yoshi@nocusuhs.nnmc.navy.mil (Dojun Yoshikami) (03/25/91)
Now let's see if I get this right. I was looking in the All Electronics catalog at the capacitors. I was looking for some things around .1-micro farad. Now everything is listed in MFD. I guess that M means mille. It can't mean MEGA because I can't imagine anyone selling MEGA-FARAD capacitors in such a variety of sizes (that would be a shocking experience). As far as I can tell, Micro is usually written with a greek `Mu'. What puzzles me is micro-farad sizes are VERY common, so does MFD refer to Micro-FaraD -- i.e. their typesetter can't set a `Mu'? And to make things more confusing mille (10^-3) is usually written with a little `m'. Now then they have some mylar capacitors without any range (FD, MFD, Micro-FD, pfd), only numbers -- are these in Micro-FD? In case anyone is wondering, I decided the best resolution to this quandary was to order stuff from Newark instead. DY ;-)
mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) (03/26/91)
Ah, you must be too young. mf = mfd = uF = microfarad mmf = mmfd = pF = picofarad (micro-microfarad) If the capacitor is identified with just a number, it could be any of three things: (1) On an electrolytic (including tantalum) capacitor, it's the value in uF. (2) On anything smaller it's likely to be the value in pF. (3) If it's 3 digits the 3rd of which is not 0 (for example 472) then it's picofarads and means 47E2, i.e., 47x10^2, or 4700. Just to really confuse you, 470 could mean 470, or 47 x 10^0 = 47. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Michael A. Covington | Artificial Intelligence Programs The University of Georgia | Athens, GA 30602 U.S.A. -------------------------------------------------------
wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) (03/26/91)
mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes: >Ah, you must be too young. >mf = mfd = uF = microfarad >mmf = mmfd = pF = picofarad (micro-microfarad) >If the capacitor is identified with just a number, it could be >any of three things: 4) Nanofarads. A new invention. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the parts store :-] -- A host is a host from coast to coast.....wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu & no one will talk to a host that's close............(305) 255-RTFM Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335 is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335
jfw@ksr.com (John F. Woods) (04/02/91)
yoshi@nocusuhs.nnmc.navy.mil (Dojun Yoshikami) writes: >Now let's see if I get this right. I was looking in the All Electronics >catalog at the capacitors. I was looking for some things around .1-micro >farad. Now everything is listed in MFD. ... Micro is usually written with a >greek `Mu'. "MFD" means microfarad. Millifarad capacitors are invariably written as thousands-of-microfarads. US habit is to use microfarads (uF or mfd) and picofarads (pF); Europeans also tend to use nanofarads (nF) (comfortably nestled in between uF and pF); IC designers also worry about femtoFarads... >In case anyone is wondering, I decided the best resolution to this quandary >was to order stuff from Newark instead. >DY ;-) That's a lot extra to pay for a good typesetter... :-) How much do they charge for a megafarad capacitor, BTW?