You have explained capacitors in a way that a person with very basic electrical knowledge (such as myself) can understand. I read your information from beginning to end. Thank you for sharing.
Great explanation! I think you should also mention the use of capacitors as coupling capacitors, to block any DC while letting the AC (audio) signal through. Many DIY-ers work on guitar effect pedals, where one should always use coupling capacitors on both input and output jacks to ensure no DC can flow from the effect circuit to the instrument, or the amp.
If no ones answered your question yet, chances are its non-polarized, which just means it doesn't matter. Either lead could be negative or positive. If it is shaped like a little metal can (like the ones up there↑↑ in dudes story wth the bulging tops) just assume it is because they almost always are. Or if it's shaped like a little shiny colored test drop shape, which usually is still marked, if assume those are too to be safe . Those would be tantalum. Google what those look like and also silver mica caps. Never seen those before. But if its a little box shaped cap, or kinda boxy and orange or yellow or blue or gray, or looks painted up like some ocean fish, then it wont have a polarity . And neither will the little orangish beige tiny circular ones that are ceramic . But be sure first because the ones that do will blow the !&&* up, and catastrophically at that sometimes.
Thank you a million times AND Massively Big Hugs to you for saving me hundreds of dollars ... I have an Amana washer and one of the two capacitors was giving unusual readings as indicated in this "IFIXIT" manual, so I decided to re-solder the one that gave a strange reading and viola, it cured the problem immediately ... the thing that alerted me to a soldering issue was the dull colour of the solder on that one capacitor, whereas the other one had bright and shiny solder ... thank you a million times for all that you do to enlighten and educate the public and save us a few dollars ... Blessings be upon you and your kind heart ... 8)
Digikey, Mouser, etc. that are listed are distributors of electronic components. They sell brands like Panasonic. I am curious on what basis you consider Panasonic caps to be the best? For SMT caps, I would strongly disagree. For SMT-type caps, TDK, Murata, and even Samsung have the best technology… offer highest values/voltages/temp. coefficient in a given package size, more stable over life, better retain their value after being subjected to ESD, and tend to be able to take more stress without cracking/damage. For SMT chip resistors, I do agree that Panasonic is one of the top options. NOTE: This is my personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of my employer.
Why cannot I measure capacitors in circuit using a multimeter with a capacitor measurement mode? I only need to check whether the capacitor is dead or not, no need for the exact capacitance value.
Thanks for your comprehensive article. It helped a great deal - my treadmill was moving erratically and after reading your article discovered that a large electrolytic capacitor was positively bulging at the top!
Great explanation. I have learned electronics only for Physics in Advanced Level education (2 years in school just before entry to the university in Sri Lanka). But I clearly understood everything you have written and that is very much useful. Thank you !
Two smaller ones may be notably cheaper than a bigger one. I guess in a ceiling fan the product size is no problem and thus two may be used as well (taking a little bit more space).
Bonjour Cyprien ! Bien vu ! J’ai corrigé. Notre site est conçu comme un wiki modifiable par tout le monde. La prochaine fois, n’hésitez donc pas à corriger en cliquant sur Traduire en haut à droite :) Merci pour l’œil attentif et excellente journée à vous !
Great general summary but I strongly disagree with the advice quoted below about using ‘higher capacitance values’. Replacement capacitors should ALWAYS be of the same nominal capacitance value as the original. Yes, there are cases where a circuit needs only a minimum capacitance to operate, so using a higher value would be ok. But there are many cases where a specific capacitance value is required for the circuit to operate correctly and safely. Don’t risk it. Use the same value, type (electrolytic, polar vs non-polar, etc.), and package size as the original.
It is acceptable to use a higher voltage rating or smaller tolerance value than the original if necessary. For SMD caps, using a higher class of dielectric can be acceptable (i.e., if original cap was ‘X7R’, a ‘C0G’ replacement should be acceptable).
When replacing a capacitor, it is of utmost importance to replace it with a capacitor of the same, or higher value. Never subsidize with a capacitor of lesser value.
