10 uf capacitor

[PRR]

> mf = "microfarad" was common at the time

And mmF (what kids call pFd). My brother still says "mmmph".

Many-many 1960s ("Golden Age"?) US plans use mF.

Dunno where nano came from.... probably Mork from Ork.

This is slightly after "m" for 1,000 Ohms faded into "K". (Into the 1940s, 400,000 might be notated as 400m. Western Electric, Gibson, many others.)

All of this seemed semi-clear (I can't care m or u or µ) until I saw some recent BIG amp plans where 68,000 microFarad was notated as "68mF". Perfect compliance with modern standards. A real head-wrench for this old head.

> capacitors were nevr spec'd in farads

My father used to send the new-guys next door to borrow a "one Farad cap". All the old guys knew the gag and would say "all out, try Jim downstairs". The kid would be run all over the building until someone slipped, said "That's impossible, you couldn't carry One Farad." Of course today the kid would trot over to the car-sound shop and come back with One Farad.

[zombiwoof]

> mf = "microfarad" was common at the time

And mmF (what kids call pFd). My brother still says "mmmph".

Many-many 1960s ("Golden Age"?) US plans use mF.

Dunno where nano came from.... probably Mork from Ork.

This is slightly after "m" for 1,000 Ohms faded into "K". (Into the 1940s, 400,000 might be notated as 400m. Western Electric, Gibson, many others.)

All of this seemed semi-clear (I can't care m or u or µ) until I saw some recent BIG amp plans where 68,000 microFarad was notated as "68mF". Perfect compliance with modern standards. A real head-wrench for this old head.

> capacitors were nevr spec'd in farads

My father used to send the new-guys next door to borrow a "one Farad cap". All the old guys knew the gag and would say "all out, try Jim downstairs". The kid would be run all over the building until someone slipped, said "That's impossible, you couldn't carry One Farad." Of course today the kid would trot over to the car-sound shop and come back with One Farad.

I could be wrong, but it seems that our European friends use the "nano" term more than I've heard it here in the U.S.  I mostly see micro and pico farad used here on components.  I hadn't even heard of nanofarads until I began taking part in forums like this.

Al

[stringsthings]

Hi all, I'm a newb. I'm building a dynacomp and the schematic calls for a 10 uf capacitor.  I can't seem to find one at small bear or mouser.  Can anyone point me in the right direction?  Thanks!

welcome to the world of DIY! ... in addition to the excellent suggestions and information already given:  don't hesitate to visit your local electronics brick and mortar when you need just one or two parts ... you'll generally wind up paying a bit more because they have to keep the parts on the shelf ... as you may soon discover, 10uF electrolytic capacitors are used in several DIY circuits ... so if you find a source with a price that's right up your alley, don't hesitate to order some spares ... they won't go "bad" on you .... and they don't take up much room ...

about a year ago, i started building circuits with parts that i had purchased 25 years ago (!) and all the capacitors worked perfectly ...

again, welcome to world of DIY!

[jasperoosthoek]

My father used to send the new-guys next door to borrow a "one Farad cap". All the old guys knew the gag and would say "all out, try Jim downstairs". The kid would be run all over the building until someone slipped, said "That's impossible, you couldn't carry One Farad." Of course today the kid would trot over to the car-sound shop and come back with One Farad.

Here kids or unexperienced employees are traditionally sent off to buy 'spark plug sparks' or 'baseboard ladders' . Same story just a different gag.

I could be wrong, but it seems that our European friends use the "nano" term more than I've heard it here in the U.S.  I mostly see micro and pico farad used here on components.  I hadn't even heard of nanofarads until I began taking part in forums like this.

I concur, the nano farad is used here all the time whenever micro farads are too small or pico farads are too big.