How do you know which side is positive on an electrolytic capacitor?

Electrolytic capacitors have a positive and negative side. To tell which side is which, look for a large stripe or a minus sign (or both) on one side of the capacitor. The lead closest to that stripe or minus sign is the negative lead, and the other lead (which is unlabeled) is the positive lead.

What are the markings on a capacitor?

The top “683” marking indicates the capacitance value, which is 68,000 picofarads (pF). To get this value, you multiply the leading digits (68 in this case) by 10 raised to the power of the last digit (3), and the result is the capacitance in picofarads (in this case, we get 68×10 3 pF).

How do you identify an electrolytic capacitor?

Many recent capacitors are marked with the actual + and – signs and this makes it easy to determine the polarity of the capacitor. Another format for electrolytic capacitor polarity markings is to use a stripe on the component. On an electrolytic capacitor the stripe indicates the negative lead.

How can you differentiate between negative and positive terminals of an electrolytic capacitor?

So, how do you tell which sides are positive and negative? Most electrolytic capacitors are clearly marked with a black stripe on the negative side and include arrows or chevrons to deter incorrect connections. Unmarked polarized capacitors have an indented ring around the positive end.

What does the schematic symbol for a capacitor look like?

Capacitor Schematic Symbols

Symbol Identification Description of Symbol
Polarized Capacitor A fixed value polarised DC capacitor usually an electrolytic capacitor which must be connected to the supply as indicated
Variable Capacitor An adjustable capacitor whose capacitance value can be varied by means of adjustable plates

Which is the negative side of a capacitor?

The negative pin of the cap is usually indicated by a “-” marking, and/or a colored strip along the can. They might also have a longer positive leg. Below are 10µF (left) and a 1mF electrolytic capacitors, each of which has a dash symbol to mark the negative leg, as well as a longer positive leg.