Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Apologies if this is "old news", but I found a nice drop-in replacement for the 1uf non-polar electrolytic caps used in the Overdrive kit (and maybe some of the other BYOC kits?). They're a boxed metal polyester film cap, made by AVX. Specifically, it's one of their BN series caps, AVX P/N BN154E0105K. The beauty of this cap is that the radial lead spacing is exactly the same as the distance between the component eyelets on the Overdrive PCB, so it fits the board perfectly. The photo below shows two of these caps installed on an Overdrive board--the large, grey rectangular boxes with the blue lettering on top. Yeah, they're a little bulky, but the overall fit is fine and they're not too tall to cause any problem with mounting the bottom enclosure plate. The only effect I saw was that I had to bend the 100uf electrolytic cap over a bit to clear the upper left corner of the one AVX BN cap; you can see the electrolytic tilted back slightly there in back of the AVX cap in the foreground of the photo. Here's a link to the component page at Mouser, along with the photo:

AVX BN Series 1uf cap @ Mouser.com

I've been using Wima's in the same position. But, I have to tack legs on from used leads, as the leads on them are too tiny.

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.

Exactly what I did on my first Overdrive build, until I found these. Mo' better!

Is there a sonic difference?

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.

Well, I won't be absolutely sure of that until I fire up the unit in a day or two. But from everything I've read, I certainly wouldn't expect any difference. The Wima's certainly worked fine, and these are the same basic type of cap--metallized polyester film, but with a slightly higher voltge rating (100V vs 63V). I'd be stunned if there was any audible difference.

well allrighty then! real pain to tack those legs to the wima's so, next time around, I'll give the those big ugly's a shot! Thanks for the Tipper!

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.

That's exactly what got me looking for a better alternative. Couldn't believe it when I fit them into the Overdrive board last night--it was like they were manufactured expressly for that purpose! Let me know how you like 'em, once you give them a try....

Will do.

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.

AVX caps are the shit.

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just a po' college kid.

N.O.C.3 Effects!

This may sound like a silly question, but why replace the electrolytics? Better sound? If so, in what way?

Those are some honking-big capacitors

Robert

electrolytics kill highs and clarity. Idealy you should have no electros in the signal path.d

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just a po' college kid.

N.O.C.3 Effects!

Got some specifics to go along with that sweeping generalization?

AVX and Wima's are preferred by hifi guys. Now, question is, do you always want higher "fidelity"?

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.

Here, I would think so. Let your opamp and clipping diodes do the "dirty work".

Not only do I agree with you in theory, it works out that way for me in terms of retention of the guitars charcter through the clipping, in sound. Most pleasing.

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Everyone likes sausage. Nobody wants to see how it's made.