesn't result in an awesome guitar toan. Typically.
I dunno. I've taken to buying vintage, due to the aforementioned advantages of old blood. The guy who died mining my tantalum probably would be dead by now anyways, right?
I may be a little cynical. Individual market choice is going to be a matter of personal ethics. It's not going to change systemic problems.
I'll use them only in select locations. Electros are the better choice most of the time. But if you have a spot that is leakage-adverse, they do the job well.
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