I am getting very confused lately about what types of small caps are used
for what applications. My background is limited in this area, and what I
do know is mostly info on the older types.
I see listings for Tantalum, Silve Mica, Mylar, Ceramic Disc and
Monolythic small value caps regularly.
Quoting from the JDR Microdevices catalog (a catalog with a computer
orientation, some test gear, small kits and lots of literature listed,
but also a lot of discrete parts and some very handy Tech Tips scattered
throughout):
Tantalum-Polarized; for DC applications; for decouling high speed
circuits
Silver Mica-Non polarized...for use in RF circuits
Mylar-Ideal for bypass and coupling in DC circuits
Monolythic-High reliability and resaistance to damp heat (?)
Ceramic Disc-High stability and low losses over a wide frequency
range
Is this basically the concept, or is there a lot more than this?
From the catalog pictures, I can tell the different types that I see
on circuit boards, with the exception of the Disc Ceramic and Monolythic
types. Are these critical to get identified properly when scavenging
parts for later use? I have a good capacitor checker( a B&K that eats
batteries), so I can check the values easily, but If I have selected the
wrong type I suspect that I may be compromising the circuit design.
I'm not interested in a long mathematical dissertation, but just a
reference or two to look up for some basic background info on the reasons
for choosing a specific style.
I'm not affiliated with JDR Microdevices in any way, etc. Just a
happy camper.
They are located at http://www.jdr.com and the phone number is
1-800-538-5000.
There is no minimum order, and I've never had an order take longer
than four days to arrive.
7 3,
Rod Johnson KA7YOU CN97AK near Issaquah, Wa. 160M thru 1296 MHz
NWQRP#120 ARCI#7251
QRP-L#844
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