About Capacitors

What is BGA mean?

BGA (Ball Grid Array) is one type of packaging for surface-mounted integrated electronic circuits (integrated circuits whose components are actually 'mounted' or affixed on the surface of the printed circuit semiconductor board). A BGA package simply looks like a thin wafer of semi-conducting material that has circuit components on only one face. The Ball Grid Array package is called such because it is basically an array of metal alloy balls arranged in a grid.

Integrated circuit packages

• SOIC - Small Outline Integrated Circuit. This has a dual in line configuration and gull wing leads with a pin spacing of 1.27 mm
• TSOP - Thin Small Outline Package. This package is thinner than the SOIC and has a smaller pin spacing of 0.5 mm
• SSOP - Shrink Small Outline Package. This has a pin spacing of 0.635 mm
• TSSOP - Thin Shrink Small Outline Package.
• PLCC - Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier. This type of package is square and uses J-lead pins with a spacing of 1.27 mm
• QSOP - Quarter-size Small Outline Package. It has a pin spacing of 0.635 mm
• VSOP - Very Small Outline Package. This is smaller than the QSOP and has pin spacing of 0.4, 0.5, or 0.65 mm.
• LQFP - Low profile Quad Flat Pack. This package has pins on all four sides. Pin spacing varies according to the IC, but the height is 1.4 mm.
• PQFP - Plastic Quad Flat Pack. A square plastic package with equal number of gull wing style pins on each side. Typically narrow spacing and often 44 or more pins. Normally used for VLSI circuits.
• CQFP - Ceramic Quad Flat Pack. A ceramic version of the PQFP.
• TQFP - Thin Quad Flat Pack. A thin version of the PQFP.
• BGA - Ball Grid Array. A package that uses pads underneath the package to make contact wit the printed circuit board.

Before soldering the pads appear as solder balls, giving rise to the name. By placing the pads underneath the package there is more room for them, thereby overcoming some of the problems of the very thin leads required for the quad flat packs. The ball spacing on BGAs is typically 1.27 mm.

Transistor packages

SOT-23 - Small Outline Transistor. This is SMT package has three terminals for a diode of transistor, bit it can have more pins when it may be used for small integrated circuits such as an operational amplifier, etc. It measures 3 mm x 1.75 mm x 1.3 mm

SOT-223 - Small Outline Transistor. This package is used for higher power devices. It measures 6.7 mm x 3.7 mm x 1.8 mm. There are generally four terminals, one of which is a large heat-transfer pad.

EIA specifications of Tantalum SMT Capacitors packages

As a result of the different construction and requirements for Tantalum SMT Capacitors, there are some different packages that are used for them. These conform to EIA specifications.

SMT components of Resistors and Capacitors

These SMT components are mainly resistors and capacitors which form the bulk of the number of components used. There are several different sizes which have been reduced as technology has enabled smaller components to be manufactured and used.

Of these sizes, the 1812, and 1206 sizes are now only used for specialized components or ones requiring larger levels of power to be dissipated The 0603 and 0402 SMT sizes are the most widely used.

Surge Capacitor Informations

A surge capacitor is a device designed to absorb surges and/or reduce the steepness of their wave front. A capacitor is able to absorb and hold a charge of electricity, returning it to the circuit at a later time. Since the surge capacitor is always connected to the power circuit, current flows at all times. When a surge occurs, added current flows to the capacitor thereby lowering the intensity of the surge voltage. The amount of current the capacitor can absorb depends on the size of the capacitor, and the amount of voltage pushing the current.

If the surge is of a low current relative to its voltage intensity, the capacitor will absorb it. If the surge has high current, the capacitor cannot absorb it.

The main advantage of a capacitor is that there is no time delay in turning on as it always conducts. The disadvantage is that the amount of current it can handle is limited to a few amps, depending on the surge voltage. For this reason, an arrestor should always be installed with a capacitor to protect it from intense surges.

A Good-Sounding Capacitor is Essential!

Coupling capacitors are used in all tube gear. The audio signal gets from one tube to the next through these electrical components. For over twenty years, audiophiles and audio designers have been aware that not all caps sound alike. Capacitors can make a huge difference in the sound of equipment.

In the original Counterpoint gear for the upgrades, use different capacitors depending on the unit being upgraded, and the desired cost/benefit ratio.

Non-polarized fixed capacitor

A non-polarized ("non polar") capacitor is a type of capacitor that has no implicit polarity -- it can be connected either way in a circuit. Ceramic, mica and some electrolytic capacitors are non-polarized. You'll also sometimes hear people call them "bipolar" capacitors.

The Capacitors

A capacitor is an electronic component that stores energy in the electric field created between a pair of conductors on which equal but opposite electric charges have been placed. Capacitors are used for a variety of purposes including signal coupling, motor starting, energy storage, power factor correction, voltage regulation, tuning, resonance and filtration. Capacitors are energy storage devices that are commonly used to supply these energy bursts by storing energy in a circuit and delivering the energy upon timed demand. A capacitor stores a charge and then supplies the charge required for the operation of a electrical device, such as audio amplifiers, surge protectors, power supplies, switching regulators, motor control regulators, computer electronics, and resistance spot welders. These electrical devices often require substantial bursts of energy in their operation. Microelectronic capacitors are becoming increasingly important in microelectronic devices. Microelectronic capacitors have been widely used in integrated circuit memory devices, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. A capacitor is typically made of two parallel surfaces or plates, each of which is an electrode. In order to obtain a high capacitance, a large dielectric surface area is used, the dielectric may be a gas, liquid, solid, or vacuum.

Voltage

Voltage is supplied by the battery (or power supply).
Voltage is used up in components, but not in wires.
We say voltage across a component.
Voltage is measured with a voltmeter, connected in parallel.