Capacitor Type

Thread Starter

robsworld

Joined Nov 5, 2015
86
Hi, I'm trying to make a PCB with a digital-analog converter for the Arduino. I found a circuit that I want to use however there's a capacitor in it that I don't know. I look up caps on Digi-Key website and there are a lot of different types. Anyone have any idea what this one is? Its c4 a 10uf cap, looks to have polarity.

 
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Thread Starter

robsworld

Joined Nov 5, 2015
86
What's the difference between tantalum and electrolytic?

When I look on digikey for something I don't have electrolytic as a category. Which one is good? I believe I need at least 16v cap because the circuit is 12v DC and 1206 package would be nice.

https://www.digikey.ca/product-search/en?keywords=10uf

That mouser link is ceramic, those aren't polarity concerned. Those are what I'm using as bypass caps.
 

Thread Starter

robsworld

Joined Nov 5, 2015
86
thanks but I still don't understand the difference? If this circuit was designed with a polarity sensitive cap shouldn't it still have that type? There must be some differences in all these. Right now my understanding is it doesn't matter what 10uf cap I put there but I know that's not correct.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,619
thanks but I still don't understand the difference? If this circuit was designed with a polarity sensitive cap shouldn't it still have that type? There must be some differences in all these. Right now my understanding is it doesn't matter what 10uf cap I put there but I know that's not correct.
Not absolutely necessary to go electrolytic, just that once you get into that value, the physical size can become an issue.
Tantalum usually offer a smaller physical size than common electrolytics.
Max.
 

ian field

Joined Oct 27, 2012
6,536
What's the difference between tantalum and electrolytic?

When I look on digikey for something I don't have electrolytic as a category. Which one is good? I believe I need at least 16v cap because the circuit is 12v DC and 1206 package would be nice.

https://www.digikey.ca/product-search/en?keywords=10uf

That mouser link is ceramic, those aren't polarity concerned. Those are what I'm using as bypass caps.
Multilayer ceramic chip capacitors have surprisingly large capacitance for such small sizes, mostly they're SMD but a few suppliers offer resin dipped leaded types.

They have among the lowest ESR figures of any types, most of the high capacitance ceramic dielectrics are very lossy at RF and the audiophools probably object to their use in audio gear.
 
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