Can bipolar capacitors be used instead of polar capacitors?

But 10uF 16V substituted for 0.47uF 50V? How can that part work there?
All those changes would very likely have been made at the factory and other changes would probably also have been made to accommodate them. Sometimes the designers make a mistake and/or a circuit behaves differently to their calculations so these kinds of changes are made, to achieve a performance, function, or stability goal. The changes above are definitely NOT applicable to other situations in this equipment, or in any other equipment.

In my opinion using a bipolar electrolytic instead of a polar electrolytic is a bad idea, but a solution nevertheless. (if the reason is that you just don't have a polar one available). Film capacitor replacements for polar or bipolar electrolytics is always a good idea, space permitting.
 
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The changes above are definitely NOT applicable to other situations in this equipment, or in any other equipment. .
Could you clarify? Also, does your handle refer to the Hyperion series written by Dan Simmons? If so, one of the greatest modern sci-fi series, an absolute joy.
 
Could you clarify?
To clarify
If there are other positions where (for example) a ceramic 0.47uF 50V cap is installed - then it is NOT ok to change them for 10uF 16V bipolar electrolytic capacitors. Just in case you might have thought that to be the case, there is a lot of talk about capacitor substitutions in this thread. ;)
Also, does your handle refer to the Hyperion series written by Dan Simmons?
It would be nice to be associated with such a sci-fi series - but I heard the name somewhere and liked it - nothing more significant than that. :)
 
To clarify
If there are other positions where (for example) a ceramic 0.47uF 50V cap is installed - then it is NOT ok to change them for 10uF 16V bipolar electrolytic capacitors. Just in case you might have thought that to be the case, there is a lot of talk about capacitor substitutions in this thread. ;)

It would be nice to be associated with such a sci-fi series - but I heard the name somewhere and liked it - nothing more significant than that. :)
Thank you for the clarification. If it's gear I really care about, I tend to be very, very careful about uF values (I've heard no more than 10% +/- deviation) and never go below the V although I do go above it if it will physically fit on the PCB.
 
I think that the answer to the OP is ………. It all depends on the situation.
Particular caps are normally used for a specific reason, sometimes through a designers habit (they worked in previous designs, so I will use them again) but sometimes particular caps are used purely because they were available with a good deal on a bulk purchase. But if changing types and values, you need to fully understand the application.
Example:-
In my NAD C320 (which I use purely as a preamp in an active system) the original preamp modules had 10uF/50V polarised electrolytic caps in the output lines. These are there because these discrete class A modules exhibit a standing voltage of about 0.4 volts at their output. I have replaced these modules with differential OPamp based circuits using OPA2143 OPamps, the ones with high impedance jFET front ends. The in-line caps at the outputs of the circuits have been removed because there is now no DC voltage standing on the line. Had I used NE5532 Opamps I would have retained the caps but made them 1uF film caps as the NE5532 does leave a very small offset voltage at it's output. The caps are there in the first place because a standing voltage applied to a following volume pot will make it go scratchy over time. There is still a small cap at the preamp output (2uF film type), but that is there in combination with a resistor to counter any HF oscillation from reactive inductance effects from connecting leads and to act as a high pass filter set around 3Hz.

So you can see that I have changed, deleted or replaced capacitors, but only after fully analysing their purpose and changes to the specific application. When dealing with like for like replacement, you have to consider a number of factors. Firstly, why is a capacitor there in the first place - what is it's intended function. Secondly, consider the age of the equipment - this may sound daft, but ideas change over time. Remember that a lot of the early solid state designers had grown up with valve based equipment and that these require a different mindset due to the voltages involved. Also, component availability has changed over the years. So you can see that there are so many factors to consider, that no one can really give a generalised answer to your original question - It all depends!
 
bipolars are wonderful for a number of reasons. they fit forwards and backwards for those
who are time-challenged. they tend to be higher on the sound-quality ladder - like the
Nichicon MUSE ES. they are green to show off how golden your ears (maybe wallet)
are. and lastly, buying them removes the possibility of buying cheap/bad polarized caps.

cost, gotta look at the big picture. 47uf/35v Nichicons. Fine Gold (FG) is 47cents, ES is 66 cents
that's 19 cents or if you buy more than 10 - then the difference is 14 cents. peanuts
said Charlie Brown.

now take 30 of them (on average - we'll get to some other facts), and the difference is now
only $4.20 to $6.00 on an order of about $15. won't disturb weekend beer money.

I'd spend the extra money if for no other reason than its the biggest return for bragging rights,
and more $$ for flippers who market over the flippers who just wipe it clean (maybe)

however, bipolars are limiting in size (fatter and taller), and most importantly don't go up
in value for PS usage (the Muse ES is limited to about 470uf from what I recall).

and does a really good job until you move into the films and the VCap/Russian Teflons.

recap and enjoy the music
I'm late responding but I thank you very much for your advice. I do NOT mind a few extra dollars for a cap I know I can't screw up and will sound good, especially for something as labor intensive as recapping. I used to paint houses and would never, ever use a cheap, no-name paint when there was so much labor involved. It was always worth it to buy the best paint. That said, I don't think I would invest in boutique components, the kind that cost as much as a car payment--
 
I had forgotten about this thread, but I fairly recently discovered (here on AK), that replacing a polar electrolytic in the audio path with a quality bipolar electrolytic can be advantageous in terms of sound quality. However, this practice should be used sparingly, and only in 'audio path' situations. ;)

Although this contradicts what I have written earlier in this thread it has significant conditions attached. :)
 
and cost. Price a 10uf 50v film vs the same in a common polar electrolytic. Lead spacing on the film caps also isn't always going to be the same as the electrolytic either, so fitment could be a concern.

I like the 2000V option 3.3uf dealies that are the size of a pill-bottle : ) Not kidding!
 
yeah my inner cheapwad can't allow that. I did replace the couple of caps in the signal path of the phono stage in my Allied 495 with film but thats it. On reflection I don't know why I bothered, that thing hasn't had a turntable connected to it in a very long time and where it lives now thats not liable to change.
 
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