I bought Monolythic capacitors thinking...

[MrWild]

I was getting ceramic capacitors. As a newbee, I have no idea what caps can be swapped with what. I know tantelum can't be swapped with any and the polarity has to be watched. I read something about frequency capabilities, but don't know if a monolythic can do a ceramics job. The schematic calls for .1uf ceramic caps. Can I use these instead?

Thanks

[MrWild]

Found the answer with google.

[JavaDog]

Originally Posted by MrWild Found the answer with google.

Which was? Just for the curious or the future-site-searcher...

[MrWild]

Website speaks it better than me.

http://synergy.sager.com/ProductPDFs/capacitors.pdf

This site is a goldmine for capacitor explanations

Basically a monolithic capaciter seems to be made on the same principal (ceramic is the dielectric) as a ceramic. Both go as low as 5v. The disc style can handle as high as 10kv, while the monolithic can only handle up to 50v. I'm running them. I don't know if it will work, but what the heck, I have 100 monolithic caps I need to use. The working voltage is only 5v. If it don't work, I'll replace em. I'm also deviating from the design by switching radial power caps from the designers axial. I'll probably do a manufacturer data sheet search next. Here is what the website said about ceramics to monolithics:

"Monolithic Multilayer Ceramics (MLC): Layers of ceramic are coated with precious metal conductors,
then bonded together with heat. This is the most commonly used, least expensive capacitor.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors offer very high storage capacity within the smallest of dimensions,
and they are reliable, sustain the stress of changing climate and soldering, are low-inductance and
immune to reverse polarity. In surface-mounted technology (SMT) ceramic capacitors are used
primarily in consumer electronics and information technology.
Dielectric: Ceramic
Construction: Multiple plates and dielectric layers in a sandwiched construction with an epoxy
exterior and radial leads or in surface mount chip
Capacitance: 100 PicoFarads to 10 MicroFarads Typical
Tolerance: +/- 5%, +/-10%, +/- 20% and +80/-20% Typcial
Temperature: Capacitance can vary widely over temperature and is specified by EIA class*
Voltage: 5V to 50V Typical
Non-Polarized
Typical Uses: IC power supply decoupling
Main Properties: Lot of capacitance for size, good high frequency characteristics."

"Ceramic Disc: Shaped like a disc, these capacitors have a ceramic dielectric coated with silver on
both sides to form the conductors.
Dielectric: Ceramic
Construction: Either round plates and dielectric with an epoxy exterior and radial leads or surface
mount chip
Capacitance: 1 pF to 0.1 uF Typical
Tolerance: +/- 5%, +/-10%, +/- 20% and +80/-20% Typcial
Temperature: Capacitance can vary widely over temperature and is specified by EIA class*
Voltage: 50V to 10 kV (kilo = Thousand)
Non-Polarized
Typical Uses: Noise filtering, spike suppression, signal coupling
Main Properties: Inexpensive, wide voltage range, excellent high frequency characteristics
Monolithic Multilayer Ceramics (MLC): Layers of ceramic are coated with precious metal conductors,
then bonded together with heat. This is the most commonly used, least expensive capacitor.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors offer very high storage capacity within the smallest of dimensions,
and they are reliable, sustain the stress of changing climate and soldering, are low-inductance and
immune to reverse polarity. In surface-mounted technology (SMT) ceramic capacitors are used
primarily in consumer electronics and information technology.
Dielectric: Ceramic
Construction: Multiple plates and dielectric layers in a sandwiched construction with an epoxy
exterior and radial leads or in surface mount chip
Capacitance: 100 PicoFarads to 10 MicroFarads Typical
Tolerance: +/- 5%, +/-10%, +/- 20% and +80/-20% Typcial
Temperature: Capacitance can vary widely over temperature and is specified by EIA class*
Voltage: 5V to 50V Typical
Non-Polarized
Typical Uses: IC power supply decoupling
Main Properties: Lot of capacitance for size, good high frequency characteristics."