Capacitor Quality

[Engineer85]

I have got capacitors of two different brands. I used multimeter and found that both are of same Farads i.e. (10 micro Farads).

How can i find which one is of better quality?

Thank you.

Regards,
E

 

[OperaHouse]

My boss likes his capacitors the way he likes his suits.....Cheap and made out of polyester.

If the capacitance value is right and have chosen the lowest ESR, you have pretty much answered the looks and sounds like a duck question. Given that it is a black box choice and the poor framing of the question.

 

[itsmoked]

Not to mention, the active participation.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[sreid]

This thread reminds me of the 10th item in this list.

http://www.engineeringhumor.com/Theorems01.htm

 

[GonzaloEE]

Hi all,

Agreed that the caps must be ESR tested if they are intended for apps at frequencies far from DC.
Honestly, for most applications (<1MHz, ambient temperature, etc.), I used X7R type ceramic chip caps, mainly because those are easier to find on Digikey or Mouser. Yes, it is not a very technical way to choose parts.

For tough environments like field devices, I use NPO type caps, that offer less capacitance drift over time/temperature.

For higher frequency applications, like PS filters, switching stages or analog, I choose tantalum or those marked by the manufcturer as 'Low ESR'. They are more costly , but save lots of problems on field.

Regards,
Gonzalo