Electronic Components - Dipped Tantalum Capacitors

One of the most popular of the thru-hole style capacitors are the dipped tantalum capacitors. Resin dipped tantalum capacitors are often used in commercial and industrial applications. Some of the advantages of using tantalum as a dielectric are: They have a higher volumetric efficiency when compared to other types of capacitors.

They take up very little space on a printed circuit board. Tantalum capacitors have superior frequency characteristics over other types of capacitors. They are very reliable, with a shelf life that is regarded as unlimited. They do not wear out in production. They can function with a very wide temperature range (-55° to +125°C).

These types of capacitors are very durable. They are coated with a flame retardant resin that allows the capacitor to be effective in most kinds of environments. They feature low leakage current and impedance.

The lead spacing and form outline are very important in selecting your choice of dipped tantalum capacitor. Lead spacing is determined is offered in a few common spreads. They are indicated in the chart below.

There are some common outline forms used by the leading manufacturers of dipped radial tantalum capacitors. Some of these have names such as "hairpin" "hockey-stick" and "lock-in". These are determined by the type of crimps in the leads.

These capacitors are made to specific case sizes. Some manufacturers offer a wider selection than others. For example AVX offers their TAP series of dipped radial tantalum capacitors in 15 case sizes while Sprague/Vishay offers their comparable 199D series in 6 sizes.

Since a dipped radial tantalum capacitor is polarized it is important to understand how these units are marked to ensure that they are inserted properly into the circuit. We have included charts they will show you how some of the leading manufacturers mark this style of capacitor along with the most common lead forms.

Some applications where you can use a dipped tantalum capacitor are bypassing, coupling, blocking, filtering and timing in wide range of commercial, industrial and military applications. Other types of capacitors that can be used for these applications are ceramic and film capacitors. Each dielectric has advantages and disadvantages. The tantalum advantages are higher capacitance values within a given package size and stability of capacitance with applied DC voltage.

Performance Characteristics:

• Capacitance range starts from 0.1uF up to 680uF.
• Voltage range is from 3VDC up to 50VDC.
• Tolerancee is usually 10% or 20%.
• Temperature range is from -55 °C up to 125 °C.

TEDSS.com can provide you with dipped tantalum capacitors quickly and at the right price. Our extensive inventory allows you to get most standard values the very next day. If you have a requirement for a special value or non-standard tolerances just contact TEDSS via email and we will do our best to help you get just what you need for your application.

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