Why is the electrolytic capacitor not polarity sensitive?Can you make a non-polar electrolytic capacitor out...

New invention compresses matter to produce energy? or other items? (Short Story)

Is it a Cyclops number? "Nobody" knows!

How spaceships determine each other's mass in space?

An Undercover Army

PTIJ: Aliyot for the deceased

What is "desert glass" and what does it do to the PCs?

How do we objectively assess if a dialogue sounds unnatural or cringy?

Does the in-code argument passing conventions used on PDP-11's have a name?

What is the meaning of option 'by' in TikZ Intersections

How do you make a gun that shoots melee weapons and/or swords?

Naming Characters after Friends/Family

Learning to quickly identify valid fingering for piano?

Was it really inappropriate to write a pull request for the company I interviewed with?

Do natural melee weapons (from racial traits) trigger Improved Divine Smite?

What is a term for a function that when called repeatedly, has the same effect as calling once?

Using the imperfect indicative vs. subjunctive with si

What is the purpose of a disclaimer like "this is not legal advice"?

Professor forcing me to attend a conference

Affine transformation of circular arc in 3D

The past tense for the quoting particle って

Why are special aircraft used for the carriers in the United States Navy?

Giving a talk in my old university, how prominently should I tell students my salary?

PTiJ: How should animals pray?

Can you run a ground wire from stove directly to ground pole in the ground



Why is the electrolytic capacitor not polarity sensitive?


Can you make a non-polar electrolytic capacitor out of two regular electrolytic capacitors?Diagnosing cause of electrolytic capacitor failingWill LEDs in opposing directions be damaged?Decoupling pair of microphones using noisy power sourceMAX682 with electrolytic capacitorsGetting opposite expected voltage with electret microphoneWhat are the purpose of those resistors and capacitors network before the mic jack?Exploding MLCC capRadically different behavior between ceramic and electrolytic capacitors in electret microphone circuitIdentifying the polarity of the aluminium electrolytic capacitor













1












$begingroup$


The issue



I was making a project in which I had to use a 2.2uF capacitor in series with a microphone and weirdly, the circuit works even if I toggle the polarity of the capacitor, that is the capacitor can be inserted in either polarity to make the circuit work.

Why does this happen? What are the criteria for doing so intentionally? Additionally, if I am to substitute a ceramic capacitor with an electrolytic capacitor, in what polarity should the capacitor be inserted?



Schematic:



Bluetooth Audio Adapter




This schematic is based on the manufacturer's schematic, in which also, a ceramic capacitor of 2.2uF is used.




This question is referring to the MIC portion of the schematic only.










share|improve this question









$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
    $endgroup$
    – Toor
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
    $endgroup$
    – Sparky256
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago
















1












$begingroup$


The issue



I was making a project in which I had to use a 2.2uF capacitor in series with a microphone and weirdly, the circuit works even if I toggle the polarity of the capacitor, that is the capacitor can be inserted in either polarity to make the circuit work.

Why does this happen? What are the criteria for doing so intentionally? Additionally, if I am to substitute a ceramic capacitor with an electrolytic capacitor, in what polarity should the capacitor be inserted?



Schematic:



Bluetooth Audio Adapter




This schematic is based on the manufacturer's schematic, in which also, a ceramic capacitor of 2.2uF is used.




This question is referring to the MIC portion of the schematic only.










share|improve this question









$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
    $endgroup$
    – Toor
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
    $endgroup$
    – Sparky256
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago














1












1








1





$begingroup$


The issue



I was making a project in which I had to use a 2.2uF capacitor in series with a microphone and weirdly, the circuit works even if I toggle the polarity of the capacitor, that is the capacitor can be inserted in either polarity to make the circuit work.

Why does this happen? What are the criteria for doing so intentionally? Additionally, if I am to substitute a ceramic capacitor with an electrolytic capacitor, in what polarity should the capacitor be inserted?



Schematic:



Bluetooth Audio Adapter




This schematic is based on the manufacturer's schematic, in which also, a ceramic capacitor of 2.2uF is used.




This question is referring to the MIC portion of the schematic only.










share|improve this question









$endgroup$




The issue



I was making a project in which I had to use a 2.2uF capacitor in series with a microphone and weirdly, the circuit works even if I toggle the polarity of the capacitor, that is the capacitor can be inserted in either polarity to make the circuit work.

Why does this happen? What are the criteria for doing so intentionally? Additionally, if I am to substitute a ceramic capacitor with an electrolytic capacitor, in what polarity should the capacitor be inserted?



Schematic:



Bluetooth Audio Adapter




This schematic is based on the manufacturer's schematic, in which also, a ceramic capacitor of 2.2uF is used.




