are tants....?

[Somicide]

are they weird chip thingies?  or are they more typically shaped?

[downweverything]

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.

[Somicide]

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?

[downweverything]

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)

[Somicide]

alright.  now what is it that makes tants so special then?

[downweverything]

usually have a low ESR and good temperature characteristics, not to mention they are usually nice and small.

[Somicide]

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!

[Rick]

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 !