Capacitor markings, polorized or not?

[whisperer]

I'm a newbe but not a complete idiot so go easy on me guys. I'm replacing a bulged cap on the power supply side of a DTV converter. The bad cap is a non polarized 330uF 16V 105C electrolytic cap and I cant find one in all the stuff I have. I do have a 220 35V and a 100 35V that are both 105C's and thought I might parallel them to check this thing. The problem I'm having is that the caps I have I'm assuming are polarized and I also have no idea if I can figure out how to install them the right direction.
The newbe problem I'm having is something you experienced guys will likely laugh at but please clue me in. The markings for polarization on most everything I have is a bar with V's sort of cut across the bar looking to me like arrows pointing to one of the leads. Inside of this bar some of the caps have a rectangle and some have an oval.
Please tell me what the heck does that stuff really mean? Is the oval non-polarized and the rectangle polarized? Do all the ones with the bar mean it's polarized, and is this bar point to + or - ?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out which way to install these, or am I I just going to waste the circuit if I install them backwards?

[whisperer]

Re: Capacitor markings, polorized or not?

Well, never mind then. I paralleled the 2 caps and it works great now.

[stj]

Re: Capacitor markings, polorized or not?

a non-polarised cap will say non-polar or NP on it.

[Radio Fox]

Re: Capacitor markings, polorized or not?

I'm a newbe but not a complete idiot so go easy on me guys. I'm replacing a bulged cap on the power supply side of a DTV converter. The bad cap is a non polarized 330uF 16V 105C electrolytic cap and I cant find one in all the stuff I have. I do have a 220 35V and a 100 35V that are both 105C's and thought I might parallel them to check this thing. The problem I'm having is that the caps I have I'm assuming are polarized and I also have no idea if I can figure out how to install them the right direction.
The newbe problem I'm having is something you experienced guys will likely laugh at but please clue me in. The markings for polarization on most everything I have is a bar with V's sort of cut across the bar looking to me like arrows pointing to one of the leads. Inside of this bar some of the caps have a rectangle and some have an oval.
Please tell me what the heck does that stuff really mean? Is the oval non-polarized and the rectangle polarized? Do all the ones with the bar mean it's polarized, and is this bar point to + or - ?
Also, is there an easy way to figure out which way to install these, or am I I just going to waste the circuit if I install them backwards?

The bar down the side of the capacitor points to the -ve lead. I think that when you say that you can see a rectangle, you are actually looking at the minus sign (-), surrounded by the body colour of the capacitor, making it look like a hollow rectangle. The same goes for the oval shape you are seeing. It is just a minus sign with rounded edges. Either way, they both indicate a polarized capacitor.

It is not a good idea to replace the non polarized capacitor with a polarized one. It might work for a time, but it's not a permanent fix. The circuit designer chose a non polarized one for a good reason.