Re: gEDA-user: electrolytic capacitors

[al davis <ad151@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Friday 26 December 2008 21:53, John Luciani wrote:
> Usually there is a "Service Life" quoted as number of hours
> at rated voltage at a specified core temperature. To
> increase the life of the capacitor you decrease the operating
> temperature and the operating voltage. For every 10degC
> decrease in temperature you get a factor of 2 in life (check the
> Arrhenius equation). I don't know the multiplier for voltage.

It is a nonlinear relationship.  There is an optimum voltage, and it 
gets worse either higher or lower.  Service life can be very bad with 
near-zero voltages like you get when using electrolytics as coupling 
caps in op-amp circuits, especially when they can reverse under some 
signal conditions.



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