Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Choosing the right capacitor for your circuit can quickly turn into a hellish rabbit hole. Sifting through these deceptively complex devices, with their weird names and cryptic acronyms, can make your head spin. Even if you stick to multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), you must know the four ways they can lose capacitance. For example, just applying voltage can drop up to 80% of their capacity (seriously!). Selecting the correct capacitor the first time saves you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration. By the end of this talk, you’ll know whether to go for a polymer electrolytic, film, or ceramic capacitor for your next design.
James, also known as Bald Engineer, has extensive experience and a passion for talking about capacitors. His past role as a field application engineer gave him a unique understanding of the common pitfalls of these devices. He has written numerous articles, spoken at various events, and made educational videos on the humble capacitor. You may already be familiar with James from his work on AddOhms, Hackster.io, and the element14 Community (Workbench Wednesdays.)
crowdsupply.com/teardown/portland-2024/short-talk/stop-using-the-wrong-capacitors
Choosing the right capacitor for your circuit can quickly turn into a hellish rabbit hole. Sifting through these deceptively complex devices, with their weird names and cryptic acronyms, can make your head spin. Even if you stick to multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), you must know the four ways they can lose capacitance. For example, just applying voltage can drop up to 80% of their capacity (seriously!). Selecting the correct capacitor the first time saves you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration. By the end of this talk, you’ll know whether to go for a polymer electrolytic, film, or ceramic capacitor for your next design.
James, also known as Bald Engineer, has extensive experience and a passion for talking about capacitors. His past role as a field application engineer gave him a unique understanding of the common pitfalls of these devices. He has written numerous articles, spoken at various events, and made educational videos on the humble capacitor. You may already be familiar with James from his work on AddOhms, Hackster.io, and the element14 Community (Workbench Wednesdays.)
crowdsupply.com/teardown/portland-2024/short-talk/stop-using-the-wrong-capacitors
