From the course: Electronics Foundations: Basic Circuits

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Read capacitor values

Read capacitor values

- [Instructor] It's really easy to determine the value of electrolytic capacitors, which are the cylindrical capacitors that look like tiny tin cans. The capacitance value and maximum voltage that an electrolytic capacitor can withstand is usually printed on the side in large, easy to read letters. For example, the capacitor shown here has a capacitance value of 1000 microfarads and it can withstand up to 25 volts. Additionally, since electrolytic capacitors are polarized, you'll see one side clearly marked with a minus symbol to indicate that it's the negative cathode side. Identifying the capacitance value of ceramic capacitors is a bit trickier than with electrolytic capacitors. Ceramic capacitors are too small to print a lot of information on, so most manufacturers use compact codes of letters and numbers to indicate the capacitance value. One of the most commonly used standard of codes for capacitor values uses three…

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