[Boatanchors] Electrolytics- How Much is Too Much

[Ken Kaplan]

Unless the manufacturer specs a value (i.e. Nippon Chemi-Con), I use the 
formula:

6 * square root of (C*V)

where C = capacitance in uF
V = rated working voltage in volts

For example, a 120uF 400V capacitor will calculate to 1.31mA. Your 1.5mA 
reading isn't too bad.

Ken

On 1/30/2013 4:59 AM, David Stinson wrote:
> High Voltage electrolytics- how much current leakage
> at rated voltage is "too much?"
>
> There are old standards published 70 years ago,
> but I'm interested in your current insight.
> Say- I have an original can capacitor, rated 40-40-40 at 450 volts.
> After sitting with all three tied together and at
> 400 volts, total leakage was about 1.5. mA.
>
> I'm not interested in re-igniting the nasty name-calling
> over whether or not "re-forming" caps is a good or bad idea- only in
> what level of leakage is, in your opinion,
> acceptable in order to maintain a stock part in a set.
>
> 73 DE Dave AB5S