10mm caps into 8mm holes - any tips?

[eponymous]

So it seems the standard pitch or lead-spacing on 10mm caps is 5mm and on 8mm caps it's 3.5mm.

I've just tried soldering a 10mm cap into an 8mm hole on my practice motherboard and it seemed to fit ok with the legs bending ever so slightly.

What concerns me though is that the cap will never sit totally flush with the board which means the leads will always be a bit longer than a like for like replacement.

Will the effects of the series inductance from the leads cause major issues here?

I've seen Topcat put 10mm caps into an Abit board and they look fine which is what convinced me to do the same.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[paulstef]

Re: 10mm caps into 8mm holes - any tips?

Will the effects of the series inductance from the leads cause major issues here?

Depends on where they are located. You are talking about a VERY low lead inductance here. Maybe +1nH or 2nH for 2 to 3mm leads.
I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[eponymous]

Re: 10mm caps into 8mm holes - any tips?

Depends on where they are located. You are talking about a VERY low lead inductance here. Maybe +1nH or 2nH for 2 to 3mm leads.
I wouldn't worry about it too much.

So these would be located near the CPU - the VRM section.

Cheers.

[Agent24]

Re: 10mm caps into 8mm holes - any tips?

The slightly longer leads will not be a problem.

Just don't force the capacitor down hard to make it flush with the board or you may stress the leads where they connect to the capacitor and cause damage.