FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions

The supplied set does not contain an electrolytic capacitor with the voltage rating required by my device (printed on the capacitor).

For various reasons, it is not a problem to use electrolytic capacitors with a higher voltage rating; on the contrary, it is even beneficial to go at least one level higher. It is extremely important that this value must never be lower than that of the original electrolytic capacitor.

What do the numbers printed on the electrolytic capacitors mean?

Various pieces of information are printed on electrolytic capacitors, from the manufacturing date code to the manufacturer's order number.
For replacing an electrolytic capacitor, two specifications are very important: the capacitance in microfarads (µF) and the maximum electrical voltage in volts.
For example, if 47/35 is printed on the capacitor, this means 47µF and a maximum voltage of 35V.
The voltage rating of a new replacement electrolytic capacitor should be at least the same, but for various reasons it may also be higher.

My set included a bag labeled "bipolar" and/or "non polar" containing several electrolytic capacitors.

The electrolytic capacitors separately packed in this bag have no positive or negative terminal and can therefore be soldered in either orientation without taking polarity into account.
The electrolytic capacitors to be replaced with these can be identified by a corresponding marking such as non polar, N.P., bipolar, or by the absence of the minus marking in the form of a line on the side.

My set includes small, usually orange, teardrop-shaped components.

These are tantalum electrolytic capacitors. Since they are solid-state electrolytic capacitors, it is not the negative terminal that is marked, but the positive terminal. Even if there is a stripe marking near one of the leads, it identifies the side with the positive terminal.
Please bear this in mind if a tantalum electrolytic capacitor in a set must be replaced with a conventional electrolytic capacitor, whose marking works exactly the other way around.