Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Hi, Hey , Hello.
I'm doing a mod to my Boss DS-1.
https://www.instructables.com/Modify-Your-Boss-DS-1/
Yeah, that one. I've modded a few DS-1's but this time I realized that it's calling for the replacement of several Caps. C2,C8,C9 and C14.
These electrolytic caps are being replaced by Film caps... Yeah? I missed that little piece of info on my last mod and swapped them with NP electrolytics.
This time I was tipped off when I actually read and studied up a bit on the original circuit and what my mod was doing to it. I saw that C14 is already 1uf... Why would it want me to change it just to put a NP electro in?... Oh, because it actually calls for a film cap. Why? What is it doing in the circuit? Why change an electro for a film? Don't specific caps get called for specific reasons? I've never known this to be swapped like this, and some mods call for these values to be changed but not the type of cap used. So who's mod instructions are wrong? Are any wrong? All trial and error? I just want this to perform as expected. Thoughts? Thanks.

I'm not familiar with the details of this particular mod, but most folks feel that if a cap is in the signal path, it's best to use polyester film whenever possible. Many folks say they sound better - I can't confirm that, and there may be some "mojo" involved. What I CAN confirm is that film caps last longer and hold their rated value longer than electro caps. Electros will eventually go bad or leak electrolyte, although this can be delayed by regularly charging/discharging them (i.e. using your pedal regularly). It's also possible that, given the large values, film caps were simply out of the budget and the manufacturer chose electro caps because they were cheaper. So perhaps part of the mod is just to bring the pedal up to what folks in the boo-teek pedal community would consider a basic standard.

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That was my theory as well, when I read this post.

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

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This seems to be a case of overthinking things. I went into a similar mod I did earlier this year. Turns out 4 electrolytics are in fact swapped out for film. I totally forgot and apparently didn't even think about it last year. Thanks.