To learn more about electronic's, and other "things" you may not know about, check out my Patreon site, click here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab Thanks to all for supporting this channel, you're keeping the video's coming!

Many years ago I was involved in developing sensitive alarm systems. We utilised the Piezo-electric effect of ceramic caps for vibration detection as part of an 'anti-tamper' warning sub circuit. Our ceramic cap piezo-detection circuit was much cheaper than the vibration detection devices used in previous systems and they turned out to be much more reliable, I believe there are still several of these alarm systems still in 24hr use today over 25years after installation. Sometimes the normally 'unwanted effects' of components can be put to good use. :-) Many thanks for these videos Paul. Keep up the good work Sir! 73.

Thank you for your videos. I've been an electrical and electronics hobbyist since 1964 when I was 10 years old. I destroyed my family's toaster when I took it apart out of curiosity. My parents bought another one and also bought me some tools and other second hand electrical things from a second hand store to pursue my interests. Later I got into repairing stereos, CB and other radio equipment, and designing electronic gadgets, like a signal system for model trains. I do enjoy your videos as I can always learn something from them.

In electronics since 1957 and never learned so much about capacitors in 24 minutes~Thanks Mr. Carlson

After being an amateur radio operator for 25+ years, this is by far the best training on capacitors I've heard. Thanks Man! 🙌

It's been 37 years since I was in electronics school and working in the same industry for 36 years; so I get stuck with the type of electronics that I do (non-destructive test equipment). I really appreciate your refresher courses! Thanks kindly; you're a great teacher.

I love how your videos have concrete use and are not just pissing around. Thanks.

Very "hands on". Wish I had this information 50 years ago, when starting on electronics....Thanks a lot.

I was wondering what replacement by type to use for these old bumble bee and paper type capacitors. The heat drift was amazing. Slowly rebuilding an old R-390A and you convinced me to remove the old caps. Thank you for making electronics fun while receiving a great education. Hope you never tire of making videos because I enjoy the training. Thank you Mr. Carlson, great job!

You did a super job today, appreciate you showing the different applications. one of your best tips. I believe you are the top electronic engineer on youtube, no one else comes close. Thumbs Up.

Paul, Thanks. What really sets your videos tutorials apart from the rest is that once you have explained theory, you shuffle off to the workbench and demonstrate with a simple setup. At least to my way of learning, that way of demonstrating really helps me to understand far better than your merely reciting theory. I am late for work each time you release a new video.........

Just learnt especially the Ceramic cap test for sonic interference and didnt know there was an antenna effect too. Thanks,you also gave clear illustration.

Really nice video. Maybe a part II on aluminum electrolytics, and the voltage dependency of many capacitor types.

Sir, thank you for making this video because as I was going through the engineering class at my college way back when, there wasn't this "qualitative" advice that your videos give as to what components to use. We just concentrated on the equations and circuits, but not what discrete device is good for what. So, Thank You for these videos.

I'm just now getting started back in electronics from a class that I never got to complete just 1 semester on but I knew instantly that it was the only thing in school that I ever liked, besides the early math. So from the late 70's I guess it's about time I get the chance but only from a disability, so I'm learning a lot from your films, so don't give up on them. You are reaching the people who really want to learn this but never had the time to do so by reading everything involved with the learning process, thank you.

Holy Moly. What an efficient resource. A teacher that takes the shortest route to practical applicable capability.

Thanks for another really great video!

The tip about using Tantalum in a 555 circuit is just what I was looking for! I'm just beginning my foray into hobby electronics and your channel has been very educational, thank you.

Finally, I've found an EE channel that isn't just all show, but is more focused on sharing actual knowledge! Subscribed.

Love your channel. I know this is an old post, but had to comment. When you described the ceramic as very dependable and rarely fail I had to laugh a bit. In high school in the 70s I worked in a radio and TV repair shop. One of the first TVs I repaired in the shop had no audio. Guess what it was... A ceramic cap had shorted! I know it's rare, but it had no visible damage and yet tested as a direct short. That was a fun one. By the way, the shop was in SW Virginia where a lot of folks heated their homes with coal. Still saw a lot of tube TVs... There would always be a coating of coal dust all over the HV sections and CRT.... Made for some fun troubleshooting as the coal dust is conductive and the HV would find its way all over... The light show inside these TVs was quite pretty! Lol 😂

Best Cap video I think I've ever seen. Keep it coming Mr. Carlson!

