A capacitor is one of the most common elements in any electronic circuit. Analogues for these elements have not yet been invented. They perfectly retain the charge and can give it away almost instantly. If an instantaneous discharge of 50 percent or more can harm the battery, then this is the normal operating mode for the capacitor. Powerful capacitor banks are used in substations as compensators for reactive power. They increase cos φ at operating enterprises and may well replace, for example, a powerful generator that is taken out of operation. Thus, powerful capacitor banks are involved in the production process itself. They improve the quality of the power supply.
These products occupy a worthy place in electronics as well. With their help, almost all schemes existing today are implemented. But, unfortunately, samples also have certain disadvantages. We are accustomed to consider an ideal capacitor, which is devoid of flaws and obeys certainlaws in their work, which are easy to describe using mathematical formulas. In practice, everything happens differently. Leakage current appears - the main problem for many types of these devices.
With the development of technology for the production of these elements, tantalum capacitors appeared. They are practically devoid of all the main disadvantages inherent in conventional counterparts. In terms of their parameters, they are as close as possible to an ideal capacitor.
- They have a very low leakage current, which allows them to be used in the design of highly accurate and critical circuits in electronics.
- Tantalum capacitors can work perfectly in a wide temperature (from -80 to +125 °C) and frequency range. However, their parameters do not change.
- Have a small series resistance and inductance.
- The low dissipation factor and device impedance add to the overall positive picture.
However, like all elements and devices, tantalum capacitors have certain disadvantages. It is important to know about them when designing an electronic circuit.
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Tantalum capacitors are sensitive to exceeding the main parameters in operation. In particular, it is not recommended to exceed (even briefly) the rated voltage for which this device is designed.
- The technology of their manufacture is quite complicated and consists of several stages. Even a slight deviation from it or the use of low-qualityraw materials lead to a change in the parameters of the product.
- Sufficiently high cost of a capacitor is a direct way to increase the cost of the entire electronic circuit (this will certainly affect the estimate).
It is also necessary to take into account that the marking of tantalum capacitors has its own characteristics. It practically does not differ from other devices. But this only applies to recent capacitors. “Old” capacitors are color-coded, the decoding of which is easy to find on the Web. In addition, it must be borne in mind that smd tantalum capacitors are marked with an alphanumeric series. If you are not an expert in these devices - consult the seller when buying. The basic information above will allow you to ask meaningful questions.