At 11:15 PM 4/5/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Sphero,
>
>What do you mean by "the current is limited to the maximum value"? Are you
>talking about inrush current which charges the caps? I know of a good
>number of apps which recommend tantalum caps for bypassing because of their
>low ESR.

Yes, that's exactly correct.

A *minimum* series resistance as high as 2-3 ohms per volt is specified for
some capacitors. In some cases this can be reduced (for some suppliers)
to 0.1 ohm/volt but this may require some special circuitry for soft-
start (series MOSFET etc.).

In general, if you are using a low current regulator 78MXX, or 78LXX
and there is no mechanical contact etc. it's probably ok, particularly
if the cap is derated a bit. Under other conditions it may well not be.

Ripple current is a different (orthogonal) limitation, which is usually
a little more up-front in the data sheets.

Best regards,
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..."            "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com
Contributions invited->The AVR-gcc FAQ is at: http://www.bluecollarlinux.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=