Carlsons Lab, effectively educating one million at a time.

I wish you were my electronics lab instructor in college. I went to college in 1978 which I thought I knew most about capacitors. Now I am in my 60's and just about to retire and you came along and showed us things that should have been taught back then. This video showed why some of my home made circuits failed.

Mr. Carlson, I have to tell you how much I enjoy your videos. Everyone I have watched has been entertaining but most importantly educational. I recently became involved in restoring old ham Radio boat anchors and your videos have been invaluable. With your help I am relearning vacuum tube theory! Keep up the great work. Looking forward to more videos.

Excellent overview and tutorial for someone starting out. There is one application where I always replace ceramic capacitors. Old tube type CB radios often used either a dual section or two separate ceramic caps as line to ground safety caps. They are in service all the time since they are connected directly to the mains input they live a hard life. I have seen several of these plain blow up and flame out. I just uploaded a couple videos yesterday and today on a customers Tram D201 I restored and went over why the ceramic dual section bypass cap should be replaced. I use modern X1 / Y2 rated caps (the blue disc type) for line to ground and also add a X2 rated one (yellow box type) across the line for some additional filteting. Ever run into silver migration problems in the old mica mold caps. I did once and it drove ne nuts tracking down the culprit. Mike

Hi, I've been in the electronics game a long time and have just learnt a hole lot about capicitors from your short video . Explains a lot why some of my circuits that have been built have performed poorly or not at all thanks for your time and effort you put in every week and numerous hours in prepration for each video session, I have appreciated your work. Regards David Grey

The razor sharp trace of a vintage analogue Tektronics scope, such a beauty. Very interesting demonstration.

Thanks for this guide. I keep coming back to it over and over when building new projects.

Best electronics instructor on youtube hands down (personal opinion)

Now this kind of content is the real deal on KZfaq! Very informative and educational! thanks! 👍

Morning Mr. Carlson! I only recently started to run into the problems you can get from using the wrong capacitor, and this was super helpful. Thanks for the great rundown!

Thank you for a very well narrated description on capacitor operation and value choosing.

Well done Paul! Some really handy info in there for anyone working with caps/circuits. Cheers. Eric

Thank you. This was a truly fascinating video about what would normally be a pretty dry subject. I really enjoy your videos, sir.

So nice to have knowable people explaining things, thank you!

Great presentation. I'll have to save it to view later as I need to remind myself about what caps I should choose when I swap out old ones from my old equipment.

Very useful video. I wasn't aware that ceramic caps are so temperature sensitive! Thank you.

Glad I checked this video out...! That damn ceramic cap must have fooled me so many times thinking that my circuit concept was bad when infact it was that cap all along.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you Carlson. You and other youtubers give me the oppetunity to learn electronics. Before youtube it was difficult to obtain education, anyway if you are from a small country like Denmark. This is what i dreamt about for 25 years. Please keep share.

Viewing in 2019. This was so informative and has helped greatly in clarifying the subject. I wish I had watched it a couple of days ago before I had to re-solder a tiny SMD cap in an RF tuner that had shifted due to my having to repair the RF socket. I wouldn't have worried so much about heat transfer. Thank you again Mr Carlson. Cheers.

is this guy on a space station?

Very informative video , thank you for taking the time to make it and uploading it for all of us to view.

Learned many things from this video. The visual demonstrations really reveals the nature of those caps, previously unaware of. Thanks a lot.

Paul, I have found when upgrading, restoring Telefunken tube type stereos, shielded capacitors. These are three legged types. I make my own since I’ve never been able to find any.

This is a very good tutorial. I've been following a couple of your video's and let me tell you, you would make a very good teacher ! I learned more with you than when I was in high school in my electronics courses ! Keep it coming... teach me new things. I like to repair my old stuff but I don't have all the equipment necessary sometimes to do it. I'm also a HAM and i love your diagnostic skill in troubleshooting problems. 73 de André VE2WNF

Paul, Very good explanation of the various capacitor types. Don't have any horror stories about tantalum caps, but in my youth we had some (temporary) fun making paper caps explode like firecrackers. That was definitely an extremely dangerous stunt that should not be done. Still have a scar on my forehead where one of the capacitor leads impaled itself. If it was one inch lower, and I had removed my glasses, I would have lost sight in my right eye. The high school lab instructor was not pleased and we ended up with a weeks worth of detention.

