Home » Sponsored » Pi Speakers » Can I get away with stacking capacitors like Legos?
Can I get away with stacking capacitors like Legos? [message #46727] Sun, 17 April 2005 18:46 Go to next message
BillEpstein is currently offline  BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
I built 8 ohm 1200 Hz crossovers to day with existing parts. Please don;t ask how I came to have all these caps.........and more!
Needing 11uF I combined a 6.2 and a 4.6; needing 33uF I combined, ta-daaaa.....16, 8.2, 5.4 and 2.2!
I also used 1.0 mH coils for toot an woof instead of .8 and .7.
Sounds maybe a little muffled and congested in the mids. There was also a good deal of brightness early on but that has settled out.
Caps combine in parallel, right? So this should work?
Has anyone else ever built a 2-way crossover with 8 caps?


Re: Yes but dont stack Lego's like caps [message #46729 is a reply to message #46727] Sun, 17 April 2005 20:41 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Martinelli is currently offline  Bill Martinelli
Messages: 677
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (1st Degree)

You have to tie caps together in parallel to add up the values.

Combining caps in series will halve the values

The whole approach is just opposite that of resistance.

other Bill


Cascading [message #46730 is a reply to message #46727] Sun, 17 April 2005 20:48 Go to previous message
ToFo is currently offline  ToFo
Messages: 219
Registered: May 2009
Master
Hi Bill,
I am doing it the same way you did. I had a drawer full of high zoot caps and later learned how cool I was (lol). I believe it is referred to as "cascading". Using a spread of proportionally smaller caps that sum up to your target value. Usually done with 3 to 5 per cap stack. Some folks say large high power caps muck up the overtone range, even when bypassed, so they advocate "cap stacking" and bypassing. Some say a pile of the exact same cap can make the signature sound of that cap audible, thus "cascading" them is done to avoid either issue. I do not know if this holds water, but I happened to have what amounts to a cascaded stack for my highs and it sounds killer. I can't say if it "works" better, but I'm sure there is no harm in it. I have since read that some folks are using cascades to blend the sounds of different brands, conductors, dialectics, etc. Too much part rolling for me, but could be great fun for some. I already have enough solder and aligator clips stuck in the carpet for this lifetime
Thomas

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