film box vs ceramic caps.

[M. E. Moriearty]

Is there a functional difference for pedal purposes?
For instance, when the build doc shows all those boxes, will it make a difference if they’re all ceramic instead?
Or, like my current Vibe project, I lack a 6n8 box capacitor. But I do have some ceramic monolithic ones. Should I be worried about some functional issues, or just toss in some film caps when I order more parts?

[Big O]

I think it depends upon the tolerance of the caps.  That is +/- percent.  If the tolerance is pretty tight – that is 5 percent or less, I don’t think I would be worried about it.  But don’t quote me on it.

[Cybercow]

Moriearty – most ceramic caps have about a 20% tolerance, whereas most film caps range between 10% and 5%. Other than that, as long as the voltage ratings are sufficient, there is no sonic difference. The only caveat to using ceramic caps is (in my experience) power supplies and timing circuits. Electrolytics are best for power supplies and films are better in timing (clock) circuits.

[M. E. Moriearty]

Good to know. I’ve been doing a lot of learning, with no real electrical background. Thanks, guys.
So for the Vibe, might be worth sticking with films. Cheap enough and I wouldn’t feel bad having a few left over.
Adding it to my list.

[wilkie1]

Let’s throw in MLCC, multi-layer ceramic capacitors as well.  They are small, reasonable and work well in pedal applications.

[M. E. Moriearty]

Further question: On a couple of these boards, there’s a smaller oblong symbol inside the box for capacitors’ footprint.
Is this supposed to specify a certain type, or just a ‘it will fit here if you use a different kind’ type of thing?

[wilkie1]

I think you are looking at the smaller square boxes that are used for the lower value ceramic caps.

[M. E. Moriearty]

No, I double-checked my synapses for crossfires on that one.
Like C4 and C6 on the Add Verb.

Actually intended to note something, or just different labeling? The larger boxes on the D’Lay and MiniMe don’t have that.

[Barry]

Just there to show you you can also use MLCC or ceramic which will also free up space for top mounted jacks in that particular build.

[M. E. Moriearty]

So essentially just a label difference.
Thanks again, guys!

[Author]

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