Film Caps, Box or Not?

[aziltz]

Is there a difference between Box Style Film Caps and the regular Film Caps? Are they both Polyester Film?

Where might I find the Box Style Ones?

[Xelent]

I'm not actually sure. I was under the impression that they are a different form factor of your typical electrolytic cap, but this might shed some light...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_capacitor

[ianmgull]

One has a box.    This is the only general difference. Both polyester film.

[R.G.]

Box style caps are the breath of fresh air that the cap world needed twenty years ago, but didn't get.

Inside they are simply normal film caps. Outside, they have a constant-size plastic box and standard lead spacings. None of them that I have run into have been electrolytic.

Imagine how chaotic the electronic world would be if a 100 ohm resistor was 1/10 the volume of a 10K, and different makers of each one arranged their leads differently.

It is incredibly refreshing to lay out PCBs with only a couple of sizes of caps instead of looking up every single one.

Performance is largely the same, as the plastic surrounding the cap doesn't affect it much.

[Br4d13y]

pedalpartsplus has the box style, i just ordered some too. they sent me two order confirmations and a personal "your order has been shipped letter" seem like nice people to me

[mth5044]

Good to know!

You say they are the same spacing, for the most part? Do you know what the spacing is for the different sizes? Like 3 0.1" pad sizes or... something  

Thanks  

EDIT: hmm  looking at the PPP ones, it looks like they take up 3 0.1" pads total. Is this going to be consitant from 0.001uF - 0.1uF? I'm always confused with cap sizes 

[R.G.]

PCB lead spacing is always measured as exactly that - the physical spacing between leads, not a number of pads.

They are all 0.200/200mils/5.08mm lead spacing for the most part. Multilayer ceramic conformal caps are available in 0.1" and 0.2" spacings. If you plan for and use 0.2" spacing, then the only issue you'll have with box and MLCC caps is thickness for caps up to 1uF. You can get a 1uF/63V box cap with 0.2" spacings, they're just a bit thicker in the body.

[bumblebee]

Box style caps are the breath of fresh air that the cap world needed twenty years ago, but didn't get.

Inside they are simply normal film caps. Outside, they have a constant-size plastic box and standard lead spacings. None of them that I have run into have been electrolytic.

Imagine how chaotic the electronic world would be if a 100 ohm resistor was 1/10 the volume of a 10K, and different makers of each one arranged their leads differently.

It is incredibly refreshing to lay out PCBs with only a couple of sizes of caps instead of looking up every single one.

Performance is largely the same, as the plastic surrounding the cap doesn't affect it much.

Agreed, they are great!