Orange Drop Cap(.047@600V)- Which end is pos/neg?

Kevin Nybo · April 9th, 2003, 07:16 PM

I'm kinda stumped here. Found another old amp and all the caps were 'bleeding'. I ordered replacements by the numbers and 1 of these orange drops showed up. It runs from the volume control to pin#8 of the preamp tube(6SJ7).

The old one it's replacing is marked +/- on opposite ends. I'm just trying to figure out what ends this would be on the SBE Orange Drop. Would it be to the left or right of the printing?

Thanks for any help you might have. I've got the iron hot and everything else is going great. What I'd planned on being a simple recap turned into a complete rebuild. New ceramic sockets, wire, resisters, caps, etc. But I have a lot of fun doing it.

Thanks again,
Kevin

Big Cookie · April 9th, 2003, 07:27 PM

Hold the cap upright with the lettering facing you, the + is to the right.

Kevin Nybo · April 9th, 2003, 07:39 PM

Many thanks, BC.

bfriend97@adelphia.net · April 9th, 2003, 08:27 PM

I don't believe Orange Drop Caps are polarized.

EMan · April 9th, 2003, 08:30 PM

Aren't those caps non-polarized?

Russinator · April 9th, 2003, 09:16 PM

Quote:

I don't believe Orange Drop Caps are polarized

Technically they are not polarized. The construction is such that the ouside foil is connected to the negative end wire for shielding in those applications where it's in the signal path and might help to reduce hum / noise.

EMan · April 10th, 2003, 08:52 AM

In that case, you'd want the "negative" end attached to the lower impedance path, regardless of polarity, right?

mark norwine · April 10th, 2003, 09:57 AM

these caps are not polarized. period. wire them either direction.

nevertheless, one lead is the "inner" foil, the other is the "outter" foil. some applications show performance benefits by respecting this alignment.....however....

....however, SBE [the maker of orange drop caps....they bought the company from sprague years ago] has been asked this very question by me: "which end is the inner foil vis-a-vis the lettering". their answer was this: "these caps are fed into the labeling machine from a vibratory bowl / feed system. they are poured into the bowl[s] randomly, and are therefore labeled randomly."

there is no way, by holding & reading the cap that you can ascertain which lead is connected to which foil. there are ways to perform electircal tests, but these are complicated & require equipment not posessed by most folks.

in the average guitar amp, foil orientation is of negligable benefit. my advise: just solder it in & don't worry about it.

mn

Russinator · April 10th, 2003, 12:19 PM

Quote:

therefore labeled randomly

I suspected as much.
Also it's been 45 or 50 years since I disected a tubular paper cap!

EMan · April 10th, 2003, 12:38 PM

Here's an easy way to 'find' the foil lead.

Take the cap in question and hook it across a guitar cord plug, connected to an amp that's running.

Pinch the cap body between your thumb and forefinger. Swap the polarity of the cap and do the same test. In one orientation, you will hear more induced hum than the other. The orientation that cause the most hum will have the outside foil lead connected to the plug tip.

April 9th, 2003, 07:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kevin Nybo TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Mini-Soda Posts: 77	Orange Drop Cap(.047@600V)- Which end is pos/neg? I'm kinda stumped here. Found another old amp and all the caps were 'bleeding'. I ordered replacements by the numbers and 1 of these orange drops showed up. It runs from the volume control to pin#8 of the preamp tube(6SJ7). The old one it's replacing is marked +/- on opposite ends. I'm just trying to figure out what ends this would be on the SBE Orange Drop. Would it be to the left or right of the printing? Thanks for any help you might have. I've got the iron hot and everything else is going great. What I'd planned on being a simple recap turned into a complete rebuild. New ceramic sockets, wire, resisters, caps, etc. But I have a lot of fun doing it. Thanks again, Kevin __________________ See my Toys!

April 9th, 2003, 07:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Big Cookie Banned Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ennis, Texas Posts: 693	Easy Hold the cap upright with the lettering facing you, the + is to the right.

April 9th, 2003, 07:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
Kevin Nybo TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Mini-Soda Posts: 77	Many thanks, BC. __________________ See my Toys!

April 9th, 2003, 08:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
bfriend97@adelphia.net TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 15	polarized? I don't believe Orange Drop Caps are polarized.

April 10th, 2003, 09:57 AM	#8 (permalink)
mark norwine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New Jersey Age: 50 Posts: 1,357	hang on here.... these caps are not polarized. period. wire them either direction. nevertheless, one lead is the "inner" foil, the other is the "outter" foil. some applications show performance benefits by respecting this alignment.....however.... ....however, SBE [the maker of orange drop caps....they bought the company from sprague years ago] has been asked this very question by me: "which end is the inner foil vis-a-vis the lettering". their answer was this: "these caps are fed into the labeling machine from a vibratory bowl / feed system. they are poured into the bowl[s] randomly, and are therefore labeled randomly." there is no way, by holding & reading the cap that you can ascertain which lead is connected to which foil. there are ways to perform electircal tests, but these are complicated & require equipment not posessed by most folks. in the average guitar amp, foil orientation is of negligable benefit. my advise: just solder it in & don't worry about it. mn

April 9th, 2003, 08:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
EMan Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 939	Aren't those caps non-polarized?

April 10th, 2003, 08:52 AM	#7 (permalink)
EMan Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 939	In that case, you'd want the "negative" end attached to the lower impedance path, regardless of polarity, right?

April 10th, 2003, 12:38 PM	#10 (permalink)
EMan Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 939	Here's an easy way to 'find' the foil lead. Take the cap in question and hook it across a guitar cord plug, connected to an amp that's running. Pinch the cap body between your thumb and forefinger. Swap the polarity of the cap and do the same test. In one orientation, you will hear more induced hum than the other. The orientation that cause the most hum will have the outside foil lead connected to the plug tip.