Which .068 uF cap for modding guitar wah to bass wah?

[ChrisPtacek]

I have all of the resistors for screwing with a wah, but I wanted to pick up a couple switches for TB mods and wanted to turn one of these wahs into a bass wah.  I have driven to a few RadioShacks, Frys, and American Science & Surplus, looking for a .068 uF cap, and I'm failing.  I wish I knew a local electronics shop that carried a wider selection.  Would you guys just get a .022 uF and a .047 uF and put them in parallel, or would you order the .068 uf?  I know that the rule of thumb is "use what you have" but when "you ain't got nothin'..."

I'm waiting for a Mouser catalog, but right now, I think I'd need pictures to know which cap is which at that rating.

Can anyone either suggest which specs to sort by to find an appropriate cap, or get me a part number off Mouser?  I'll pay it forward, yo.    I'm sorry to be such a newb, but I'm learning.  All I'm trying to do with beginner electronics is make some of my gear a little better suited to ME, and to learn WHY I like some of the things I like.  I've been reading and doing my homework on this stuff all weekend.  Pretty sure it's gonna become a new "hobby" for me.  I'm just worried that I'll end up ordering a cap that terminates with the wrong ends, or that will be way too big, or be made for surface mount... Small

[jakenold]

Hey my man, welcome to this fantastic hobby 

You can use any non-polarized cap, but get those rated at around 50-100V so it won't hog up all the space. It seems odd, that none of those stores carry a 0.068uF / 68nF cap.

[ChrisPtacek]

You're tellin' me!  About 2 hours of drive time invested in a $0.30 part.    Pretty much absurd!  But then, it doesn't look like Small Bear has em either, and there are a million .068 uF or 68nF caps at Mouser... I have to imagine that they aren't ALL okay.  I'm GUESSING that I want axial?  Or is it radial?  SMT/SMD is Surface Mount, right? 

Does anyone sell packs of assorted caps and resistors for hobbyists?  I'm getting the feeling I'd be better off having a bunch of these things here in front of me, so I could better know what to order.  Can't wait for that stupid catalog! 

[jonathan perez]

well, any cap with voltage around 25 volts should be ok (just dont go under 9v). you dont need the big 100v caps.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=163

smallbear DOES have em. 

[ChrisPtacek]

well, any cap with voltage around 25 volts should be ok (just dont go under 9v). you dont need the big 100v caps.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=163

smallbear DOES have em. 

I'm not at ALL going to be insulted if you call me a dumb-arse here, but I thought .068 uF was 0.000068 mF so wouldn't that be the wrong cap?  And of course, I'm getting my cap choice from http://homepage.ntlworld.com/s.castledine/greenfuz/wah.html which states "Try 0.068µF for a bass wah."  So I'm looking for the right part... right? 

[Meanderthal]

 Uhhh... he meant max. voltage rating, not cap value. Since it's a 9v circuit, ya want it to handle at least 9v, but more is ok. High voltage caps tend to be big, so 25v is a good choice.

You can just paralell those 2 caps ya have, it'll be fine.

[jakenold]

You're tellin' me!  About 2 hours of drive time invested in a $0.30 part.    Pretty much absurd!  But then, it doesn't look like Small Bear has em either, and there are a million .068 uF or 68nF caps at Mouser... I have to imagine that they aren't ALL okay.  I'm GUESSING that I want axial?  Or is it radial?  SMT/SMD is Surface Mount, right? 

Does anyone sell packs of assorted caps and resistors for hobbyists?  I'm getting the feeling I'd be better off having a bunch of these things here in front of me, so I could better know what to order.  Can't wait for that stupid catalog! 

Like my man Midway said, Smallbear has them - if you need something that Smallbear doesn't carry, send Steve an email - he is a very kind and reasonable man.

You don't want the SMD kind. Those are pretty hard to solder with hobbyist equipment.*

*) Not the whole story, but heck....

[ChrisPtacek]

I think I'm missing something.  That Small Bear link was for .068mF, not .068uF.  I went through every category of Small Bear's online catalog (I thought) and didn't see em.  So either I'm totally missing something that is very obvious to you folks  or the wah wah mod page has a typo  or I'm losing my mind.    I even did a google search to check to make sure I'm not just screwing up my math... http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/units-converter/electrostatic-capacitance/c/

"(.068) microfarad = 0.000068 millifarad"

Other than the fact that I'm is there something I'm totally glossing over?

I appreciate your patience, guys. 

Uhhh... he meant max. voltage rating, not cap value. Since it's a 9v circuit, ya want it to handle at least 9v, but more is ok. High voltage caps tend to be big, so 25v is a good choice.

You can just paralell those 2 caps ya have, it'll be fine.

I don't actually have those 2 caps... just that I know I saw them at "The Shack" ... so it's an option.  I'll do that if no one pops in and points out a part number, or lookup info for .068uF at Mouser (or Small Bear if they have em.  In fact, I'll e-mail Small Bear and opt to support his shop first, since I hear great reviews...)

I hate the "hello world" stages of learning ANYTHING.  I feel like it ought to be "sorry world."   

[Meanderthal]

 Oh! That's the one(Mf). The confusion has to do with the greek lettering, so uF is interchangable with Mf. Someone else might explain it better, but sometimes they're referred to one way, sometimes the other.
So, that one at smallbear would be the right one.

[ChrisPtacek]

LOL my brain is going to explode.    First off, I'm ordering the one at Small Bear because I'm sure you guys DO know what you're talking about.  But if anyone wants to talk me off a ledge here...

scientific notation... I'm sure this is right, because I looked it up, not because I'm even remotely skilled with numbers...
.001 = 10^-3 = milli, abbreviated "m"
.000001 = 10^-6 = micro, abbreviated "u" (don't know the alt key combo for the "myew" one.  )
1000000 = 10^6 = mega, abbreviated "M"

So then the one at Small Bear which is labeled mF should STILL be "microfarad" not "millifarad" I would think... someone must be destroyed!

So who authorized this!  How do you guys get anything done?  LOL so confused

[jonathan perez]

trial and error 

[Meanderthal]

This and this oughtta help... a little...

[ChrisPtacek]

This and this oughtta help... a little...

Definitely helpful.

Thanks, guys.  $150 order into Small Bear.  I'm well on my way to the misery you guys know so well!