capacitor designation

[kardenm]

I have an electrolytic JEC cap that is printed with 470uf, 200wv. What the heck is the "w" for!?

[gryhnd]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=200wv

 

[lilshawn]

sigh... people come here to learn...

Working Voltage.

means the cap is meant to operate at the specified voltage. This is the value that should not be exceeded between the two terminals, otherwise the 2 metal plates (separated by paper and electrolyte) shorts out. it's not used that way much any more.

designers now often double up the voltage when working with caps. they absorb voltages spikes that would normally destroy a cap running right at the voltage specified.

example:

35 volts - 50 volts.
12 volts - 25 or more commonly 35 volt cap
5 volts - 10 volt cap
3 volts - 6.2 volt cap


yes GFGI but sometimes getting exactly what your looking for without clouding your mind with "a million web pages found" is nice sometimes.

[gryhnd]

Ya, I was playing evil, hence the horns