Objective To learn how to read the codes on different capacitors and check if your reading is correct using a multimeter. Materials A collection of different capacitors (e.g., small ceramic discs, "boxy" film capacitors, and "can-shaped" electrolytic capacitors). A digital multimeter (DMM) that has a capacitance setting (marked with Cx or —|(— ). A notebook and pen. Capacitor code charts (see below). Procedure This experiment has three easy steps: Inspect, Decode, and Verify. Step 1: Inspect & Sort (Visual ID) First, look at your capacitors and sort them by their appearance. This tells you the capacitor type and gives a big clue about how to read it. Color 1st Digit 2nd Digit Multiplier (add zeros) Black 0 0 $\times 1$ (0 zeros) Brown 1 1 $\times 10$ (1 zero) Red 2 2 $\times 100$ (2 zeros) Orange 3 3 $\times 1000$ (3 zeros) Yellow 4 4 $\times 10000$ (4 zeros) Green 5 5 $\times 100000$ (5 zeros) Example: Bands are Yellow, Violet, Orange Yellow: 4 ...
