Thursday 12 January 2017

Don’t Think You Know All About The Capacitors Until You read This

The beginners always have confusion over the capacitors that they should choose when they see capacitors for sale. Well, we understand that you want a simple answer for this rather than knowing the Knitty gritty of capacitors. Here we can help you with just that and assist you in buying these equipment that will solve your purpose.
It is very important to understand about the types of capacitor before rushing to buy one. 


  • Polarized Capacitors
  • Non- Polarized Capacitors

The major difference between the polarized and non-polarized is that the former has both positive as well as negative side and therefore it must have the positive pin where the positive voltage is maximum. On the other hand, the non-polarized capacitors can be placed anywhere the individual wants. You have to choose between the polarized and non-polarized one depending upon the
Now suppose you have opted for the polarized capacitors for sale, there will be two types of which you will have to choose:


  • Aluminum
  • Tantalum

Aluminum is the most popular polarized and also the cheaper of the two. The caps made of the aluminum have through-hole components. However, you can also go for the surface mount version of it. GO for the aluminum caps if you do not have special requirements.
In case you are looking for smaller and sturdier then go for the tantalum. These are available to mount packages with a smaller surface. Also, Tantalum can be operated at various temperatures. If you want tantalum caps in non-polarized version, then to it will be available.


Snap-In Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors
Capacitors weight and size depends on the requirement that you have. The voltage combination and capacitance of the capacitor can add to its size as well as weight. Therefore solder pins bear much of the burden. However, with the help of snap-in technology, it is possible to bring down the strain of the pins and the PCB. One should also look for any damages caused during the manufacturing process
Aluminum-Polymer Capacitors
If you are looking for the capacitor that can guarantee a very high performance, then go for the Aluminum-Polymer. These offer a very fewer ESR values and ripple current is high. Further, it is durable and offers some real benefits when it comes to the safety. Aluminum-Polymer Capacitors are something that offers very high performance where high temperature is required.

Now, we come to non-Polarize capacitors that either come in ceramic or are a film capacitor. Ceramic capacitors are both cheap as well as small in size. For those who are looking for the non-polarized can go for the ceramic. These are mostly used as the decoupling capacitors. In case you want it as you have some special requirement such as reliable or high tolerance then go for the capacitor. Film caps are made of polycarbonate, Teflon, or polystyrene

Input Capacitor Selection

Bringing down the Input ripple voltage – You select the input capacitor to bring down the ripple voltage amplitude which goes into the module. This reduces the RMS current ripple so much that bulk capacitors can handle it.  Ceramic capacitors have a very low ESR which is required to bring down the ripple voltage amplitude. In order to make the optimum utilization of the capacity, these should be put very near to the regulator input pins. Do not expect the large bulk capacitors to decrease the ripple voltage. Aluminum or tantalums are not efficient when it comes to ripple reduction. Ripple voltage with the large input can induce larger ripple currents in bulk. This, in turn, will create too much power dissipation. If you want to reduce the RMS current then the ripple voltage amplitude should be brought down with the help of ceramic capacitors.

Input ceramic capacitors

The magnitude of the input ripple voltage is subjected to various factors such as switching frequency, cycle, load current and so on. Both input ripple voltage amplitude and load current are directly proportional. Input ripple amplitude will occur with maximum force when the output load is maximum. Further, the amplitude of the ripple differs according to the duty cycle of the converter.

While selecting these to make sure that you are buying it from the vendor who has been selling the capacitor from many years. You can trust with the electronic equipment because the smallest carelessness can cost very big. Make sure that you are buying branded one and by branded we mean an established brand. If you are buying from capacitor for sale category online then make sure that you have read the ratings and the reviews of the particular brand and risks, if any associated with it.


We hope that you have got the rough idea on types of capacitors and how to select the best one according to the requirements.