Is this just an axial tantalum capacitor?

Posted by pmodizzle@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 9 comments

Hey guys, just wanted to verify as I’m not fully familiar with this form factor. Have a 5.25” floppy drive from an IBM 5150 that developed a short on the 12V rail and traced it to this shorted capacitor.

Is this just an axial tantalum capacitor, 4.7uF 35V and I can replace with similar?

Something like these?: https://www.ebay.com/itm/235504581423?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=AS07Uz9cRHu&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=w6Kxo9KAQK-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Expensive little buggers, even on mouser

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Aenoxi@reddit

Yep. The item in your ebay listing would work fine. If you want to replace with a slightly cheaper like for like tantalum from Mouser, then try this.

You don’t really need a tantalum though. Will work fine with a 4.7 uF electrolytic so long as it is rated for at least 35v (50v is also fine). You can use a radial cap by bending the longer leg around the can to face in the other direction (good idea to put some heat shrink tube on that leg too in order to avoid any risk of shorts).

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Stunning-Produce8581@reddit

^^^

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TG626@reddit

Those caps will work, but so would any old electrolytic cap. Tantalums were compact, but today's caps are so much smaller a regular electrolytic should fit the space.

The only thing that would be a little hard is finding an axial. Radials are much more popular.

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T-SquaredProductions@reddit

I've seen another individual, Terry Stewart, repair an Apple II with a similar problem: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2011-04-28-apple-iie-adventures1.htm

So yes, that's a capacitor.

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