XPost: rec.radio.amateur.boatanchors, sci.electronics.components   
   From: et472@ncf.ca   
      
   On Sun, 20 Nov 2011, Lee K. Gleason wrote:   
      
   >      Hello all. I'm restoring an old radio, and in the process of replacing   
   > the assorted electrolytic caps, I came across a half melted looking wax   
   > coated cylindrical cap. The only markings on it are "Micamold 420E2503. On   
   > the next line, it says ".05 plus or minus 20 150". It's a tubular shape, not   
   > the usual postage stamp or lozenge shape that Micamold caps usually are.   
   > It's got a band on one end, so I'm guessing it's polarized - although the   
   > end without the band is grounded, the opposite of what I would have guessed.   
   > I'm guessing, .05MFD, 150 volts. I can't just look it up in the schematic,   
   > since this this part of the radio is a circuit a previous owner added on to   
   > support a Magic Eye tuning indicator tube. What do you think?   
   >   
   Why would it be polarized?  People too often think there is some special   
   reason for polarized capacitors, when in reality I can think of no   
   application that would require a polarized capacitor.  But, in order to   
   fit larger capacitance into reasonable size, capacitors become polarized   
   because they are made in a way that does cause them to be polarized.   
      
   One just looks at the value, and there's no way .05uF is large enough to   
   require an electrolytic or tantalum capacitor.  Thus it can't be   
   polarized, there's no use in using them at that small capacitance.   
      
   What was common in the old days were capacitors where one side was best   
   put to ground.  Paper capacitors for instance, since it's a roll of foil   
   interweaved with an insulator, one side will be more prone to stray   
   pickup, so it should be grounded, and capacitors were marked to indicate   
   which side.  They will work in either direction, just that in one way it   
   may pick up unwanted signals.   
      
   But that won't be relevant today, since capacitors of .05uF can easily be   
   much smaller and with other materials, and there won't be a difference   
   which way it gets put in.   
      
       Michael   
      
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