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Copyright
2008 FiveFish Studios
www.fivefishstudios.com
SC-1mk500 Microphone Preamp Kit
SC-1mk500 Parts Identification and Assembly Notes
For the newbies, this is not meant to be a full tutorial about electronics. But I want you to be able to identify components,
recognize them and know what their basic functionality is.
In these sections, you’d also find instructions on how to use the INSERT jacks, and other geeky stuff. You’d also learn why I
chose certain parts for this kit, even though they may be 3x more expensive than another equivalent part.
Resistors
All resistors used in the SC-1mk500 Kit are 1/4 watt resistors. Most, if not all, of them are 1%
tolerance, Metal-Film type resistors. These are high quality resistors, way way much better
than carbon composition type resistors (usually 10-20% tolerance).
Resistors provide resistance, and are measured in OHMS, the unit of resistance.
1,000 OHMS = 1 KOhms (pronounced KiloOhms, where kilo = 1,000)
If you see a resistor value marked “1K”, it means 1 KiloOhm. Sometimes, you would see values
written as 6K8, or 3K3.
6K8 is also the same as writing 6.8 Kohm. The decimal point position is implied by the “K”
letter.
3K3 is also the same as 3.3 KOhm, or 3,300 Ohms.
I don’t need to teach you how to read resistor color codes since all the SC-1MK500 parts are already labeled for you. But if
you’re curious on what those bands of wonderful technicolors mean, you can go here.
http://www.samengstrom.com/nxl/10116/5_band_resistor_color_code_page.en.html
Capacitors
There are many types of capacitors used in the SC-1mk500 Mic Preamp project. Some are big, some small, some are polarized,
some are non-polarized. We’ll discuss the different types here.
Ceramic Capacitors
Ceramic capacitors look like the picture on the left. On the SC-1mk500 kit, these are colored “yellow” and
“blue” and are very small in size. Ceramic capacitors are non-polarized, and therefore it does not matter
what orientation they go in. They can go in either way.
They are rated in microfarads
(abbreviated as “uf”). They also have
a voltage rating (abbreviated as “V”).
In a design, the voltage rating must not be exceeded.
Otherwise, you’ll ruin the capacitor. Either short it out, or
blow it open.
Capacitor parts are therefore rated with their capacitance
(in microfarads, uf) and voltage… specified like this:
0.1uf 100V
Capacitance values may be expressed in microfarads (uf),
nanofarad (nf) or picofarads (pf). The conversion between
these units are shown on the table above.
Electrolytic Capacitors
Electrolytic capacitors are cylindrical in construction. They look like the picture on the right. Unlike ceramic capacitors,
electrolytic capacitors USUALLY/MOSTLY have polarity. One side is marked with the (-) sign, also called the Cathode, or negative
side. The unmarked side is the (+) or Anode.
Just like ceramic capacitors, they are also measured in microfarads (uf). have a maximum voltage rating.
WARNING: It is VERY IMPORTANT not to insert Electrolytic capacitors backwards, or in the wrong polarity orientation. Doing so
may/will cause the capacitor to explode. Yes, you read that right… EXPLODE. Do not the let the small size of an electrolytic
capacitor fool you. Even a tiny electrolytic capacitor can explode with a lot of force.
