News:

Forum may be experiencing issues.

Main Menu

Learning my caps

Started by ddj3891, March 16, 2016, 11:41:26 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

ddj3891

50V 0.0047uf capacitor.
I notice it looks quite different than what I'm used to seeing. Will it work, or is the appearance of it an indicator of something I should be concerned about?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


setsun

Those look like Polystyrene caps. It depends on what purpose you are using them for but they have advantages and disadvantages. I'm no expert but  here is a quick tidbit about them from http://www.learningaboutelectronics.com/Articles/Types-of-capacitors

"Polystyrene capacitors are capacitors that have a dielectric made up of polystyrene.

They come only in low values, usually 10pF to 47nF. Normally, their tolerance is 5% to 10% but high precision polystyrene capacitors are also available with tolerances of 1% and 2%. Working voltages for polystyrene capacitors are 30V to 630V. Polystyrene capacitors are advantageous in that they have high isolation resistance, so they are good for use in coupling and storage applications. The precision types are suitable for timing, tuning and filter circuits.

One of their disadvantages are they are constructed like a coil inside, so they are not suitable for high-frequency applications. (This is because coils create inductance, and inductance blocks high-frequency signals from passing through.) Another disadvantage is that polystyrene capacitors exhibit a permanent change in value should they ever be exposed to temperatures much over 70°C; they do not return to their old value upon cooling. "