CAPACITORS

INTRODUCTION

A capacitor is an electrical device stores electricity by accumulating

free electrons on a metal surface and then releases them as a current
in the circuit.

It is also known as a condenser

It allows a.c voltage and blocks d.c voltage

Different value capacitors hold different amounts of charge when the

same voltage is passed across their plates

USE : The storage and release of electrical energy

 CAPACITOR

A Capacitor is a passive electronic component that stores energy

in the form of Electricity & releases it when used in the circuit as
current.
CAPACITOR

SYMBOL
C

Capacitance of a capacitor is denoted by the letter ‘C’

UNITS Farads
 PROPERTY OF A CAPACITOR
CAPACITANCE

It is a measure of capacitor ability to store charge

(OR)
Ability of a dielectric material to store electric charge
(OR)
It is defined as the ratio of the electrical charge ‘Q’ stored in the
capacitor by virtue of the applied voltage ‘E’. It is given by
C=Q/E C = Capacitance in farads
Q = Charge in coulombs
E = Electro motive force in volts
A large capacitance means that more charge can be stored

It is the property of the circuit which opposes a change in voltage

VALUE OF CAPACITANCE

Available in Micro Farads and Pico Farads

1 Micro Farad = 1µF = 10-6 Farads

1 Pico Farad = 1PF = 10-12 Farads

1 Nano Farad = 1nF = 10-9 Farads

FACTORS AFFECTING CAPACITANCE
OF A CAPACITOR
 FACTORS AFFECTING CAPACITANCE
OF A CAPACITOR

A capacitor is essentially two conducting plates separated by an

insulator (dielectric material).

The capacitance value of parallel plate structure is given by

C = (εO εr A ) / d
C = Capacitance in farads
εO = Absolute permittivity of free space
8.85 x 10-12 F/M
εr = Relative permittivity
A = Area of plate in square meters
d = distance between the plates in meters
 DIELECTRIC MATERIAL

It is an insulating material placed between the plates

of a capacitor to increase the capacitance value
 CAPACITOR CHARACTERISTICS

Dielectric Constant

Dielectric Strength

Power Factor
 DIELECTRIC CONSTANT

The property of the dielectric which effects the capacitance is

called dielectric constant.

It is numerical quantity expressed as the ratio of the capacitance

of a capacitor with a dielectric other than air to the capacitor with
air as dielectric.

Represented by εr , Relative Permittivity

 DIELECTRIC STRENGTH

It is defined as the property of the dielectric by which

it withstands breakdown when a voltage applied to it.

Expressed in volts per meter of dielectric thickness

 POWER FACTOR

The quality of a capacitor in terms of minimum loss is often

indicated by its power factor.
(OR)
It gives the fraction of input power dissipated as heat loss in the
capacitor.

The power factor of the capacitor is essentially the power factor

of the dielectric.

Reciprocal of power factor is the quality factor of the capacitor.

CAPACITOR SPECIFICATIONS

Value of capacitance
Tolerance
Voltage rating
Temperature co-efficient
Frequency range
Dielectric constant
Dielectric strength
Power factor
Stability
Leakage resistance* The resistance of the path over
which leakage current flows
 CAPACITOR TYPES

According to form (As per its nature)

1. Variable capacitors : Air, mica, ceramic
2. Fixed capacitors : Mica, ceramic, paper, electrolytic
According to dielectric medium
1. Mica capacitors
2. Glass capacitors
3. Paper capacitors
4. Electrolytic capacitors
5. Ceramic capacitors
According to electrode structure (As per polarity convention)
1. Polar (Electrolytic) : Aluminum, Tantalum
2. Non-polar (Electrostatic) : Mica, Ceramic etc
 VARIABLE CAPACITORS

To tune the circuit of a radio or an oscillator

Small capacitance values
TYPES
1. Continuous variation of capacitance
Used for varying frequency of a tuned circuit
Air capacitors are used to this application in transmitters

2. Limited adjustments of a capacitance

Trimmers and padders
Small variable capacitors
Mica capacitors are used for this purpose in all broadcast receivers
 GANG CAPACITORS

Two or three sets of plates are connected together to vary the

capacitance value
Air dielectric capacitors
Lower insulation resistance
Lower dielectric constant
Excellent stability
Range : Nano Farads – 500 P F
 COLOUR CODING

Capacitance values are noted in Pico Farad

It is used on many capacitors that have small packages

It is adopted to mica, ceramic, paper and plastic capacitors

Ceramic Capacitor Codes

How to read a Ceramic capacitor with Numeric coding.

CAPACITORS IN SERIES - PARALLEL

CAPACITORS IN SERIES

CAPACITORS IN PARALLEL
 SYMBOLS

Fixed Capacitor

+ -
Electrolytic with polarity

Variable Capacitor

Polarized Capacitor

Trimmer Capacitor
 APPLICATIONS

Used as bypass and coupling for transmitting circuits

Used in high frequency circuits such as television
Used in precision timing circuits
Used in transistor circuit elements
Used in oscillator circuits
Used in integrating circuits
Used in power circuits
Used as rectifier filters
Used in tank circuits
Used for blocking
Used for buffer
AIR CAPACITOR
MICA CAPACITOR
PAPER CAPACITOR
GLASS CAPACITOR
CERAMIC CAPACITOR
ALUMINIUM ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR
CHIP CAPACITOR
TANTALUM CAPACITOR
SUPER CAPACITOR
METAL FILM CAPACITOR
TRIMMER CAPACITOR
GANG CAPACITORS
CAPACITORS ON BOARD