Name that cap! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: calzap
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 04:34:11 am
content: I was going through my capacitor collection to catalog and test it, and there were a few caps with logos I couldn't identify. The first is a black circle with white letters in it that appear to be "db". These caps are all AC safety caps and still sold widely today. Just search "safety capacitors" on eBay, and you'll find them. Second is a rectangular motor start cap. The logo is a large S with a stylized, block Y under it with the Y being composed of three narrow lines running in parallel. Third is the most interesting. It's a old tin can, and the logo consists of a rectangle with two characters in it. Right character appears to be an O. The left is like a cloud in that you can see what you want. It could be an N or a K, maybe an X. However, it could be a cartoon of a frog-footed walking person with their right hand raised. But what's that dangling between the legs? Fourth is a big, 25 mm ceramic, and the logo is a circle with a couple of legs sticking out and a D in the middle. Fifth is a ceramic, and the logo appears to be a stylized C with a stylized M to the right.Yup, I've looked on-line a lot. Easy to find logos for semiconductors; caps are not easy.BTW, is there any way to know the voltage rating of a ceramic if it's not printed on it? Perhaps, some combo of capacitance and diameter indicates voltage?Mike in Calif

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 05:02:08 am
content: If it's a pretty low value ceramic capacitor and it has a large diameter, you can at least be somewhat certain that it has a damn high voltage rating. I personally avoid old and crusty ceramic caps, though.EDIT: The strange logo on the tin can could be a drawing of a man or something as well.EDIT #2: I'm just going to throw this out there: I don't know why you care to identify these. The ceramics were probably made in Mexico or something and the yellow X2 capacitor would be effectively identical to almost any other one you'd find in China. Carli is a brand I see a lot in small switch-mode supplies. I've taken apart A LOT of wall warts and bricks.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 05:15:57 am
content: The second one is actually a motor run cap, of the cheap(er) plastic cased variety.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 11:18:21 am
content: The 1stone might be an old logo ofhttp://www.jbcapacitors.com/The 2nd one isSheng Ye- found it by looking up the UL filing number E185116.If "1978" on the 3rd one is a date, it might be from a company that doesn't exist anymore.4 could be ancient Cornell Dubilier

author: calzap
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 04:55:27 pm
content: Thanks Amyk.You are probably right about number one being a jb cap. I mistook the "j" to be a "d". Searching Google or eBay for jb capacitors turns-up a lot of hits, but none that I saw had that particular logo. Don't know that it is an old logo though. Bought mine in 2011 and they had a factory-fresh look, and new ones are readily available on eBay. Could be an alternate logo for countries where there is a problem with their regular jb logo.Definitely right about the 2nd capacitor. I looked up the UL number on the 1st cap and it appeared to be just a standard, so didn't try on the second.#3 is still a total mystery.With a little more sleuthing, I determined that #4 is a Circle D capacitor. The company has disappeared. Vintage Circle D's are still in demand by restorers of electric guitars and amps because Fender and other makers used them extensively.I'm suspicious that number 5 is a Matsushita (aka Panasonic). The stylized M looks right for their old logo. However, on their logo, the M was surrounded by a box. Could be what appears to be a C is the left hand half of a box and the right hand portion is missing for some reason.Mike

author: minime72706
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2013, 09:17:02 pm
content: Quote from: calzap on December 01, 2013, 04:55:27 pmI see where you're coming from, but I somehow doubt that it's a Matsushita product. I would believe it to be an attempt at knocking off the logo, however. The box seems more like it would be rectangular if the other half were not "missing". I also don't see how the topography of the surface would cause the other "serif" (for lack of a better word) on the M.

author: calzap
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 02, 2013, 02:13:28 am
content: Yeah, Matsushita is a stretch. Also, possible it's not really a logo. CM is put on a lot of ceramics by different makers to indicate ceramic multilayer. However, it seems too stylized not to be a logo, but maybe someone in the art dept. of a cap maker was bored and needed a creative outlet.Mike