Comments on: Parts: 0.1uF decoupling capacitors

By: mem.namefix

mem.namefix — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:50:42 +0000

also checkout http://futurlec.com/ they have some good prices to :)

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:16:34 +0000

Try using 1uF caps in the “reverse” 0612 or 0508 packages. More capacitance, yet lower ESL than the caps shown here.

By: DB

DB — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:44:26 +0000

Reflow toaster-oven method:
1) Manually remove the electrolytics and other parts that are likely to melt
2) Put board on drip pan – parts side down
3) Set reflow toaster oven to about 400F
4) When parts start falling off, open door and hit the board with a small screwdriver to release parts

Redneck Method:
1) Go outside
2) Put a board on drip pan – parts side down
3) Heat the back of the board with a propane torch
4) Leave area, collect parts when the smoke clears

Identifying the parts is left as an exercise for the reader. :)

By: will

will — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:42:30 +0000

to adam try http://www.harborfreight.com/ they have cheap tools for everything

By: Adam Schabtach

Adam Schabtach — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:49:14 +0000

I’d love to learn where i can get a “dirt cheap” set of hot tweezers. I’ve happily transitioned to smt but I haven’t seen any hot tweezers for anything resembling cheap. Thanks for any pointers.

By: fartface

fartface — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:51:22 +0000

wow… hack-a-day for N00bs?

also you cant be a hacker if you buy basic parts like this. only posers buy decoupling caps.

Most motherboards have more of them than you will ever need. grab your hot tweezers and snag what you need off an old MoBo and call it done.

You DO have a set of hot tweezers and have transitioned to SMT right?? The right tools for SMT are dirt cheap, and it’s far easier to work with than DIP.

By: brianmhowell

brianmhowell — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:39:09 +0000

Thanks @jimmys I was going to say the same thing. I really don’t understand the various types of caps.

By: Mastro Gippo

Mastro Gippo — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:09:54 +0000

Nice tutorials you’re making these days! I think you should address power consumption issues, so designers can be aware that a little improvement in a design can save a lot of power on a large scale. A credit card sized web server is cool, but how about “a credit card sized web server that can run a week on a lemon”? :)

By: barry

barry — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:30:57 +0000

Wow, I love this site. It gets better and better everyday. I loving watching something like this site develop into a more mature site even though I have no idea whats going on most of the time.

Thanks Hack-a-day!

By: aonomus

aonomus — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:12:48 +0000

Perhaps a series of followups describing different types of IC’s including logic (4000 series, 7400 variants such as LS, HC, etc) and linear (opamps, comparators, regulators, other specifics). Another set of followups would be covering things like uC fundamentals, and on the other end of the spectrum, things like project design (power usage, ergonomics, cost, design considerations such as design from schematic to PCB to enclosed project).

Last but not least articles covering power switching such as bipolar transistors, MOSFETs, SCRs/TRIACs, and IGBTs.

By: jimmys

jimmys — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:51:53 +0000

how about a follow on regarding the advantages of different types of capacitor? ceramic versus tantalum versus mylar, etc…

By: masta

masta — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:58:39 +0000

Regulators keep your voltage stable, but they are rather slow. Whenever a part on your board requires more current, the voltage will drop a bit, so the regulator needs to … regulate. In some cases (switching port pins) a µC needs a “lot” of current for a short time.

Without the decoupling, this would be drawn from the whole power plane, resulting in a voltage drop which needs to be compensated by the regulator.

With decoupling (assumed the capacitor is close to the Power pins), this high current loop is a lot smaller.

@Hack-A-Day: Maybe you guys could make an article about different step-up-regulators(especially the kind which can power 3.3/5V devices from a single cell).

By: wayn3w

wayn3w — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:48:25 +0000

The article says most ICs… would this include CMOS projects powered by batteries? Or is it one of those things where it is better to be safe and include it?

By: zach

zach — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:47:55 +0000

@haku: I’ve had similar experiences, people don’t realize that it’s not as hard as it seems to solder the little guys. I also concur on the 0603/0804 replacement, it works astonishingly well. Its possible to go the other way if you’re in a really tight pinch, but I’ve only managed it once or twice.
0201s on the other hand, I just don’t understand them. With my naked eye I can barely see the distinct pads.

As for future articles, one on pull [up|down] resistors would be fitting. I think that’s a trouble spot for beginners.
In a similar vien, possibly a board layout article? Not using the software but raising awareness (heh) of crosstalk & the like. I’ve seen some hobbist pcbs encounter small problems due to bad PCB design. (OTOH, I’ve seen overly-optimized boards as well…)

By: threepointone

threepointone — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:45:04 +0000

If you’re just stocking up for prototyping and some of your circuits require it very good noise decoupling, you might want to stock 0306/0608/0812’s instead. They have considerably better decoupling characteristics because the rotated geometry actually considerably reduces parasitic inductance. I’d also imagine the larger surface area for soldering would also make it easier to solder and allow for some of more “creative” mounting methods.