Electronics > Beginners
What's the difference between these two caps?
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ledtester:
They have similar specs, but one is massively larger than the other.

Why would you choose to use one versus the other?
edpalmer42:
With two different pictures and no size measurements it's hard to compare them, but.....

The blue capacitor:
- Nippon Chemi-con is one of the best capacitor brands in the world.  They don't cut corners to make a smaller capacitor.
- Date code 0249 - 2002, week 49.  Technology has improved in the past 16 years so a current capacitor could be smaller.
- Temperature rating of 95C is unusual.  Normally it's either 85C or 105C.  Maybe just a change in ratings, but given the company's reputation, could be a slightly higher quality unit.  That might require a larger size.

The black capacitor:
More info is required.  Physical size, brand, temperature rating, date code all affect the size.  When everything is comparable, larger caps tend to have a longer life than smaller ones.  This may be reflected in the data sheets if you read them carefully.

As long as the unit survives past the warranty period, the bean counters will happily buy the cheapest crap they can and everyone else can go to hell.


Ed
ledtester:
They are both Nippon Chemi-cons. Date code appears to be "0723" - 23rd week of 2007?

Some dimensions:

blue   - 50 mm diameter, 50 mm height
brown - 35 mm diameter, 45 mm height

The blue one has screw terminals, the brown one snap-in terminals.

BravoV:
Why I read Nichicon , instead of Nippon ChemiCon ? They're different companies.
MosherIV:

--- Quote --- larger caps tend to have a longer life than smaller ones.  This may be reflected in the data sheets if you read them carefully. 
--- End quote ---
Agreed  :-+

I am no expert in the field. An electronics engineer (I am asoftware engineer with a degree in Elec Electronic Engineering and hobbiest) explained to me that it is about Q factor which boils down to how well the cap handles ripple current. The better the Q the better it is at handling large ripple current.
Size probably helps, ie more surface area of plates is better than dielectric or gap seperation.
The bigger the cap, the more it costs.

All the stuff about low esr and cap going bad and buldging is sometimes due to cheap/wrong caps (unable to handle high ripple current).
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