Dan Larson wrote:
>
> On Thu, 17 Sep 1998 12:43:29 PDT, William Chops Westfield wrote:
>
> >The electrolytics I've taken apart (recently, generally trying to remove
> >them from PC boards) have all had a single Al "foil-like" conductor, and
> >a fiber separator/electrolyte holder.  I've assumed that the foil serves
> >as one electrode, and the electrolyte is conductive enough to serve as
> >the other electrode (which explains polarity pretty nicely.)  I haven't been
> >careful enough to see what mechanism is used to make electrical contact
> >with the fiber/electrolyte...
>
> ??? The can, perhaps ???
>
> >
> >BillW

  I think the last diagram I saw had two layers of foil, interleaved
(May be made out of one piece of material with Cathode
foil/insulation/Anode foil/insulation nowadays for reliability etc.?!)
and then wound up, Cathode side out, but it's been a while.  It wouldn't
make sense to have anything beyond the outer layer of
conductor/insulator, remember, as the inverse square law's applicable
here and *any* charge -inside- the roll is completely irrelevant, if I
remember my physics of electronics correctly.)

  I'd trace the wires from the contacts to the PCB (or 1/4" tabs or
whatever) - sort of like "Follow the money" but more like "Follow the
electrons" <G>

  Mark, mwillis@nwlink.com