Trimmer Capacitor Identification

What is the difference between a trimmer capacitor and a variable capacitor?

The difference between a trimmer capacitor and a variable capacitor includes the following. A Trimmer capacitor is one type of variable capacitor. The variable capacitor is one kind of capacitor. These capacitors are made with semi-circular metal plates. These capacitors are made with sets of metallic plates.

What should I consider when comparing trimmer capacitor options?

There are also many specifications to consider when comparing trimmer capacitor options including capacitance range, the number of turns required to cover the capacitance range, the SRF, the minimum Q, temperature coefficient, tuning torque, DC working voltage, DWV, and size.

What voltage is a trimmer capacitor?

Figure 2. Trimmer capacitors in the NT series feature DC working voltage ratings as high as 7,500V and a DWV as high as 15,000V for a capacitance range of 2 pF to 100 pF. For example, when looking at Q, also note the frequency at which it was measured (which can range from 1 to 250MHz) as well as the capacitance at which it was specified.

What is the maximum capacitance of a trimmer capacitor?

The minimum capacitance is usually between 0.5 pF and 10 pF, while the maximum capacitance is usually between 1 pF and 120 pF. The actual capacitance value can be varied between the minimum and maximum capacitance values for a given trimmer capacitor, but it can never be set to zero. It is worth noting that trimmer capacitors are not polarized.

What are the different types of trimmer capacitors?

There are two types of trimmer capacitors: air trimmer capacitor and ceramic trimmer capacitor. These two types use different materials as the dielectric. Both types use rotating action to change the capacitance value. The construction of trimmer capacitors is similar to the construction of their larger variant, the variable capacitor.

What does a small size trimmer capacitor mean?

Generally, a small size means a given trimmer capacitor can fit on a PCB. The temperature range indicates the operational condition under which a trimmer capacitor can perform. Outside of this temperature range a trimmer may not perform adequately and could fail prematurely.