Capacitors are among the most common electronic components in use. Because they cannot be easily identified outwardly, a color-coding scheme is utilized to make it easy to visually identify the characteristics of the capacitor. There is also a numerical scheme used, which consists of combinations of numbers and letters to give specific information on the characteristics of a capacitor.

The color-coding scheme is similar to the scheme utilized on resistors to provide the same information to users. This color scheme utilizes colored bands or colored dots to provide necessary information to the user. With this information, the user can easily assess an electrical component, determine its basic characteristics and, depending upon their need, replace it, tested or do anything else that would require the user to know its electrical characteristics.

There are other numbering schemes that indicate different information, which is detailed below. Capacitor codes can be printed out and are available on ready-made posters, which are great accessories to have available in an electronics shop. There are also many different converters available online where you can input color values or numerical values and convert them to whichever system you wish. This can make it much easier to determine the exact values of the capacitor without having to worry about any sort of error giving you a wrong number.

them to whichever system you wish. This can make it much easier to determine the exact values of the capacitor without having to worry about any sort of error giving you a wrong number.

What are Capacitors?

A capacitor is a type of passive electronic component. They have two terminals and they are utilized to store energy. In some ways, they are similar to a battery. The energy is stored in an electrostatic field. This is accomplished with a design that utilizes two electrical conductors that are separated from one another by an insulator.

Capacitors are commonly utilized to block direct current in electric circuits. Their design allows alternating currents to pass through them. They are utilized in many different applications, including in radio tuners, voltage stabilizers, and other devices.

How do Capacitors Work?

Within a capacitor, three components are universal. Two of those components will be an electrical conductor. The third component is an insulator of some sort. The conductors and the insulator can be most anything, the metal foil is quite often employed as the conductor. In these designs, though metal foil is typically separated by a very thin layer of an insulating material.

When power is run through the capacitor, it generates a potential difference across the two conductors in the component. This creates an electric field across the insulator. The capacitor eventually stores the positive charge on one of the electrically conductive plates and the negative charge on the other electrically conductive plate. This allows energy to be stored in the form of an electrostatic field. The charges on each of the conducting surfaces are equal and opposite of the other. The charge on each of the conductors is measured as a coulomb and, combined with the voltage across the device, the capacitance of the device is measured in farads.

History of Capacitors

Like many electronic components, capacitors have a very long history. Utilizing generators, water and glass jars, early experimenters including Ewald Georg von Kleist and Pieter van Musschenbroek developed what are widely considered to be the first examples of capacitors. One of the first designs was conceived by Musschenbroek and was called the Leyden Jar.

Benjamin Franklin even experimented with capacitors, the Leyden Jar, specifically, and was the first of the experimenters to realize that the electrical charge being stored in the early designs was actually being stored on the glass that made up the jar rather than in the water within the jar. These jars were later adapted by putting metal foil on the interior and exterior surfaces, similar to the design of modern capacitors.

Capacitors remained in low demand up until the invention of radio. Radio requires capacitors to allow smooth tuning between frequencies. The advent of radio also resulted in the creation of capacitors that were much more compact than the original designs.

The term condenser is sometimes used as a synonym for capacitor, though its usage is very infrequent in modern electronics.

What are Capacitor Codes?

Capacitor codes are alphanumeric values, but they are oftentimes indicated on capacitors by colored bands or dots. There are many capacitors that have the numerical and alphabetical values stamped onto them, however, as well.

Who Defines Capacitor Codes?

Where color bands are concerned, the international standard is defined by the IEC 60062.

What are Capacitor Codes used for?

Capacitor codes are simply used for the sake of convenience. They provide a useful shorthand way of defining the capacitance and tolerance characteristics of a capacitor component right on the device, ensuring that those values can be determined whether the original documentation for an electronic device is available. They also make it remarkably convenient to repair electronic devices by replacing capacitors, as it

Capacitor Codes