In a circuit that I intend to build, 16V electrolytic capacitors are recommended. Can I use capacitors of larger values?
The voltages specified in a design or diagram are the minimum that the component used must have. Thus, in a circuit where 12 V capacitors are required, 16 V capacitors can be used. Never the other way around. However, capacitors with much higher voltages should not be used, for two reasons. The first is that they are also larger in size, which can compromise the size of the project and in some cases, an appropriate space for their placement in the board design may not be provided. The second is that capacitors such as electrolytics change substantially in capacitance when operating at much lower voltages than those for which they are specified.
