I grew up in the era when caps (condensers!) were printed with their REAL readings instead of this modern code stuff. They said .05 mfd., .001 mfd., .00025 mfd., and so on.
When I dove back into radio a number of years ago I found the new (and confusing to me) system of numbering. Here's my "caveman" way of managing it, which you may or may not find useful.
Take a cap marked 473.
The first two digits are the
significant digits of the rating. Write them down.
The last digit is the
number of zeros that follow.
So you have 47000 picofarads (back in the day we called them micromicrofarads or mmfd.)
Now, to get to microfarads, move the decimal point (always) six places to the left and you have .047000, and tossing the useless zeros, .047 mfd.
I told you it was "caveman."
