A capacitor made out of the precious metal tantalum. The silver-gray tantalum beads, in the form of compacted powder, can store a lot of charge relative to their mass. This enables smaller capacitors ...

This article is part of The engineer’s complete guide to capacitors. If you’re unsure of what type of capacitor is best for your circuit, read How to choose the right capacitor for any application.

The author writes occasionally here about restoring vintage electronics. Vintage equipment relies on many components to run properly. Let’s focus today on what capacitors do in this process. A ...