Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

[redwire]

2022-05 Nichicon is end-of-life mass terminating many really great electrolytic capacitor series: https://cdn.badcaps-static.com/pdfs/...d334e16c2c.pdf
Some seem to be about size? "We are notifying you that all 7mm height UPW series capacitors have reached their End of Life. Last time to buy date is September 15,2021. End of production will be on March 31,2022."
https://cdn.badcaps-static.com/pdfs/...1dc83e4ed9.pdf

I notice Digi-Key is listing "Not For New Designs" across the line for Nichicon electrolytics such as UPW, UPJ, UPV, UKL etc.
If this is true, it's just tragic.

[AleXis6]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

thanks for this information.
I like some of these impacted series

[kaboom]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

This is unbelievable. I never thought I'd live to see this.
As if the last few years haven't been stupid enough...

[CapLeaker]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

UHE and UPW I used quite a bit. Those were decent caps.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

This is not the only brand name that is doing this kind-a-crap the brand that I mostly use has done the same exact thing and I have bought some more of these items that are at the end of life list

If these capacitor manufacturers keep doing this crap you are going to be very LIMITED to what you are going to be able to repair mainly because of size limitations and voltage limitations really

I am getting the end of life notice from Digikey for the ones that I have bought in the past

This is one reason I buy the small UF values under 100uf I buy 100 of them at a time because I have some KY and KZE and some other series that are not available anymore ( because I have had very good results using them in switching power supply and other devices )

In fact I have had to switch from KY or KZE 47uf@50 volts to the automotive series ( when I did this and found out that they work just as good I bought 200 of them because I use this value a lot ) because they were disconnected a while back but they work just as good I still have some 25 volt ones in my part bin

The higher UF values I buy at least 10 of them over what I need for a given project because I will eventually need to use the UF value and the size of the capacitor

[Highland Tech]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

While on the subject one brand of electrolytic capacitor in particular I found to be the most susceptible to failure is Rubycon so they are one brand I prefer seeing the back of. As a result I always try and obtain alternative 105 deg types.

[lti]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

I noticed this a couple weeks ago and switched to Rubycon for my stock. It's weird that Nichicon would discontinue so many parts, especially the smaller ones.

I haven't had any problems with Rubycon, but I always used Nichicon or Panasonic for my stock because they were cheaper. For my own stuff, I don't care much about what brand of caps I use, aside from a few that seem to have unusually high failure rates like CapXon and Fujicon. I haven't used Würth caps because their specs and marking style are a perfect match to CapXon.

[PeteS in CA]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

Unless I’m misunderstanding that chart, it looks like selected case sizes and/or voltages are being discontinued rather than entire series. The PM/PL series has been around since the late 1980s, and the PJ series is pretty long in the tooth as well. If certain HE series parts are hard to find, the PA series is similar in impedance and ripple current rating.

[lti]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

Yeah, they're discontinuing selected parts instead of the entire series in most cases. I used a lot of Nichicon VZ in those smaller can sizes.

[andrewsawesomr]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

It seems like they're discontinuing at least some of the UHD and UHE series as well(Ultra Low Impedance electrolytics)

[Topcat]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

...as well(Ultra Low Impedance electrolytics)

Those have been gone for years; HM, HN, and HZ series.

[andrewsawesomr]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

Those have been gone for years; HM, HN, and HZ series.

Not those types of low Impedance electrolytics, the UHD and UHE series(Not as low Impedance as HM/HN). It seems like Nichicon Is downgrading their selection of capacitors in all Low ESR series. Weirdly enough, DigiKey seems to list the entire UHD and UHE series as "Not Recommended for New Designs". Is that a limitation of the DigiKey website, or just conflicting information?

[PeteS in CA]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

Nichicon actually continues producing and selling older series for a really long time. The PM and PS series are RoHS-compliant versions of the 1980s PL and PR series (~35 years old!). The PJ series has probably been around for 20 or 25 years.

Nichicon is not, at this point, eliminating many of those series, just low-selling case sizes (were 8mm, 10mm, and 12.5mm, and 16mm diameter cases affected at all?). That said, if someone is looking to design in a 16mm diameter low impedance electrolytic, choosing a PM, PS, or PJ series part for a product expected to be in production for 5 or 10 years would be a very bad choice.

[redwire]

Re: Nichicon - discontinuing many electrolytic capacitor series

Digi-Key lists them as mass discontinuation, I think Nichicon might be trimming through-hole parts? Vanilla 1,000uF 25V 10mm dia parts listed as not for new designs.
But realistically, who here has seen Nichicon in new products? Manufacturers have all gone over to using to the cheap chinese capacitors, for years now.