CORECHIPS is an industry-leading independent electronic components distributor with cost-saving and reliable supply chain ,serving global customers with one-stop sourcing solution, satisfying value-added options and setting up the long-term partnership with them.
49条评论
Thank you for the good info.
Ivo Tanev - 回复
You have explained capacitors in a way that a person with very basic electrical knowledge (such as myself) can understand. I read your information from beginning to end. Thank you for sharing.
lisacarroll57 - 回复
Thanks for the precise and easy to Understand information on Capacitors. Well done!
sanjaycolaco - 回复
Great explanation! I think you should also mention the use of capacitors as coupling capacitors, to block any DC while letting the AC (audio) signal through. Many DIY-ers work on guitar effect pedals, where one should always use coupling capacitors on both input and output jacks to ensure no DC can flow from the effect circuit to the instrument, or the amp.
joakimgrahl - 回复
Right on. Thats how I ended up here.
mogwaiemperor -
@joakimk that is a great idea. I will expand on this is the near future. Currently working on resistors, diodes and fuses.
oldturkey03 - 回复
Great reading and learning.
lpmeter - 回复
One question...What if your Cap does not have a positive,or negative symbols,then how would you check the component?
lpmeter - 回复
If no ones answered your question yet, chances are its non-polarized, which just means it doesn't matter. Either lead could be negative or positive. If it is shaped like a little metal can (like the ones up there↑↑ in dudes story wth the bulging tops) just assume it is because they almost always are. Or if it's shaped like a little shiny colored test drop shape, which usually is still marked, if assume those are too to be safe . Those would be tantalum. Google what those look like and also silver mica caps. Never seen those before. But if its a little box shaped cap, or kinda boxy and orange or yellow or blue or gray, or looks painted up like some ocean fish, then it wont have a polarity . And neither will the little orangish beige tiny circular ones that are ceramic . But be sure first because the ones that do will blow the !&&* up, and catastrophically at that sometimes.
mogwaiemperor -
Thank you a million times AND Massively Big Hugs to you for saving me hundreds of dollars ... I have an Amana washer and one of the two capacitors was giving unusual readings as indicated in this "IFIXIT" manual, so I decided to re-solder the one that gave a strange reading and viola, it cured the problem immediately ... the thing that alerted me to a soldering issue was the dull colour of the solder on that one capacitor, whereas the other one had bright and shiny solder ... thank you a million times for all that you do to enlighten and educate the public and save us a few dollars ... Blessings be upon you and your kind heart ... 8)
James Nickerson - 回复
Thank you great explanation
dawit - 回复
frank ennbeans - 回复
I must say this was the first web lecture I enjoyed learning ...
Nitin Rathor - 回复
Nice keep it up
Abdoulie Bah - 回复
Very useful and simple explanation to understand and to save lot of money. Thank you
Sunil Manuweera - 回复
Thanks for the Information, Very useful and straight to the point, keep up the good work.
sibongeleni nxumalo - 回复
This is soo gooooooood!! Thank you! It`s so hard to find good learning material on this subject.
Lupas Florin - 回复
bravo sir i understand you make explan simple
princenovair - 回复
Thanks for that explanation
Joseph Ssemiyingo - 回复
Very helpful, thanks!
Jason Dunn - 回复
Very well explained info
thanks
SEUN SONOIKI - 回复
Thanks for the simple explanation!
Tech Sure - 回复
Thanks, for the very informative article!
JOHN AQUILINO - 回复
Umm the best capacitors are made by Panasonic and pretty much the standard and I wonder why that was not in the list of vendors.
Ravi Rajangam - 回复
Digikey, Mouser, etc. that are listed are distributors of electronic components. They sell brands like Panasonic. I am curious on what basis you consider Panasonic caps to be the best? For SMT caps, I would strongly disagree. For SMT-type caps, TDK, Murata, and even Samsung have the best technology… offer highest values/voltages/temp. coefficient in a given package size, more stable over life, better retain their value after being subjected to ESD, and tend to be able to take more stress without cracking/damage. For SMT chip resistors, I do agree that Panasonic is one of the top options. NOTE: This is my personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of my employer.
matthewlasorsa -
This is a very explanatory write up... Very elementary and useful for all level of electronic understanding…thanks alot for this?.
