Soldering the caps

[murat]

Well, as I stated my first construction (Leach amp) again a newbie question. I know electrolythic caps are soldered flush with the board. But how about the films and micas? While playing with the boards I observed that some caps don't fit exactly into the holes and I cannot come closer than about 1/4 in. to the PCB surface. I also don't want to push them too much as i am worried about damaging them - maybe I already did??

So, is it OK to leave them little bit high or should I enlarge the holes? Thanks,

Murat

[Mr Evil]

Without seeing the circuit I can't give you a specific answer, but generally it is better to place components as close to the board as possible to minimize lead inductances. Supply bypass capacitors in particular should be as close as possible, as with any other component that needs to have a low impedance at RF. Other capacitors generally don't need any particular care. Anything that has to dissipate significant power may need to be raised off the board for cooling.

Of course you don't want to damage anything though. Some components can take a bit of stress on the leads, but others are easy to damage, so don't apply too much force.

If enlarging the holes a little would allow you to place critical components closer then it might be a good idea, but if it would lead to compromises, such as making the pads too small, then it's probably best to leave it.