What a great tutorial! You answered many of the questions I have had over the years!

Greetings from the golden shores of goose lake, in the Topock Marsh, where my Class A Motor Home is parked letting me enjoy the warm sun, and avoid the Cold and Snow in South Dakota, my home state. Just wanted to thank you for these wonderful videos. I have always thought that if I could learn at least one new thing every day, I would keep my brain young and active instead of just sitting in my recliner and getting older and slower every day. This has kept me going now for over 65 years, in fact Workers Comp just called me last week to congratulate me on my assumed retirement! Yes they are cutting my paycheck in half so I can get the feel of real retirement!! Aren't they wonderful folk. Anyhow I am an electronics hobbyist, and have had a love and wonder at the operation of electrical circuits since my days as a boy at my fathers knee as he changed tube in our old battery pack radio, in our old farmhouse in North Dakota, we had neither electricity nor running water, so I felt a real reverence for the magic in that old wooden radio up on dad's secretary that sat near the living room window that looked out over our small front yard and the alfalfa field that lay beyond. My love continued when I entered the US Army, telling the recruiter that I wanted to work with radios and electric stuff, he got me a job as a field wire-man, stringing field wire through the jungle in Vietnam, and packing a prick 77 radio on my aching back. But I kept pushing and ended up getting into first, land line teletype, then radio teletype, and finally became a communications Chief with my own communications section at battalion level. When my kids became of school age, I left the Army and joined a police force, and after 24 years became disabled in an accident. The rest is a sad and painful story, but still I love the old electron moving through the wires making things happen. So anyhow thanks for the continuing education, you are indeed appreciated.

This video deserves a million likes instead of some stupid kid smashing a grilled cheese on his face. When faced with the multitude of choices on DigiKey this gives you a great way to get to the perfect part. How about a video on electrolytic caps, trade offs for tolerance, high temp, and so forth, I've seen some with super lifespans and have not ordered them just chose a good brand matching basically what was originally used. I've always wondered if you were to recap a receiver completely with the extremely long life ones if other properties of the part would be an issue. I have one project from the 70s I havent torn into yet but it's a very nice unit and when I tear in I would love to design the boards to last 100 years, maybe it can live through a couple generations in my family, I'm pretty sure there are some downsides to the properties of those that would make them not the best choice

Mr Carlson, do you happen to have a video about MOSFET's. I wish i could learn more about matching and replacing burned MOSFET's.

thank you your info on pezo effect with disc caps really helped me out on a music project ive been working on

fantastic presentation, Mr. Carlson. Absolutely the best description of capacitor characteristics and their uses, especially the temperature characteristic of the polystyrene. That was new to me, after 50 years. Thank you!

If you had told me that I would spend 24 minutes watching a video about capacitors this morning, I’d say you were crazy. I figured I’d watch the first two minutes and move on. This was an excellent video, while I don’t see myself designing circuits (I will copy them), this knowledge is useful in practice. I would like to have seen some segment on the leaky effect of the paper caps too, something to back up your claim (although I don’t doubt you).

learned a lot today. Thanks..

Thanks! Just looking/learning.

Thanks a lot I’m just a simple guitar player trying to learn a little bit about my tube out and this is one of the first videos you’ve played it wasn’t way above my head

Great info Mr Carlson thanks for sharing.

Pretty cool lesson Paul, thanks.

Oh and BTW that Type 547 Oscope is just beautiful. Really glad to see you take care of these baby's they are a treat to watch in operation.

Thank you very much for this information on capacitors. Keep yourself safe and I am looking forward to watching the others.

Piezo-electric caps and noisy resistors? I had no idea. Thanks Paul.

Brought to you from a space shuttle far far away :) The ultimate men's shed. Great video.

I keep comming back to see this video over and over again so I learn which caps to swap out with whats still inside my vacuum-tube test gear and radio's :) Excellent content and well described. I take my hat off for you, Mr Carlson

Keep these videos up. I have learned more from a few of your videos and understand a lot better than I ever did during my school career. I really like the fact that you take time to explain theory and then show practical examples. Many electronic videos just say here is how we build it but do not really show or explain why certain things are the way they were. This really cleared up many questions I had about wondering why I cannot see capacitors like ones I own in devices.

Great video! I'm just getting into electronics as a hobby. Never knew vibrations/heat affected these components that much!

Thanks, enjoyed watching.

