http://www.cde.com/catalogs/947C.pdf
PAGE 3 graph

I know it's Cornell-Dubillier, and i know lower voltage prolongs capacitor life, but anyone can exaggerate. What do you think, do they exaggerate ?

 

Look at it this way - it's going to take over 114 years to find out.

 

And let me guess it has a 12 month warrantee?

 

And let me guess it has a 12 month warrantee?

That would be funny

 

What do you think, do they exaggerate ?

If it's important to you, call them and find out. Reliability prediction like this is often based on accelerated testing at higher temperatures which is then extrapolated down to lower temperatures using an Arrhenius relationship. Personally, I would evaluate the veracity by talking to the folks who did the testing, seeing the data and failure distributions, and learning about the physics of the failure mode(s). Unless you're going to be a big customer, they almost certainly won't share these data.

 

1 million hours ?
Over my dead body, I would say

 

Just be sure to pass it down through the family. That way. if your great-grandkid uses it to build a time machine they could come back and tell you now.

 

Just be sure to pass it down through the family. That way. if your great-grandkid uses it to build a time machine they could come back and tell you now.

loosewire will be proud of you!
this could be one of his "off topic" threads

i say this with deep respect for loosewire!

 

Grossly over spec'ing the components only works if the power line never gets hit by lightning. It never hurts to have double the voltage rating, but more than that is iffy as to confidently extending component lifetime.

At one time, using silver mica capacitors (don't think they are sold any longer) at much less than their voltage rating led to early failure.

Some manufacturers are pretty good about publishing component lifetime studies.

 

If it's important to you, call them and find out.

Well.... actually i wanna buy 1 million dollar worth of trimpots.

Please don't laugh too loud I've heard it said that the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.............

Who would have thought electronics is full of humor

 

OK........an inexperience-based question.

If one routinely uses a "massive design overkill" by placing a 10,000 μ 350vdc capacitor first in line for a power supply filter, or using a bridge rectifier rated for 600v 150 amps, for a 12v 1 amp output power supply.........

Aside from the possible power losses ? or taking forever to power down without a bleeder resistor, aren't these components used in this manner going to have extended life expectancy ?

Depends what type of capacitor, water based units will corrode and evaporate.
metalized polypropylene could conceivably last 100 years, my 1983 kenmore microwave that has been plugged in for 27 years now can attest to that fact.

 

I've got some really nice 1960's milspec tantalum caps that were pulled from obsoleted military equipment, they are 50 years old and still working perfect and I use them sometimes. But then they are quality too, non-corrosive metal outer shell, epoxy filled and low corrode nickel steel legs that still look good considering they sat about in a junkyard for probably 10 years in the weather before I get them.

Ahh for the good old days when they cared about the quality of a component.