Cantara/.claude/skills/manufacturers/wima

WIMA Handler Skill

Use this skill when working with WIMA premium film capacitors - adding patterns, parsing WIMA MPNs, extracting capacitance values, voltage ratings, dielectric types, or package codes from WIMA part numbers.

Overview

WIMA is a German manufacturer specializing in high-quality film capacitors for audio, pulse, and general applications. They are particularly renowned for their audio-grade capacitors.

Series Naming Convention

WIMA uses a 3-letter prefix system followed by a size code:

First Letter - Construction Type

• M = Metallized (thin metal layer on film) - self-healing
• F = Film/Foil (discrete metal foil electrodes) - lowest losses

Second Letter

• K = Kunststoff (German for "plastic film capacitor")

Third Letter - Dielectric Material

• S = Polyester (PET) - good general purpose, higher capacitance per volume
• P = Polypropylene (PP) - lower losses, better for audio/pulse
• C = Polycarbonate (legacy, discontinued)

Common Series

| Series | Construction | Dielectric | Typical Use | |--------|--------------|------------|-------------| | MKS | Metallized | Polyester (PET) | General purpose, compact, coupling | | MKP | Metallized | Polypropylene (PP) | Audio, snubber, pulse | | FKS | Foil | Polyester (PET) | Precision, low loss | | FKP | Foil | Polypropylene (PP) | Highest quality, premium audio | | FKC | Foil | Polycarbonate | Legacy (discontinued) |

Size Codes (Lead Spacing/Pitch)

| Code | Pitch | |------|-------| | 2 | 5mm | | 3 | 7.5mm | | 4 | 7.5mm | | 6 | 10mm | | 10 | 15mm (MKP10 pulse) | | 20 | 22.5mm |

MPN Structure

Format: [Series][Size]-[Value]/[Voltage]/[Tolerance]

Examples

| MPN | Series | Size | Value | Voltage | Tolerance | |-----|--------|------|-------|---------|-----------| | MKS4-100/63/10 | MKS | 4 (7.5mm) | 100nF | 63V | 10% | | MKP10-0.01/1000/10 | MKP | 10 (15mm) | 10nF | 1000V | 10% | | FKP2-330/100/5 | FKP | 2 (5mm) | 330pF | 100V | 5% | | MKS2-100/63/10 | MKS | 2 (5mm) | 100nF | 63V | 10% |

Value Formats

• 100 = 100nF (default unit for larger values)
• 0.01 = 10nF (decimal format)
• 330P = 330pF (with unit suffix)
• 100N = 100nF (with unit suffix)
• 1U = 1uF (with unit suffix)

Handler Implementation

Key Files

• Handler: src/main/java/.../manufacturers/WIMAHandler.java
• Tests: src/test/java/.../handlers/WIMAHandlerTest.java

Supported ComponentTypes

• ComponentType.CAPACITOR (base type)
• ComponentType.CAPACITOR_FILM_WIMA (manufacturer-specific)

Key Methods

// Check if MPN is a WIMA capacitor
handler.matches(mpn, ComponentType.CAPACITOR_FILM_WIMA, registry)

// Extract series (e.g., "MKS4", "MKP10", "FKP2")
handler.extractSeries(mpn)

// Extract package/pitch (e.g., "5mm", "7.5mm", "15mm")
handler.extractPackageCode(mpn)

// Get dielectric type (e.g., "PET", "PP", "PC")
handler.getDielectricType(mpn)

// Get construction type (e.g., "Metallized", "Foil")
handler.getConstructionType(mpn)

Pattern Matching

The handler uses regex patterns to identify WIMA parts:

// Main series pattern
"^(MKS|MKP|FKS|FKP|FKC)\\d+.*"

// SMD series pattern
"^SMD[PM]\\d+.*"

Audio Applications

WIMA capacitors are highly regarded in audio applications:

Recommended Series for Audio

1. FKP - Foil Polypropylene: Best for critical audio paths (signal coupling)
2. MKP - Metallized Polypropylene: Good balance of performance/cost
3. MKS - Metallized Polyester: Budget option for less critical applications

Audio Application Examples

• Input/output coupling: FKP2 or MKP series
• Power supply decoupling: MKP4 or MKP10
• Tone control: FKP2 for precision
• Crossover networks: MKP series

Replacement Guidelines

Compatible Replacements

• Same series prefix (MKS, MKP, etc.)
• Same size code (same lead spacing)
• Same or higher voltage rating
• Same or tighter tolerance

Upgrade Paths

| Original | Upgrade | Notes | |----------|---------|-------| | MKS | MKP | Lower loss, better audio | | MKS | FKS | Lower loss | | MKP | FKP | Lowest loss, premium | | FKS | FKP | Better dielectric |

Testing Examples

// Test MPN detection
assertTrue(handler.matches("MKS4-100/63/10", ComponentType.CAPACITOR_FILM_WIMA, registry));

// Test series extraction
assertEquals("MKS4", handler.extractSeries("MKS4-100/63/10"));

// Test package extraction
assertEquals("7.5mm", handler.extractPackageCode("MKS4-100/63/10"));

// Test dielectric type
assertEquals("PET", handler.getDielectricType("MKS4-100/63/10"));
assertEquals("PP", handler.getDielectricType("MKP10-100/1000/10"));

// Test construction type
assertEquals("Metallized", handler.getConstructionType("MKS4-100/63/10"));
assertEquals("Foil", handler.getConstructionType("FKP2-330/100/5"));

Learnings & Quirks

Pattern Matching Notes

• WIMA MPNs can use hyphens or underscores as separators
• Value can be in various formats: decimal (0.01), integer (100), or with suffix (330P)
• Size code immediately follows the series prefix without separator

Color Coding (Physical Identification)

Historical WIMA color coding:

• MKS (PET Metallized): Red case, white/silver text
• MKP (PP Metallized): Red case, black text
• FKS (PET Foil): Red case with yellow band, white/silver text
• FKP (PP Foil): Red case with yellow band, black text

Note: Since 2024, WIMA has standardized to black marking on all capacitors.

Known Limitations

• SMD patterns (SMDP, SMDM) are less common and may have different formats
• Legacy FKC (polycarbonate) series is discontinued but still in some legacy designs
• Some alternative MPN formats exist (e.g., MKS4C024703C00KSSD)

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Sources

• WIMA Part Number System
• WIMA SMD Part Numbers
• WIMA Audio Capacitors