As a rather popular method, Surface-mount technology (SMT) consists of certain components being mounted on the surface of a printed circuit board, more commonly known as PCB. When compared to the older, through-hole technique, this method comes with a lot of advantages. For starters, the components are much smaller and they can be placed on both sides of the board. Plus, those components are more affordable and the assembly is much faster and simpler. Click this to see what they include.

 

Purchasing these components requires you to have at least some basic knowledge about the various products needed for various electronic devices. In other words, you need to know exactly what to buy for which device and you also need to know how to get the best possible products for that device. That means that figuring out you need a capacitor is not nearly enough for you to go shopping.

In addition to knowing what you need, you need to understand that you can get different quality pieces. Furthermore, not all of those pieces will be suitable for just any electronic device you have. There are certain factors you need to take into consideration when buying passive surface mounted components and we’re going to check those out now.

For Inductors

Inductors are those electrical components designed specifically for storing electrical energy in the form of magnetic energy. It resists any changes in the amounts of current flowing through it. In order for it to work properly for your specific device, you will need to take a couple of things into consideration before buying the component.

First, learn how inductors actually work: https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/inductor.htm

Unsurprisingly, the size is the first thing you will need to keep in mind. Radio frequency applications usually go for smaller inductors, while power circuit ones require larger inductors with filter capacitors. For the best efficiency, you will also need to search for inductors featuring resistors.

Shielding is also an important factor, since it helps reduce magnetic coupling between different parts. The value of the saturation current shows the component’s capacity to store particular amounts of magnetic flux densities, so it is another significant element to take into account. Make sure to know what your electronic device actually needs before you start shopping for these.

For Capacitors

Unlike inductors, capacitors are capable of actually storing electrical energy. It is usually compared to a small, rechargeable battery, due to certain similarities between these two. Simply put, they both store electrical energy. Buying a capacitor requires you to look at the working voltage before anything else.

Usually, the best idea is to opt for a 50% to 60% of working voltage, because that amount will make the component perfectly reliable. While there might be certain other factors that you should consider, working voltage is the important one. Surface mounted capacitors are used in modern manufacturing and especially high-volume one.

For Resistors

One of the rather important passive surface mounted components is known as a resistor. These are the devices that divide voltages, reduce current flow and adjust signal levels among other things. Their purpose is to protect electrical devices from a power overproduction. You can safely say that the work of other components depends on these tools.

The type of resistor you will buy depends on your actual needs and requirements. Different ones are used for different types of devices, which means that you will have to be rather careful when buying these. In addition to the intended application, you’ll need to consider the construction type and the resistance material.

Basically, resistors can come in three different construction types, i.e. variable, fixed and physical quality. As the name says it, variable resistors have varying, i.e. adjustable resistances, while fixed ones come with unchanging, i.e. invariable resistances. Physical quality ones are known for being able to change resistances in accordance with their physical traits.

When material is in question, there are also quite a few choices to keep in mind. Remember, the material you choose will determine this component’s ability to resist electrical current, which is its whole purpose. You can go with wire wound, foil, metal film, carbon film, as well as thick and thin films. When deciding on this, don’t forget to think of the purpose for buying a resistor in the first place.