In an effort to miniaturise and increase the performance of electronic devices, in particular their power circuits, manufacturers are constantly looking for new, more efficient and compact electronic components.
The greatest challenge in this field has been the miniaturisation of capacitors, which not only perform a number of functions in almost every circuit, but also – on account of their design and principle of operation – are failure-prone components. And yet, damage to a capacitor may go unnoticed, while simultaneously resulting, for example, in reduced transmission speed in microprocessor systems or even the entire network infrastructure (even if only a single decoupling capacitor has failed).
For decades, one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic components has been Panasonic. As a manufacturer of industrial and consumer equipment as well as components contained in their circuits, the company is well aware of the requirements for modern passive components – and strives to bring innovative solutions to the market. One of them is the technology of production of aluminium-polymer capacitors. These solutions offer a number of advantages which make them a viable alternative to traditional electrolytic capacitors, polymer capacitors and – thanks to the compact size – ceramic capacitors. In the Panasonic’s portfolio, such products are marketed under the name OS-CON**, and the TME catalogue features a wide range of these components. We would like to encourage you to get acquainted with this offer – below you will find a summary of the advantages and an overview of the available products.
OS-CON capacitors
Advantages of the OS-CON series
Capacitors manufactured using the aluminium-polymer technology feature a number of advantages and can be applied in a variety of circuits. The key strengths of the OS-COM series products are listed below. Details of the individual capacitor types are discussed in the following section.
Low-ESR
The use of polymer allows the OS-CON capacitors to achieve low ESR. Thanks to their low impedance, they are characterised by excellent tolerance to ripple current and can be applied in high-frequency circuits. They are suitable for switch-mode power supplies and can also serve as decoupling components for microprocessors and microcontrollers in industrial and consumer electronics. In addition, thanks to their compact size, they allow for PCB miniaturisation, which makes it possible to build convenient mains chargers as well as complex circuits supplying a wide range of voltages (e.g. in consumer electronics). Low impedance directly translates into reduction of the capacitor operating temperature.
Pb-free and RoHS compliance
To safeguard the health of users of electronic devices (but also of factory workers and maintenance personnel), as well as to protect the environment, using lead-free solders to assemble components has become a worldwide standard. Due to elimination of lead from alloys applied in industry, manufacturing processes require the use of higher soldering temperatures. Unfortunately, capacitors are heat-sensitive components, not only during operation. However, OS-CON technology enables the manufacture of machine-assembled components – these capacitors can be mounted using lead-free solders, and their design is also free of lead ( Pb-Free ) and other harmful substances, which means that they comply with the RoHS Directive.
Long service life and high thermal tolerance
Compared to electrolytic components of similar performance parameters, OS-CON capacitors offer a very long service life. It depends on a given series, but some components supplied by Panasonic guarantee failure-free operation in extreme thermal conditions (105°C) for as long as 20000h. The TME’s core offer (available directly from our warehouses) includes components with a lifetime of 5000h, e.g. SEPC or SVPF series. This allows for the construction of highly reliable electronic devices – which is particularly important in the case of power supply circuits, where damage to a capacitor may lead to a failure of the entire device. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the thermal tolerance stated above – which for the OS-CON components ranges from -55 to 105°C, or even from -55 to 125°C – makes it possible to use Panasonic products in demanding applications, not only for high-frequency and high-current circuits, but also for devices operating in harsh environmental conditions.
Wide choice of capacitances
Another advantage of the OS-CON series products is the availability of a wide range of capacitances. The capacitors come in variants ranging from 3.3μF to 2700μF, which will satisfy the needs of most circuits. It should be highlighted that surface-mount components (SMD) are available from the TME catalogue in virtually all of these capacitances (3.3...1500μF), which makes it possible to design circuits with high electrical requirements, without the need to implement through-hole components (THT). The latter are available from TME in capacitances starting from 6.8µF upwards.
High voltage and high reliability
Finally, it should be noted that the aluminium-polymer technology allows for the manufacture of capacitors that are capable of operating at high voltages (even up to 100V). Most of Panasonic products meet the requirements of applications such as DC/DC converters used in PC or server power supplies, they also match the electrical parameters of LCD backlight panels (audio-video equipment), medical equipment, as well as circuits applied in the automotive industry.
TME offer
The range of OS-CON components by Panasonic that are available from the TME catalogue includes more than 20 product series. Most of them are either intended for specific applications or offer unique, distinctive features. For example, the SXE, SEF and SEK series comprise high-voltage capacitors designed primarily for industrial as well as medical devices. SVPC, SVPE are series of components designed for DC/DC converters; while SVPG, SEPG tolerate high ripple currents and offer extremely low impedance, their intended application being ICT infrastructure components. Below, you will find an overview of the OS-CON components. Please note that the listed parameters apply to the entire range of products available at TME, but the actual rating will depend on the selected capacitor model.
OS-CON THT capacitors
Terminals of the capacitors are spaced at metric pitch.
| Parameters |
| Operating voltage |
from 2V to 100V DC |
| Capacitance |
from 6.8µF to 2700µF |
| Impedance |
from 5mΩ to 100mΩ |
| Operating current |
from 340mA to 7.2A |
| Body dimensions |
from Ø5x9mm to Ø10x13mm |
| Terminal pitch |
2mm, 2.5mm, 3.5mm or 5mm |
| Service life |
up to 5000h |
| Tolerance |
±20% |
OS-CON THT capacitors
OS-CON SMD capacitors
| Parameters |
| Operating voltage |
from 2.5V to 100V DC |
| Capacitance |
from 3.3µF to 1500µF |
| Impedance |
from 8mΩ to 260mΩ |
| Body dimensions |
from Ø4x5.4mm to Ø10x12.7mm |
| Service life |
up to 5000h |
| Tolerance |
±20% |
The SMD capacitors are available in standard, miniature sizes.
OS-CON SMD capacitors