capacitor v loss

[tekguy]

hi all,i am checking a cap on a chineese component tester out of cuircit,its marked as 1j100,i assume 100nf markings,ir reads 102nf,with a .1% vloss,i assume thats leakage?,,is that good or bad?,cheers Paul.

[moffy]

Loss is a measure of AC resistance vs reactance i.e. the component of current in phase with the AC excitation across the capacitor relative to the 90 degrees current. A 0.1%, loss, or tan(delta) is good, mylar caps are normally around 1%.

[Vovk_Z]

I usually compare measured parameters with a datasheet. Since there isn't Vloss in a datasheet - it is hard to say something for sure.
If you are talking about a film cap -  I guess Vloss is a senseless parameter for them mostly. There is a sense to look at Vloss for electrolytic caps if you don't can't measure a leakage current.