Polymer construction and why the ESR matters
The APSG160ELL561MHB5S is a solid polymer aluminum electrolytic in United Chemi-Con's NPCAP™-PSG series — the solid electrolyte eliminates the leakage and drying-out failure modes that limit wet-electrolytic lifetime in power-supply filter applications. At 14 mΩ ESR, this part sits well below equivalent wet electrolytics of the same capacitance and voltage rating — that directly translates to lower I²R losses in the capacitor and less voltage droop on the rail during transient load steps. Rated ripple current is 4.97 A rms at 100 kHz, which is the switching frequency band where switch-mode power supplies generate the most harmonic content — the polymer construction handles this without the thermal runaway risk that constrains ripple ratings on conventional electrolytics.
Thermal headroom and lifetime at temperature
The -55°C to 105°C operating window is wide for a polymer capacitor — the lower bound covers cold-start and outdoor equipment, and the upper bound is the same thermal class as most industrial power semiconductors, so they can share an enclosure without special thermal separation. Rated lifetime is 20,000 hours at 105°C, which is the metric that determines whether this part survives the heat soak inside a sealed enclosure over the product's service life — derating the ripple current or running at lower ambient extends that figure per the Arrhenius relationship but the base spec already assumes continuous 105°C operation.
Physical footprint and board integration
8.00 mm diameter, 13.00 mm seated height, 3.50 mm lead spacing — the 8 mm case fits standard 5 mm grid layouts and the 13 mm seated height is tall enough to provide adequate electrolyte volume for the ripple and lifetime ratings without requiring a physically oversized part. Bulk packaging means it ships without reel or ammo packaging — the radial can and 3.50 mm spaced leads are compatible with auto-insertion and wave-soldering processes standard in power-supply board assembly.
The APSG160ELL561MHB5S is listed Active by United Chemi-Con — suitable for new design-in with a normal product lifecycle expectation.