CONDENSERS

DEFINITION:
Condensers and capacitors are the same components. Both terms describe the same
component and essentially there is no difference. However, the term condenser had
been the word used to describe capacitors historically. The word capacitor came
into use several decades ago and now it is used more commonly, although the
word condenser is still in use as well. So, the main difference between capacitor
and condenser is that the term capacitor is a relatively newer term while
condenser is an older term.
Condenser is an older word for a capacitor. In fact, the term is a misnomer. The
first types of capacitors to be made were Leyden jars (shown below). These were
built in the 1700s, and people at the time thought that electric current was like a
fluid and that Leyden jars stored charges by condensing the fluid.

Figure 1: LEYDEN'S JAR

The use of the term condenser has largely been replaced by the term capacitor in
many fields of science and engineering, although “condenser” is still
occasionally used. For instance, in automobile engineering, the word “condenser”
is still frequently used to refer to capacitors.
A mirror, lens, or combination of lenses used to gather light and direct it upon an 
Object or through a projection lens.
A lens that condenses light in a small area.
It is often used to direct light onto the projection lens in a projector.
“A capacitor is a device used to store charge in an electric circuit. It consists of two
conductors on which charge can be stored, separated by a layer of dielectric.”
Capacitors have the following circuit symbol:

Figure 2: SYMBOL OF CAPACITOR

WORKING:
When a capacitor is connected across the terminals of a cell, the positive
side of the cell can draw out negatively-charged electrons from one plate in the
capacitor and deposit negative charges on the other side. This causes a potential
difference to build up across the capacitor, which opposes the potential difference
across the battery. This slows down the current, and eventually brings the flow of
electrons in the circuit to a complete halt.
If the battery is removed and the two terminals of the capacitor are connected via a
resistor, then the potential difference across the capacitor can now drive a current:
the excess electrons from the negative side of the capacitor attempt to flow to the
positive side. As this happens, the potential difference across the capacitor drops
exponentially, and so does the current. Eventually, charges would be evenly
distributed across the capacitor’s plates once again. The potential difference across
the plates drops to 0 at this point, and the current stops.

The ability of a capacitor to cause the current in a circuit to drop exponentially is

extremely useful. For instance, it is used for smoothing current fluctuations in AC
circuits, and for slowly dimming lights once they have been switched off (for
example, the roof light inside cars). There are many different types of capacitors,
and they come in many shapes and sizes. The image below shows various different
types of capacitors:

Figure 3: TYPES OF CAPACITORS

APPLICATIONS:
They are a basic component of electronics and have a host of various applications:
 Energy storage
 Oscillators
 Sensing
 Tuning circuits
 Coupling
 Smoothing or power conditioning

ENERGY STORAGE:

The most common use for capacitors is energy storage. A capacitor can store
electric energy when it is connected to its charging circuit. And when it is
disconnected from its charging circuit, it can dissipate that stored energy, so it can
be used like a temporary battery. Capacitors are commonly used in electronic
devices to maintain power supply while batteries are being changed.
Conventional electrostatic capacitors provide less than 360 joules per kilogram of
energy density, while capacitors using developing technology can provide more
than 2.52 kilojoules per kilogram.

 In car audio systems, large capacitors store energy for the amplifier to use on

demand.
 An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can be equipped with maintenance-
free capacitors to extend service life.

OSCILLATORS:

A capacitor can possess spring-like qualities in an oscillator circuit. In the image

example, a capacitor acts to influence the biasing voltage at the npn transistor's
base. The resistance values of the voltage-divider resistors and the capacitance
value of the capacitor together control the oscillatory frequency.
 Figure 4: CIRCUIT OF A SIMPLE OSCILLATOR INCLUDING CAPACITOR

SENSING:
Most capacitors are designed to maintain a fixed physical structure. However,
various factors can change the structure of the capacitor; the resulting change in
capacitance can be used to sense those factors.

Changing the dielectric:

The effects of varying the characteristics of the dielectric can also be used for
sensing and measurement. Capacitors with an exposed and porous dielectric can be
used to measure humidity in air. Capacitors are used to accurately measure the fuel
level in airplanes; as the fuel covers more of a pair of plates, the circuit capacitance
increases.
Changing the distance between the plates:
A capacitor with a flexible plate can be used to measure strain or pressure
or weight. Industrial pressure transmitters used for process control use pressure-
sensing diaphragms, which form a capacitor plate of an oscillator circuit.
Capacitors are used as the sensor in condenser microphones, where one plate is
moved by air pressure, relative to the fixed position of the other plate.
Some accelerometers use microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) capacitors
etched on a chip to measure the magnitude and direction of the acceleration vector.
They are used to detect changes in acceleration, e.g. as tilt sensors or to detect free
fall, as sensors triggering airbag deployment, and in many other applications.
Some fingerprint sensors use capacitors.

Changing the effective area:

Capacitive touch switches are now used on many consumer electronic products.

TUNING CIRCUITS:
Variable capacitors are used in tuning circuits on radio systems by connecting
them to an LC oscillator, as explained at Electronixandmore.com. The capacitor
charges and then discharges into a coil of wire, generating a magnetic field. Once
the capacitor is fully discharged, the magnetic field starts to collapse, recharging
the capacitor. This charging and discharging current takes place at regular
intervals, but it can be changed by altering the capacitor. If the frequency of these
intervals is the same as the frequency of a nearby radio station, then the amplifier
in the radio will strengthen this signal and you will hear the broadcast.

COUPLING:
Capacitors pass AC but block DC signals (when charged up to the applied DC
voltage), they are often used to separate the AC and DC components of a signal in
a process called “capacitor coupling”. This is used in the case of a loudspeaker.
Speakers work by converting an alternating current into sound, but they could be
damaged by any direct current that reaches them. A capacitor prevents this from
happening.
SMOOTHING OR POWER CONDITIONING:
Electricity from an alternating current supply oscillates at regular intervals,
meaning that the charge on a circuit constantly changes between positive and
negative. The website play-hookey.com explains how with the use of transformers
the output power from an AC source will be far greater than from a direct current
source. Yet many household appliances use DC electricity through the use of a
capacitor. A capacitor can convert AC to DC by “smoothing” the current. Imagine
AC current as a single line constantly snaking up and down. A capacitor will
charge as this line rises and at the peak will discharge. Once fully discharged, it
starts to charge again, so that the output current never has time to fully dip and
operates as if it were direct current.