This question is referring to the MIC portion of the schematic only.







microphone electrolytic-capacitor polarity






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 2 hours ago









Utkarsh VermaUtkarsh Verma

288




288








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
    $endgroup$
    – Toor
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
    $endgroup$
    – Sparky256
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
    $endgroup$
    – Toor
    2 hours ago








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
    $endgroup$
    – Sparky256
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago








1




1




$begingroup$
What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
$endgroup$
– Toor
2 hours ago






$begingroup$
What was the original capacitor type? Also, there is no DC bias in that part of the circuit.
$endgroup$
– Toor
2 hours ago






1




1




$begingroup$
That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
$endgroup$
– Sparky256
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
That is likely a ceramic capacitor. Unless noted otherwise you can assume all aluminum and tantalum capacitors ARE polarized. If you install them backwards across power supply rails (or they have an internal short, much less common in recent decades) they tend to go BANG with some violence, possibly charring the PCB. A ceramic capacitor is not polarized unless it has a black band or polarity mark at one end.
$endgroup$
– Sparky256
1 hour ago












$begingroup$
At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
At millivolt level and and a small reverse bias a polarized capacitor doesn't care, at least for a short time. Over time it might die much earlier than you expect. Don't try it again.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
1 hour ago












$begingroup$
@Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
@Toor What do you mean by the original capacitor type?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago












$begingroup$
@Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
@Sparky256 Yes, the manufacturer recommends ceramic capacitor, but I don't have such a high valued ceramic capacitor so I used an electrolytic capacitor. As above comment states(and I checked voltage levels) there is no DC bias in that portion of the circuit. Does it imply that I can't use a polarized capacitor in such case?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















3












$begingroup$

An aluminum electrolytic will handle a reverse polarity of about 1 volt or so. The cap probably never sees anything near that.



This appnote from Nichicon shows that under 1V the capacitors don't have much of leakage and seems fully functional, see Fig.2-2, with little degradation (see Fig.2-3).






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago











Your Answer





StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
});
});
}, "mathjax-editing");

StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
return StackExchange.using("schematics", function () {
StackExchange.schematics.init();
});
}, "cicuitlab");

StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "135"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});














draft saved

draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f426199%2fwhy-is-the-electrolytic-capacitor-not-polarity-sensitive%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









3












$begingroup$

An aluminum electrolytic will handle a reverse polarity of about 1 volt or so. The cap probably never sees anything near that.



This appnote from Nichicon shows that under 1V the capacitors don't have much of leakage and seems fully functional, see Fig.2-2, with little degradation (see Fig.2-3).






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago
















3












$begingroup$

An aluminum electrolytic will handle a reverse polarity of about 1 volt or so. The cap probably never sees anything near that.



This appnote from Nichicon shows that under 1V the capacitors don't have much of leakage and seems fully functional, see Fig.2-2, with little degradation (see Fig.2-3).






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago














3












3








3





$begingroup$

An aluminum electrolytic will handle a reverse polarity of about 1 volt or so. The cap probably never sees anything near that.



This appnote from Nichicon shows that under 1V the capacitors don't have much of leakage and seems fully functional, see Fig.2-2, with little degradation (see Fig.2-3).






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



An aluminum electrolytic will handle a reverse polarity of about 1 volt or so. The cap probably never sees anything near that.



This appnote from Nichicon shows that under 1V the capacitors don't have much of leakage and seems fully functional, see Fig.2-2, with little degradation (see Fig.2-3).







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 1 hour ago









Ale..chenski

28k11866




28k11866










answered 1 hour ago









Robert EndlRobert Endl

1,702511




1,702511












  • $begingroup$
    Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago


















  • $begingroup$
    Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    1 hour ago










  • $begingroup$
    @Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
    $endgroup$
    – Utkarsh Verma
    1 hour ago
















$begingroup$
Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
Would you suggest its use in a circuit meant to be used for long terms?
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago












$begingroup$
@UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
@UtkarshVerma, please read the Nichicon article and make your own determination. The article mentions " progressing formation of an oxide layer on the cathode electrode", so the cap might not last longer than 200-300 hours.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
1 hour ago












$begingroup$
@Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
@Ale..chenski Thanks for the document. I'll read it and post what I'll conclude over here.
$endgroup$
– Utkarsh Verma
1 hour ago


















draft saved

draft discarded




















































Thanks for contributing an answer to Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid



  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2felectronics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f426199%2fwhy-is-the-electrolytic-capacitor-not-polarity-sensitive%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

Why do type traits not work with types in namespace scope?What are POD types in C++?Why can templates only be...

Will tsunami waves travel forever if there was no land?Why do tsunami waves begin with the water flowing away...

Simple Scan not detecting my scanner (Brother DCP-7055W)Brother MFC-L2700DW printer can print, can't...