Why so little love for the nanofarad?

[JTEX]

Here's a pet peeve of mine. I hate seeing cap values such as 8200p or 0.047uF. What's up with that? Someone's nano-shy? God gave us the nanofarad so we can say 8.2nF or 47 nano instead! Do you call an 8.2k resistor 8200 ohms? do you say 47k or 0.047 megs? Do you have 5000 cents, or a 50 dollar bill?

Now, OTOH, I don't seem to have a problem with 2200uF instead of 2.2mF. But that's probably because we resist introducing a new prefix beside pico, nano and micro, that wouldn't be used as frequently. But nano is in between two super used prefixes, so where's the love?

 

[Robert]

I'm all for the nanofarad.

I'd avoid mF like the plague because it'd be far too easy to confuse that with nF, especially with small PCB silkscreen.

 

[JTEX]

Indeed, that's another good reason to avoid the mF.

 

[darwin999]

10^-6 and 10^-12 just have special engineering notional preference. Just be glad we don't have to deal with femtofarads, attofarads or zeptofarads... They sound like Marx Brothers names...

 

[JTEX]

Special engineering whaa? I submit that the whole nanofarad avoidance is an American thing, like the Metric Avoidance Syndrome. Back when I was in Europe, the nanofarad was just as much used as the others. Also, if you go buy caps from Asian sources, the nano is just as used as pico and micro.

 

[darwin999]

Straight scientific notation would turn 47µF into 4.7x10^-5 F, which also can get annoying or confusing.
So engineers tend to gravitate to exponent multiples of 6 or 3.
Hey, I'm not defending it, I'm just observing the results.

 

[JTEX]

Exhibit A

It's a conspiracy, I tell you... Illuminati something.

 

[Giorfida]

Special engineering whaa? I submit that the whole nanofarad avoidance is an American thing, like the Metric Avoidance Syndrome. Back when I was in Europe, the nanofarad was just as much used as the others. Also, if you go buy caps from Asian sources, the nano is just as used as pico and micro.

I don’t see it as much as an avoidance as it is a “habit” thing. Folks who have been working with electronics for decades, reading schematics that are decades older than them, speak the language that others have. And for them to have to do math to change to another naming convention just to speak to others who may be a lot younger isn’t attractive to them.
Personally, I made the conscious choice to start using pf (1-999pf), nF (1-999nf) and uF for anything larger. But to be honest it’s still not “natural” to me, and I have to convert in my head between nF and decimal uF values all the time. Hopefully it will become natural for me while im still on this earth lol

 

[ICTRock]

you mfs should be ashamed

 

[JTEX]

Exhibit B. Further proof of my conspiracy theory. Which of the following caps has the largest value?

Funny how two of them are from the same manufacturer. One's an ungodly 10000pF, the other a lone 10nF that must have somehow escaped the censors at Mouser.

 

[andare]

Wait, are nano farads in the bible?

Anyway which burger has more meat, a quarter pounder or a third pounder?
Which nut is wider, 1 5/8" or 1 11/16"?

First time buying ham in Poland I asked for 100 grams and I got a puzzled look. Finally I learned I have to order 10 decagrams.

People don't like logic very much, even in the metric system.

I'm a shill for nano farads.

 

[JTEX]

Wait, are nano farads in the bible?

No idea. I tried to read one once but it burned my hand when I touched it.

 

[KR Sound]

Exhibit B. Further proof of my conspiracy theory. Which of the following caps has the largest value?

Funny how two of them are from the same manufacturer. One's an ungodly 10000pF, the other a lone 10nF that must have somehow escaped the censors at Mouser.


View attachment 69716

All the same, right? I always move left or right 3 places

 

[Erik S]

I always struggle with the conversions when cap shopping. I use the heck out of this chart from GuitarPCB.

I’ve always meant to commit the code system to memory. Now that I’m looking at it I guess I could probably remember it…

Code is first two digits of the pico value plus the number of zeros… then move the decimal three left for nano or 6 left for micro. We’ll see if that sticks in my brain.

 

[Robert]

I always shop for shoes using EU sizes so they sound bigger.....

 

[spi]

So engineers tend to gravitate to exponent multiples of 6 or 3.

yeah, but nano is 10^-9 right? last I checked was a 9 was a multiple of 3.

 

[chris.knudson]

I always struggle with the conversions when cap shopping. I use the heck out of this chart from GuitarPCB.

I’ve always meant to commit the code system to memory. Now that I’m looking at it I guess I could probably remember it…

Code is first two digits of the pico value plus the number of zeros… then move the decimal three left for nano or 6 left for micro. We’ll see if that sticks in my brain.

View attachment 69717

Yep. I know that a 104 is 100nF, but I check the chart every time just to be sure.

 

[KR Sound]

I always struggle with the conversions when cap shopping. I use the heck out of this chart from GuitarPCB.

I’ve always meant to commit the code system to memory. Now that I’m looking at it I guess I could probably remember it…

Code is first two digits of the pico value plus the number of zeros… then move the decimal three left for nano or 6 left for micro. We’ll see if that sticks in my brain.

View attachment 69717

Have a link to that?

 

[chris.knudson]

Have a link to that?

https://circuitspedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ceramic-capacitor-code-table-2.jpg

 

[jimilee]

Yep. I know that a 104 is 100nF, but I check the chart every time just to be sure.

Yes but so is 1j63. Wtf is up with that?