The issue with those leads is that with a little too much pressure pulling on one and you can pull it off! Those caps are actually chip type capacitors, just like the surface mount types, with leads attached to the terminals then the whole thing is dipped in epoxy.
Those types of capacitors are not mechanically strong, since they are normally mounted right on a PCB. The epoxy provides the mechanical strength needed to keep from pulling the capacitor apart by handling the leads. If you form the leads carefully without doing significant damage to the epoxy coating, you'll be fine. The thing NOT to do is to tug on one lead while holding the body of the cap or the other lead. When I need to reform the leads, I start by flattening out the little bend where the lead exits the epoxy by squeezing it in the flat part of my needle nose pliers, then gently bending the lead as needed to fit the solder pads. If significant bending is needed, I hold the lead where it exits the epoxy with the thin tip of my needle noise pliers then bend the lead with my finger or another pair of pliers. That way, all the strain is on the lead itself, with no strain placed on the epoxy body. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- I think this has come up before, but I can't find an answer in the archives. KSB2 manual, page 6 says: "The leads on small capacitors do not need to be straightened, but keep their mounted height at about 1/8" (3mm) or less." I find that if I don"t straighten them, they stick up about 3/16" or more. If I straighten them, I'm afraid it will mess them up. What to do?? Help would be appreciated , George, N4YM _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
