"Solid State" capacitors vs electrolytic

[ahofle]

I recently purchased a new motherboard and its packaging boasted about "solid state capacitors".  I know of several people having motherboard caps go bad or burst and it seems solid state are supposedly much more reliable (I assume they don't have a paste in them that dries up over time).  I'm wondering if they could be used in monitor chassis for recapping as well? 

[Ken Layton]

What the hell are you talking about? I've been in electronics for 40 years and never heard of a "solid state" capacitor. Sounds like ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow--- to me.

[Level42]

Yeah, this must be some kind of mistake.

Solid state is referring to "non-moving" parts. F.I. a solid-state relay, is not a real "moving" relay, but one made up of electronic parts, i.e. transistors and variants.

This is why Pinball machines that followed the electro-mechanic period are also referred to as solid state.

So this had nothing to do with caps.

[MonMotha]

It's generally a translation error or just some marketroid using a term they don't understand but have heard of.

Generally, these are devices which do not have any aluminum electrolytics, but rather only "solid tantalum" type electrolytic caps (and usually a bunch of ceramics, too).  Note that I've seen this label on boards which decidedly have aluminums, too, but in those crappy surface mount packages.  People who make up that marketing fluff really usually have no clue what they are talking about.

Now, tantalum electrolytics do tend to be more reliable than the aluminum type, so if they really do mean that there are no aluminums, that can be a good thing from a reliability point of view.  That isn't to say that tantalums can't fail or are all of high quality, but they do tend to behave a bit better than the aluminum types.

[qrz]

high farad , yes FARAD capacitors have been available for a couple of years .  some of the more recent entries are getting close to small batteries in storage capability due to changes in the electrolyte medium
for more info see :

www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2113
www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/746-3.html
www.worldscibooks.com/environsci/2385.html
www.rsc.org/ej/FT/1997/a704661h.pdf
more by search......

qrz

[ahofle]

So I take it no one has considered their use in a monitor chassis seeing as how no one has even heard of them. 

"The electro-conductive polymer capacitor does not use electrolyte, so they will not dry out, leak, or suffer gas buildup and burst. "

[ChadTower]

"The electro-conductive polymer capacitor does not use electrolyte, so they will not dry out, leak, or suffer gas buildup and burst. "

Can they use that stuff in a menopause medication?

[ahofle]

 

[2600]

I've used them on some boards that I designed.  They just came out a few years ago.  They are not Tantalum capacitors. 

The ones I've used have a low WV so I don't think they would be applicable to monitors.  I used them instead of regular electrolytics because they have a really low ESR like ceramic, Filter out High Frequencies really well unlike regular Electrolytics, and don't explode like Tantalums.  I've used the D size case, but I have seen them in cases like the SMT Electrolytics on other products.  They are useful for the power supply section of the circuit and decoupling, but not very useful for other sections of the circuit.  Also, regular Electrolytics WV should't be used to there full WV, where as these can.

Panasonic Website

EDIT:  Also, forgot to mention that these don't dry up.  So, they don't need to be replaced like regular electrolytics.  Also, saw that nichicon makes a through hole version.  If the Peter Chou's have protection against short circuits, these would be perfect for replacing some of those caps.  Note: I'm not actually recommending them for the Peter Chou, but just giving an example of an application they would be perfect for.