I'm glad I saw something in one of these I wasn't taught back in tech school. I never would have considered what vibrations would do to caps, very useful stuff here.

Got out of the electronics profession years ago. Watching this reminds me of how much I enjoyed and still enjoy this field. Great video. Not for the uninterested viewers as seen by the negative thumbs down.

Thanks, very informative. Sharing is caring

fantastic video! Very informative, this told me everything i wanted to know,

Great video. Shows an excellent reason, with demo, as to why not to use ceramics in an audio path. (would be nice to have seen tantalum distortions though. Speaking of tantalum caps, the biggest thing I dislike about them is when they fail, they usually short, with fireworks when used as power supply filters.)

I'm learning much more from your videos than I learned for 3 years in electronics school. Thank You for Your AWESOME videos!

You are an internet gem

Just caught this (after two years!). Good demonstration, but I wish you'd covered more than just polypropylene (& polystyrene) films. I think the public would be well-served to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the various film dielectrics, including polycarbonate, polyethylene (/PET/PEN/PPS), Teflon, etc. Perhaps a "Part 2" specifically on film caps? I noticed "Raindrop Services" asking for it (about a year ago) as well.

I keep coming back to this "oracle" video on capacitors. So many variations on a theme. Very helpful.

A tech tip on toroid core selection would be really helpful! Thanks for all of these videos.

What would be the best choice for replacing basic through hole electrolytic capacitors in video game systems such as Sega Genesis,NES,and SNES? I mean of course other than just putting new ones of the same type. Also what would be a good type to substitute for basic Electrolytic through holes in Game cartridges? I have seen a few leak and make one hell of a mess on the board so am looking for solid alternatives.

Wonderful video... one more subscriber to the counter. Keep it up! Greetings from Mexico!

Great video. Thanks a lot. Learned a ton especially about the monophonic effect of ceramic caps.

Thank you very much, Mr. Carlson. So many videos focus on the theoretical. You help take the concepts in the practical and application world. Thank you!

Paul, a couple of things: there are, of course, disc ceramic NPO caps. These have their tops painted black. (Sometimes it's just a slight smudge on the top.) Also, would you ever do a video on measuring receiver sensitivity? Sure would be helpful from an expert. tnx es 73, Bill, k6whp

you know you are going ultra old school when you hear "solid state electronics" ☺

Thanks. Really a very good insight you’ve given into the world of caps.

Super useful & helpful to me. I was getting bewildered by the range of capacitors available & this set me right & allowed me to focus on what capacitors can provide the performance I need. Thank you for sharing!

The man is a genius.

Hello, Thank you for video, Mr Carlson's

I was repairing an old 1950s radio a few months ago and I noticed a wax capacitor between the audio preamp and output valve. I removed the output valve and powered up the set and was reading a horrendous +56 volts on the control grid pin for the output valve. Needless to say I replaced it and all was good

Thanks Carlson!!! Grest video and very interesting aproches: thermal drift and vibrations. I enjoyed !!

I couldn't help but notice how you emphasized on calling it NP-ZERO but then a minute later called it NPO...

Bye Bye Bumble Bee... All circuits are COOL Mr C :-)

I ran across you channel while looking for updated electronics sites, I have been out of it for a very long time, (I date back to the old 285 computer, lol) you channel is very helpful and insiteful, thanks for posting and updating me...lol

I'm embarrassed to say that I had no idea how unstable ceramic disc caps were with temperature. Wow they're bad!

When I grow up, I want to be just like Mr Carlson!!!

Ah thanks, great explanation of why paper caps fail and how (the paper goes acid just like in a book and starts to become more of an electrolyte than a dielectric, which lets it pass DC). I always wondered myself.

Thank for the clarification Mr. C. Been a hobbyist for many years and that was a great tutorial. Seeing it as well as reading it really helps to reinforce the information.

Those ceramic caps also work in reverse as piezo speakers. The chirping noise from your laptop power 'brick'/cellphone charger/cfl bulbs? It's probably one of these :\

Lol, You called the NP Zero NPO.You could put a diagonal line through the 0 so it looks like a zero not an O. Great video's BTW

That was great info, now I can see and understand how those capacitor's work.

thanks sir you don't even imagine how good demonstration you did

I am sorry but no mention of electrolytics? I have some old Heathkit kits that have electrolytics. I assume, since they are decades old, have gone bad. Thanks for an otherwise great vid on caps.