LOW voltage AXIAL polyester film caps for Rangemaster clone

[blindopher]

Hi,

 

I'm hunting down the components for a Rangemaster clone, and having difficulty finding LOW voltage AXIAL polyester film caps. I need a .01 uF (10000pF) and a .005 uF (5000pF). All the ones I see are rated @ 630V. I read somewhere that going over the voltage rating could be a problem with a pedal. Can anyone give me a second opinion on that? If this is true, where can I get a cap that's lower voltage? I can easily find some RADIAL polyester/non poly stuff, but my build involves a terminal strip point to point construction and axial would be much more convenient.

 

thanx!

[Mr.Grumpy]

No, you're misunderstanding what the voltage rating is. It's the maximum voltage the cap can handle without failing. There's no problem using a 630 volt cap in a Rangemaster. The reason they even have separate voltage ratings for caps is that lower-voltage caps can be made smaller than the same value cap rated for higher voltage.

[blindopher]

Thanx! To be honest with you, my common sense was telling me the same, but then i got some info which contradicted. So it's only a size issue as far as pedal construction - that's good to know. So while on the subject, would it matter tonewise if i used something else instead of polyester film? I know tone caps is a hotly debated issue.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Yeah, most 600V caps tend to be physically large. There's no reason why you can't use them, but the issue is their physical size. Better to use smaller sized caps when you can - from a physical / layout standpoint, it makes more sense, and there's no need whatsoever for 600V caps in that circuit. You can use 25V caps of the correct values (assuming you can find them) in a Rangemaster with no problems.