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  Just got 04 last week and immediately my 11 year old has the back plate off his robosapien and is clipping off the 4 mhz oscillator. That part was easy.

  We tore up an old radio and just happened to find a capacitor that is 10V and 22uF. It's the light blue cylinder type. We attached it with alligator clips, but no luck, the robo won't power up. So I tried about a dozen other capacitors, cylinders, buttons, beads, none work. Some say "103P" does that mean 103 pico Farads? Is there a web sight to tell me how to tell the uF of a capacitor?
  

  Failing that, in what sort of electonic junk am I likely to find a 6 mhz crystal oscillator? A toaster? A radio?
  

  Many thanks.

  Posted by JohnHenckel on November 30, 2005 at 21:17:31 Pacific Time

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  If you are looking for a 6Mhz resonator, try jameco. or your local "Active electronics". if you happen to be in CA, stop by a fry's
  
  crystals tend to be small cylinders (2mm diameter x 10mm long, 2 wires out the same end), or they are ovals (about 4mm wide by maybe 15mm long, with two pins spaced .2" apart at the bottom).
  
  Ceramic resonators tend to have three legs, and can be approximated by a crystal and two capacitors. They do also come in a two pin variety.
  
  try looking up a 324451ce ate jameco. they cost 31 cents.
  
  As far as reading your disc capacitors, you are close. 103 means 1 0 000 pF or 10000pF which is .01uF or 10nF. Basically, it's like resistor codes, but with numbers. first digit, second digit, number of zeros.
  
  You probably won't be able to replace a crystal with a capacitor and have it work. You need to find a new crystal for it. Also, crystals need to be as close tho the chip they are running as possible, otherwise it won't oscillate. Break out that soldering iron!
  
  Good luck... engunneer "at" moc.liamg (backwards)
  
  

  Posted by engunneer on January 01, 2006 at 21:36:49 Pacific Time