Amusan Olamilekan - 回复
Hello!
Thanks for your detail explanation. I also have some questions which i have CBB22 in my hand in this company write 355j 400v.
I want to check is this mentioned volts are DC or AC. and how I measure the volts??
Mudassir Ghulam Kasbati - 回复
You are the tutor I need because You made it possible for a hard head like myself understand, thank you.
Angel Altavilla - 回复
Here is a very informative article about Electrical Bonding.. please follow it..
Electrical-Technology - 回复
Why cannot I measure capacitors in circuit using a multimeter with a capacitor measurement mode? I only need to check whether the capacitor is dead or not, no need for the exact capacitance value.
Jeri Haapavuo - 回复
Hi ihave a tv capacitor 450 volts 100uf.when tested it reads198uf would this be faulty? Would be greatfull if you could get back.
terry spencer - 回复
1000uf 50v electrolytic capacitor testing with esr reads 1940uf. This is a bad cap right? Thank you!
Mj Pags - 回复
Thank you, i have learnt something from your wiki.
dubemw - 回复
Thanks for your comprehensive article. It helped a great deal - my treadmill was moving erratically and after reading your article discovered that a large electrolytic capacitor was positively bulging at the top!
Charlieroy - 回复
Great explanation. I have learned electronics only for Physics in Advanced Level education (2 years in school just before entry to the university in Sri Lanka). But I clearly understood everything you have written and that is very much useful. Thank you !
kevinfer83 - 回复
Thanks for the explanation. Now, how about ceiling fan capacitors? Some have two capacitors and some have only one. Do you know why?
amlopex - 回复
Two smaller ones may be notably cheaper than a bigger one. I guess in a ceiling fan the product size is no problem and thus two may be used as well (taking a little bit more space).
Jeri Haapavuo -
Thanks that's great
Ya Max Joel KOUAKOU - 回复
Thanks for this! So if my multimeter has a “uf" setting, does that mean it can test capacitors?
T N - 回复
Most likely, yes… “µF” represents ‘microfarads’, and farads are a value of capacitance
matthewlasorsa -
Merci pour cette page ! Typo in French version à propos du condensateur de 220muF : ça devrait être entre 176 et 264, pas entre 176 et 064.
Cyprien Gay - 回复
Bonjour Cyprien ! Bien vu ! J’ai corrigé. Notre site est conçu comme un wiki modifiable par tout le monde. La prochaine fois, n’hésitez donc pas à corriger en cliquant sur Traduire en haut à droite :) Merci pour l’œil attentif et excellente journée à vous !
Claire Miesch -
thanks, easy to understand
Med Djihed - 回复
Very insightful and clear explanation, thank you very much.
[deleted] - 回复
Great general summary but I strongly disagree with the advice quoted below about using ‘higher capacitance values’. Replacement capacitors should ALWAYS be of the same nominal capacitance value as the original. Yes, there are cases where a circuit needs only a minimum capacitance to operate, so using a higher value would be ok. But there are many cases where a specific capacitance value is required for the circuit to operate correctly and safely. Don’t risk it. Use the same value, type (electrolytic, polar vs non-polar, etc.), and package size as the original.
It is acceptable to use a higher voltage rating or smaller tolerance value than the original if necessary. For SMD caps, using a higher class of dielectric can be acceptable (i.e., if original cap was ‘X7R’, a ‘C0G’ replacement should be acceptable).
matthewlasorsa - 回复
Thank u very much
DokMawuer - 回复
Awesome!
Great old dry stuff that never gets old.
And the pictures are the cherry on the circuit.
Your great work is much appreciated my friend
Tlze App - 回复
CORECHIPS is an industry-leading independent electronic components distributor with cost-saving and reliable supply chain ,serving global customers with one-stop sourcing solution, satisfying value-added options and setting up the long-term partnership with them.
zoe - 回复
Can I replace a 68uf 200v with a 120uf 200v
Reperofsouls - 回复