Higher capacitance but the same voltage.

Question

Hello experts in electronics,

My queries are can I use a higher capacitance but the same voltage capacitor in my speedometer cluster gauge? Like a 10 uF 25 volt capacitor replacing a 6.8 uF 25 voltage capacitor?

Thank you in advance.

Lou

jw0752 · Answer

Hi Lou,

It will depend on how the capacitor is being used. If it is part of an averaging circuit then the answer is no. The capacitance change may change the input to output ratio and the speedometer may read too high. It is usually acceptable in circuits where the capacitor is being used as a filter to use a larger capacitance and the same or higher voltage. Remember that the voltage listed is just the limit of what the capacitor can tolerate before it begins to fail. Can you supply a schematic of the speedometer so we can see how the capacitor is being used?

John