Re: Digital VX40B - Multia?

On 4/1/24 13:55, John Klos wrote:
>>>  That capacitor is precisely cut on purpose to give it an exact value.
>>>  That's done with resistors, too, for certain applications.
>>
>>  Whoa, no.  That is an "arc gap" capacitor, which is a capacitor that 
>> has an integral spark gap that shunts high-voltage spikes to ground, 
>> usually on signals that leave a board and are expected to have long 
>> wires.  (Note that it's right next to an external connector)
>>
>>  The capacitance is fixed and is not affected by the cut, and the 
>> dimensions of the cut determine the breakdown voltage, not the 
>> capacitance.
>>
>>  To be clear, this is an ESD protection component, manufactured this 
>> way on purpose, it is not damaged, and it is not a precision component 
>> in any way.
>>
>>  (Disclaimer [or is it a "claimer"?]: I am a design engineer who has 
>> designed these components into commercial products, though not for DEC.)
> 
> That makes a lot more sense. It's good to learn something new :)

   The day I don't learn something new is the day they put me in the ground!

             -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA