Hardware Podcasts

The Spark Gap - Episode 25

The Spark Gap · 28 Jan 2015 · 1h 17m

What this episode covers

James Lewis, technical marketing director at Kemet Electronics, joins the show to explain the physics and selection of capacitors, covering ceramic (X5R, X7R, C0G), tantalum, and aluminum types. He details how DC bias, temperature coefficients, and piezoelectric effects impact real-world performance, explaining why lower-rated voltage ceramics lose significant capacitance under bias. Lewis also discusses the transition from manganese dioxide to polymer cathodes in tantalum capacitors to prevent explosions during reflow, and offers design tips for bypass networks and noise reduction.

Most relevant to

established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Kemet Electronics
Tools
Webspice
Also
baldengineer.com, Kemet Institute of Technology, ADDOHMS

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