Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

[Pentium4]

Maybe I've just been more observant lately but this is the first time I can recall not seeing a negative stripe or indication of the negative lead on the capacitor. It's an Evercon off of an old US Robotics 56K modem. So of course its capacitance is in spec it didn't have to do much but the ESR is 0.70Ω

It doesn't look like a mistake because a negative stripe on either side would overlap some of the other printing

Am I missing something?

[Mrx3750]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

It's a bipolar electrolytic cap.

The "NP" on it means "Non Polar".

[Pentium4]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Thank you. I thought NP was the series of the capacitor

[trodas]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Of course bipolar. However Evercon is a known bad cap also...

[Pentium4]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Yes, they definitely are but....

Is it just me or do Evercon seem to be the most "reliable" of the GSC/Sacon/Evercon company bundle?

[landyboy]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Not to hijack this thread , but are NP and BP caps interchangeable?

[senz_90]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Not to hijack this thread , but are NP and BP caps interchangeable?

no. there are not interchangeable but you can make NP caps from 2BP caps on series connection. looks sams site on repairfaq about capacitor. he is made a good explanation on this.

[Agent24]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

no. there are not interchangeable but you can make NP caps from 2BP caps on series connection. looks sams site on repairfaq about capacitor. he is made a good explanation on this.

Can you link to the page? I can't find it. I always thought that for electrolytics, NP and BP were just two different names for the same thing.

[senz_90]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Can you link to the page? I can't find it. I always thought that for electrolytics, NP and BP were just two different names for the same thing.

here. no it is different caps between Non polar and Bipolar caps.

http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/captest.htm#ctnpo

this site also have a bunch useful knowledge about SMPS and TV, etc. just try type repairfaq on google.

[Agent24]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Thanks, yes I know about that site. Just couldn't find the article about the capacitors.

But, that page doesn't say anything about BP and NP being different. Also, as the article shows, he makes the NP capacitor out of two polarized capacitors, not two bipolar capacitors.

[senz_90]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Thanks, yes I know about that site. Just couldn't find the article about the capacitors.

But, that page doesn't say anything about BP and NP being different. Also, as the article shows, he makes the NP capacitor out of two polarized capacitors, not two bipolar capacitors.

I'm sorry. I made mistake, I mean that makes NP/BP caps from two polarized caps. Yes, Bipolar is other name from Nonpolar caps, so that's "interchangeable". You know, sometimes wake up lately and get our brain need a time to process something

you can search on the content, there is title on it.

[Agent24]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

I'm sorry. I made mistake, I mean that makes NP/BP caps from two polarized caps. Yes, Bipolar is other name from Nonpolar caps, so that's "interchangeable". You know, sometimes wake up lately and get our brain need a time to process something

you can search on the content, there is title on it.

No worries! I did try searching his site but there was some server error message and it didn't work, that's why I asked for the link.

[Elysarian]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

I use non-polarised caps all the time at work, they're a very common end of line device on conventional fire alarm systems.

and yes, we get plenty of bad ones! (mostly on Protec panels that have been in for a few years), commonly the symptoms are either zone faults or (if the thing goes leaky in just the right way) a zone randomly going into fire.

[senz_90]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

No worries! I did try searching his site but there was some server error message and it didn't work, that's why I asked for the link.

I don't know what you means by server error message, but i have not any problem try to searching it at google. the title of content is this Making Non-Polarized Capacitors from Normal Electrolytics
maybe this help.

[Agent24]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

I was using the inbuilt search on the site, eg: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/cgi/...ar%20capacitor, just got "Internal Server Error" (You probably get it too if you try that link)

Could have searched Google, but I was feeling lazy, and you already had the link

[Rulycat]

Re: Capacitor with no negative lead stripe

Yes, they definitely are but....

Is it just me or do Evercon seem to be the most "reliable" of the GSC/Sacon/Evercon company bundle?

It's all crap anyway. Thought they went bust.