are they weird chip thingies? or are they more typically shaped?
if by tant you mean tantalum capacitor they are usually this weird shape like an elongated ceramic cap and are usually epoxy coated, i think the best way to describe the shape is a perfect mix between the shape of a ceramic and a cone. they also do come in chips but usually for surface mount aplications which for diyers is not very useful.
oooooh, i see now. I've been seeing them in the chip form recently, and just had to ask, rather than assume I know. So is it ok to use a non Tant Cap instead if it calls for a tant (ie, the tonepad schem of the small clone says 2.2uF Tant, could I use a non tant?)
edit: And before I forget, the square shaped film caps are okay to use throughout yes?
yeah you can usually replace them with little to no problem, depends how critical they are, which usually the difference is not noticable (to me anyway, some might say otherwise)
alright. now what is it that makes tants so special then?
usually have a low ESR and good temperature characteristics, not to mention they are usually nice and small.
i see i see. I'm trying to obtain a bit of knowledge from this, i doubt it'll help my physics grade, but it'll give me hands on, no doubt. Thanks!
They're also very low leakage caps and for this reason often used in critical timing circuits. They have a much greater life span than electros also. I've heard that they can be grittier sounding in certain apps in music circuits tho'. They have their place - experiment !