22pf Ceramic Capacitor (5 Pack)

22pF Ceramic Capacitor – 5 Pack – Technical Specifications:

Handy Tips for Using the 22pF Ceramic Capacitor:

1: The marking "22pF" means 22 picofarads — this is a very small capacitance value at the low end of the ceramic capacitor range. On a capacitor marked with a three-digit code, "220" would represent this value: the first two digits (22) are the significant figures, and the third digit (0) is the multiplier — 22 × 10⁰ = 22pF. You may also see it written as 0.000022µF or 0.022nF — all three mean exactly the same thing.

2: The 22pF ceramic capacitor is most commonly used as a crystal load capacitor. When using a quartz crystal oscillator with a microcontroller or real-time clock (RTC) — such as a 16MHz crystal with an Arduino, or a 32.768kHz crystal with a DS3231 RTC — two 22pF capacitors are typically required, one connected from each leg of the crystal to ground. These set the correct oscillation frequency and are critical for accurate timing.

3: The C0G / NP0 temperature coefficient means this capacitor's value is extremely stable across temperature and voltage changes — it has near-zero drift compared to Y5V or Z5U types. This makes it the correct choice for frequency-sensitive applications such as crystal oscillators, RF filters, and timing circuits where even small capacitance shifts would affect accuracy.

4: Like all ceramic capacitors, the 22pF is non-polarised — it has no positive or negative leg and can be inserted into a circuit in either orientation without risk of damage. This makes it quick and easy to use on a breadboard or PCB.

5: At only 22pF, this capacitor has a very high reactance at low frequencies and only becomes effective at filtering or bypassing at very high frequencies (RF and above). It is not suitable as a general-purpose decoupling or bypass capacitor — use a 100nF (104) ceramic capacitor for that purpose. The 22pF is best reserved for crystal load, RF tuning, and high-frequency filter applications.