Kt Kingtronics Radial Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Professional Terms II

Specifications

Leakage:Although electrolytic capacitors have much higher levels of capacitance for a given volume than most other capacitor technologies, they can also have a higher level of leakage. this is not a problem for most applications, such as when they are used in power supplies. however under some circumstances they are not suitable. for example they should not be used around the input circuitry of an operational amplifier. Here even a small amount of leakage can cause problems because of the high input impedance levels of the op-amp. It is also worth noting that the levels of leakage are considerably higher in the reverse direction.

Ripple current:When using electrolytic capacitors in high current applications such as the reservoir capacitor of a power supply, it is necessary to consider the ripple current it is likely to experience. Capacitors have a maximum ripple current they can supply. above this they can become too hot which will reduce their life. In extreme cases it can cause the capacitor to fail. Accordingly it is necessary to calculate the expected ripple current and check that it is within the manufacturers maximum ratings.

Tolerance:Electrolytic capacitors have a very wide tolerance. Often capacitors may be quoted as -20% and +80%. this is not normally a problem in applications such as decoupling or power supply smoothing, etc. however they should not be used in circuits where the exact value is of importance.