Electrocube, Inc.
3366 Pomona Blvd.
Pomona, CA 91768
o 909.595.4037
f 909.595.0186
electrocube.com
Since 1961
Applications Guide
The following bulletin is intended to help the design n Shock and Vibration
engineer select the proper capacitor to fill a particular n Chemical Resistance
need. In order to select the proper capacitor for a
job, the designer is required not only to have a Applications
description of the device but also some insight into its
Capacitors are used in one of three basic ways: (1) as
advantages and disadvantages for a given application.
a means of discriminating between higher and lower
Some peculiarities of construction, mechanical or
AC frequencies, (2) a method of storing or releasing
environmental limitations, reliability, and failure modes
energy, and (3) as a method of discriminating between
or mechanisms must be taken into consideration.
AC and DC. Various capacitor applications are broadly
classified below; however, the dividing lines between
Selection
each application are not always sharply drawn.
Regardless of the application, the designer must
consider several factors before selecting the capacitor Coupling/Decoupling (Blocking)
type required to fulfill a given need. The following list
Coupling capacitors are used to “couple” two
gives some of the factors that must be considered.
circuits together. The coupling is accomplished
by means of the capacitive reactance common
Electrical
to both circuits. The decoupling capacitor is one
n Capacitance which provides a low impedance path to ground to
n Tolerance prevent “coupling” between the stages of a circuit.
n Voltage rating (DC/AC) A capacitor can be used to block DC voltage since once
n Current (DC pulse/AC) it is charged; it is essentially an open circuit to DC while
passing AC currents. Effective coupling demands low
n Insulation Resistance
capacitor reactance over the entire frequency range
n Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of interest. Otherwise certain frequencies may be
n Dissipation Factor (DF) attenuated when compared to the other frequencies.
n Capacitance change with temperature The polypropylene or polycarbonate dielectric is
the common dielectric for this application.
Mechanical
n Size By-Passing
n Terminal configuration By definition, a bypass capacitor is a device employed
to conduct an AC current around a component or group
n Type of mounting
of components, and it must offer negligible opposition
to the frequencies being bypassed. The capacitor acts
Environmental
like a “conduit” for the AC signal by passing it to ground.
n Operating Temperature Range Three of the most important factors to consider when
n Moisture Resistance (aqueous board cleaning) choosing a bypass capacitor are its impedance, its
FILM CAPACITORS n RC NETWORKS n CUSTOM EMI FILTERS n TRANSFORMERS ISO9001 and AS9100 Registered
dissipation factor, and insulation resistance. When or even thousands of amperes. A capacitor for this
the device is installed the leads must be kept as application should demonstrate an extremely low
short as possible to eliminate parasitic inductance. ESR, along with a high current carrying capability,
such as the polypropylene/foil capacitor.
The film polycarbonate, polyester or polypropylene
capacitor should be selected for this application. Filtering
Power Factor Correction Power supplies receive “power” from an AC source such
as a commercial power line, a motor driven generator
Power-Factor, in an AC circuit, is the ratio (expressed
or an inverter. Under normal circumstances, the AC
as a percentage or decimal) of the power actually
power is rectified producing a pulsating DC. The DC
consumed to the apparent power (product of voltage
is “smoothed” to eliminate the voltage variations. The
and current). Power Factor Correction is the practice
simple method is to utilize a single large capacitor or a
of raising the power factor of an inductive circuit
combination of capacitors and inductors. The polyester
by inserting capacitance. The efficiency of power
capacitor is generally used in a “brute-force” power
generation, transmission or conversion is improved
supply application because of its small size and economic
when operated at near unity power-factor. The least
considerations. For switching power supply applications,
expensive way is to install power factor correction
the polypropylene capacitor is the best selection, because
capacitors. Power factor correction capacitors must
of the low ESR and the high current carrying capability.
be able to withstand high voltage transients and power
line variations without breakdown. The best selection
for this application is a Polyester Kraft and Foil or a
Polypropylene type power factor correction capacitor.
Timing, Sample & Hold
In this type of application, the capacitor is used as a
temporary storage cell until the time constant is reached
or, in a sample and hold circuit, until the next sample
is taken. To change the voltage across a capacitor, it
is necessary to change the stored charge which takes
a finite time. This phenomenon is put to use in timing
circuits, such as oscillators, signal generators, and
latch timers. Capacitors selected for this application
must have extreme capacitance stability, high insulation
resistance, relatively low ESR, and a low dielectric
absorption. The polystyrene capacitor would be the
proper device to select for this critical application.
Energy Storage
In some applications, a brief but high energy pulse
of current is required periodically, rather than a
continuous flow of current. Examples are a photo-
flash unit or an automotive capacitance discharge.
This pulse might have a current level of hundreds
