RE: [amsat-bb] Low ESR Capacitors - Capacitors in space

["Tom Clark, W3IWI" <w3iwi@xxxxxxxx>]

Joe

> What kind of capacitors are being used on the OSCAR
> satellites? Are there "space rated" types which are more durable? I
> remember some tubular tantalums from the 70's that were supposed to be
> pretty good. What is out there today in the way of reliable lytic's?

Sealed tantalum capacitors are space qualified and have been used since (at
least) Oscar-6. Karl Meinzer has advocated sealed Aluminum electrolytics and
they have been used since Oscar-7. One of the main concerns has involved the
possibility of liquid electrolytes leaking in vacuum so much testing was
done to find capacitors with good seals. Be cautious of any capacitors that
use rubber seals, since the rubber will dry and crack and the goo inside the
caps will leak.

Tom

----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org