Micro Tsunami question

[jcopilot]

There's a capacitor included with the Micro Tsunami which the user has to connect. The instructions are explicit about which wire to solder to the positive post and which wire to the negative post.
There's a wide gray stripe by one post and on the gray strip is a rectangle. It sure looks like it could be a negative sign indicating the negative post on the capacitor, but I'd like to know for sure.
Does anyone out there know if that rectangle on the gray stripe is meant to identify the negative post on the capacitor?

Thanks for any and all help,

Jcopilot

[richg1998]

The stripe is the negative pole. Look at the below PDF and expand it. You will see the negative wire going to the capacitor lead with the stripe.

http://www.soundtraxx.com/documents/Micro-Tsunami%20Quickstart%20Guide.pdf

Keep SoundTraxx documents like this in your PC for future reference and to help others. I would suggest joining the Yahoo SoundTraxx group that specializes in SoundTraxx products. The is a lot of data in the Files and Photos sections that other forums do not have. Be advised the cap will explode if the polarity is reversed. A few people have done that.

Rich 

[richg1998]

I answered a couple questions in a couple other forums and the persons had the capacitor explode, a small bang. Electrolytic capacitors respond violently to polarity reversal. I have been an electronic technician for fifty years and I have seen exploded electrolytics. Some times it is a puff of smoke with the insides coming out of the enclosure. Try it. Possibly it could wipe out the full wave bridge rectifier where the DCC signal comes in to the decoder.

I have and others have come across electrolytics of doubtful quality. 

Rich 

[CSX Robert]

 Be advised the cap will explode if the polarity is reversed. A few people have done that.

Rich 

Explode? I dont think so Tim.

David B 

Electrolytic capacitors definitely can explode when hooked up to reverse polarity, I have seen it happen.

[gandydancer19]

Explode?  I dont think so Tim.

David B 

And you have been an Electronics Technician for how many years?

[loathar]

Company I worked for hired a dyslexic kid to build circuit boards. He popped quite a few caps.

They pop all the time in E-Machine computer power supplies.(and that's with the correct polarity)
Dave-Is it worded profession decoder installer on your resume?

[Scarpia]

Company I worked for hired a dyslexic kid to build circuit boards. He popped quite a few caps.

They pop all the time in E-Machine computer power supplies.(and that's with the correct polarity)
Dave-Is it worded profession decoder installer on your resume?

E-Machine computer power supplies? No offence, but that's hardly a good example of quality engineering. I always figued it was the chewing gum drying out that finally did the poor E-machine power supplies in.

Thanks for that tidbit though, that's actually good information.

Cheers 

 

 

[jcopilot]

To Richg1998,

Thanks for your help. I got it now. It seemed obvious, but I thought I better ask first.

Jcopilot

[richg1998]

Hi Jcopilot

Glad to help. You might not run into them but SoundTraxx has some older decoders, DSD series, that came with an electrolytic capacitor. The capacitor is non-polarized or sometimes called bi-polar. It is put in series with one of the speaker wires. The cap blocks DC from getting to the speaker but allows AC, the audio to get to the speaker. A polarized capacitor for keep alive can be added but you have to supply the cap. Just in case you ever see the question. I have seen the question in the Yahoo SoundTraxx forums before.

Rich