Polarity of Caps/Resistors on Eyelet Board

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8/30/2003 7:09 PM

Owen

Polarity of Caps/Resistors on Eyelet Board Okay, quick question here from a newbie with a as yet unstarted 5E3 kit. I have the layout diagram in from of me, and the eyelet board lined up the right way. Now, I have the bag of capacitors and resistors beside me. First question is a "rule" type question: Do resistors ALWAYS have a K on them, like in Ohms? And do Caps always have a F and a V on them? Basically, is this how I'm going to differentiate them, besides hooking up a voltmeter, or just looking at them?     I have some concept of electronics, but I want a hard fast rule here, if you please.     Then, which polarity is up and which is down on the eyelet board? Some of the caps and resitors are marked. Do the plus sides go down I assume? Are caps and resistors different in which way they have to go? I heard that it only matters with resistors.     I would assume, looking at the layout, that I should line them up with the numbers reading from down to up. So basically, if I put all the caps and resistors in with the numbers going down to up, that I won't even have to know which is + and which is -, i'll just line them up so they all read down to up!     Wow, thanks for reading this!

 

8/30/2003 9:10 PM

Al Lang

Owen, You would need a course on electronics to answer all you questions. My advice would be to follow the layout diagram as Bruce has written, if you have the Mission kit. If your not sure about which way a component goes, get someone with more experience to help you. It doesn't matter which way a resister goes but some caps do matter. Any cap with a + , a ridge or a mark like an arrow is postive and usually only eletrolytic caps have polarity. The K next to a resister value means 1,000, so 10K means 10,000 ohms of resistance. (10 X 1,000 = 10,000). If a layout diagram has a resister value of just say 820 ohms with no K that means 820 ohms. The color rings also tell the value but you'll have to have a chart to read them, look in your kit. Owen, if your not sure how to follow the layout diagram, get someone who does to help you. There are high voltages in amps that can kill. Tom Mitchell has a book out which is a simple starter book that will answer your questions "How to Service your own Tube Amp" Good Luck

 

8/31/2003 6:22 AM
Matt H	i thought only the negative side of a cap was labelled... that's how i installed the electrolytics on my amp, and it works fine (nt a 5e3, but anyway).       that being said, resistors rarely have their values written on tem, but are color coded. check out aikenamps.com for the resistor color chart.

 

8/31/2003 6:58 AM
Owen	Hey Guys,     Thanks for the help. My questions were inclusive of electronic knowledge, but I was just unsure of the polarity, in which case you have answered my question. Thanks!     Owen

 

9/1/2003 8:08 PM

Randy Perry

In the 5E3 circuit, there are 3 capacitors that are polarity specific; the 3 large capacitors. Take a look at Tom Sewards site, under "tweeddeluxe", "build", and see how he has layed out his circuit board. Resistors are non-polarity specific, you can put them in either way. Keep in mind too that you are dealing mainly with alternating current that changes polarity 120 times per second a.k.a. 60 cycle current. So for the most part, there is no +/up side or -/bottom side (or vice-versa). If you need to find out the value of a resistor, look up; http://www.dannyg.com/examples/res2/resistor.htm. Just select the corresponding color for the bands from the drop down list and it will give you the value of your resistor.   If you have "Orange Drop" capacitors, they are not marked the same as other types. Go to the "Ampwares" site and under "home", in the left collumn at the bottom you'll see; "Capacitor Codes" and it will help you decipher the cap code on your Orange Drop capacitors.   Putting your caps and resistors in, all facing the same direction is a good idea in only that it makes them easier to read after the circuit board is assembled, and AS LONG AS THE CIRCUIT DOESN'T CALL FOR THEM TO BE PUT IN OTHERWISE.

 

9/2/2003 3:45 PM

Bruce /Mission Amps

All electrolytic capacitors are polarized but sometimes they are not hooked up the way you think... that is, + to + and - to -!!   In the 5E3 they are connected + to +, - to - ...and, there are 6 electrolytic caps (not three) that need to be hooked up correctly.   They have a positive (+) sign or a negative (-) sign somewhere on the body and usually have a crimped end on the positive side.   Some have a fat oval inked on the side in a stripe with a fat negative sign in it.   It's pointed to the end that is in fact, the negative end, but many novice and intermediate builders confuse this marking with an elongated "O" or zero.   It's the negative sign.     There are other capacitors that are polarized also but in the 5E3 kit, these are all simple electrolytic caps.   When it comes to electronics and polarities, do not get yourself trapped into a novice concept of, sides of boards, up and down or left side ...right side, etc.   Don't do that or you'll eventually get ass bit.   Take the time to learn more about electronics, reading components and schematics so you'll be fearless of polarity.... you'll know which way caps are supposed go by understanding the layout and or schematic after that.     Bruce

 

9/2/2003 5:03 PM
Randy Perry	Oops, sorry for the misinformation. Listen to Bruce

 

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