Capacitor

Capacitor

What is capacitor

Capacitor is an electronic component that stores electric charge. The capacitor is made of 2 close conductors (usually plates) that are separated by a dielectric material. The plates accumulate electric charge when connected to power source. One plate accumulates positive charge and the other plate accumulates negative charge.
The capacitance is the amount of electric charge that is stored in the capacitor at voltage of 1 Volt.
The capacitance is measured in units of Farad (F).
The capacitor disconnects current in direct current (DC) circuits and short circuit in alternating current (AC) circuits.

Capacitor pictures

  

Capacitor symbols

Capacitor
Polarized capacitor
Variable capacitor
 

Capacitance

The capacitance (C) of the capacitor is equal to the electric charge (Q) divided by the voltage (V):
C=\frac{Q}{V}
C is the capacitance in farad (F)
Q is the electric charge  in coulombs (C), that is stored on the capacitor
V is the voltage between the capacitor's plates in volts (V)

Capacitance of plates capacitor

The capacitance (C) of the plates capacitor is equal to the permittivity (ε) times the plate area (A) divided by the gap or distance between the plates (d):

C=\varepsilon \times \frac{A}{d}
C is the capacitance of the capacitor, in farad (F).
ε is the permittivity of the capacitor's dialectic material, in farad per meter (F/m).
A is the area of the capacitor's plate in square meters (m2].
d is the distance between the capacitor's plates, in meters (m).

Capacitors in series

 
The total capacitance of capacitors in series, C1,C2,C3,.. :
\frac{1}{C_{Total}}=\frac{1}{C_{1}}+\frac{1}{C_{2}}+\frac{1}{C_{3}}+...

Capacitors in parallel

The total capacitance of capacitors in parallel, C1,C2,C3,.. :
CTotal = C1+C2+C3+...

Capacitor's current

The capacitor's momentary current ic(t) is equal to the capacitance of the capacitor,
times the derivative of the momentary capacitor's voltage vc(t):
i_c(t)=C\frac{dv_c(t)}{dt}

Capacitor's voltage

The capacitor's momentary voltage vc(t) is equal to the initial voltage of the capacitor,
plus 1/C times the integral of the momentary capacitor's current ic(t) over time t:
v_c(t)=v_c(0)+\frac{1}{C}\int_{0}^{t}i_c(\tau)d\tau

Energy of capacitor

The capacitor's stored energy EC in joules (J) is equal to the capacitance C in farad (F)
times the square capacitor's voltage VC in volts (V) divided by 2:
EC = C × VC 2 / 2

AC circuits

Angular frequency
ω = 2π f
ω - angular velocity measured in radians per second (rad/s)
f  - frequency measured in hertz (Hz).
Capacitor's reactance
X_C = -\frac{1}{\omega C}
Capacitor's impedance
Cartesian form:
Z_C = jX_C = -j\frac{1}{\omega C}
Polar form:
ZC = XC∟-90º

Capacitor types

Variable capacitorVariable capacitor has changeable capacitance
Electrolytic capacitorElectrolytic capacitors are used when high capacitance is needed. Most of the electrolytic capacitors are polarized
Spherical capacitorSpherical capacitor has a sphere shape
Power capacitorPower capacitors are used in high voltage power systems.
Ceramic capacitorCeramic capacitor has ceramic dielectric material. Has high voltage functionality.
Tantalum capacitorTantalum oxide dielectric material. Has high capacitance
Mica capacitorHigh accuracy capacitors
Paper capacitorPaper dielectric material



Resistor

Resistor

What is Resistor

Resistor is an electrical component that reduces the electric current.
The resistor's ability to reduce the current is called resistance and is measured in units of ohms (symbol: Ω).
If we make an analogy to water flow through pipes, the resistor is a thin pipe that reduces the water flow.

Ohm's law

The resistor's current I in amps (A) is equal to the resistor's voltage V in volts (V)
divided by the resistance in ohms (Ω):

The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the resistor's current I in amps (A)
times the resistor's voltage V in volts (V):
P = I × V

The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the square value of the resistor's current I in amps (A)
times the resistor's resistance R in ohms (Ω):
P = I 2 × R

The resistor's power consumption P in watts (W) is equal to the square value of the resistor's voltage V in volts (V)
divided by the resistor's resistance R in ohms (Ω):
P = V 2 R

Resistors in parallel

The total equivalent resistance of resistors in parallel RTotal is given by:

So when you add resistors in parallel, the total resistance is decreased.

Resistors in series

The total equivalent resistance of resistors in series Rtotal is the sum of the resistance values:
Rtotal = R1R2R3+...

So when you add resistors in series, the total resistance is increased.

Dimensions and material affects

The resistance R in ohms (Ω) of a resistor is equal to the resistivity ρ in ohm-meters (Ω∙m) times the resistor's length l in meters (m) divided by the resistor's cross sectional area A in square meters (m2):
R=\rho \times \frac{l}{A}

Resistor image

Resistor symbols

resistor symbolResistor (IEEE)Resistor reduces the current flow.
resistor symbolResistor (IEC)
potentiomemer symbolPotentiometer (IEEE)Adjustable resistor - has 3 terminals.
potentiometer symbolPotentiometer (IEC)
variable resistor symbolVariable Resistor / Rheostat (IEEE)Adjustable resistor - has 2 terminals.
variable resistor symbolVariable Resistor / Rheostat (IEC)
Trimmer ResistorPresest resistor
ThermistorThermal resistor - change resistance when temperature changes
Photoresistor / Light dependent resistor (LDR)Changes resistance according to light

Resistor color code

The resistance of the resistor and its tolerance are marked on the resistor with color code bands that denotes the resistance value.
There are 3 types of color codes:
  • 4 bands: digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance.
  • 5 bands: digit, digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance.
  • 6 bands: digit, digit, digit , multiplier, tolerance, temperature coefficient.

Resistance calculation of 4 bands resistor

R = (10×digit+ digit2) × multiplier

Resistance calculation of 5 or 6 bands resistor

R = (100×digit+ 10×digit2+digit3) × multiplier

Resistor types

Variable resistorVariable resistor has an adjustable resistance (2 terminals)
PotentiometerPotentiometer has an adjustable resistance (3 terminals)
Photo-resistorReduces resistance when exposed to light
Power resistorPower resistor is used for high power circuits and has large dimensions.
Surface mount
(SMT/SMD) resistor
SMT/SMD resistors have small dimensions. The resistors are surface mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB), this method is fast and requires small board area.
Resistor networkResistor network is a chip that contains several resistors with similar or different values.
Carbon resistor 
Chip resistor 
Metal-oxide resistor 
Ceramic resistor 

Pull-up resistor

In digital circuits, pull-up resistor is a regular resistor that is connected to the high voltage supply (e.g +5V or +12V) and sets the input or output level of a device to '1'.
The pull-up resistor set the level to '1' when the input / output is disconnected. When the input / output is connected, the level is determined by the device and overrides the pull-up resistor.

Pull-down resistor

In digital circuits, pull-down resistor is a regular resistor that is connected to the ground (0V) and sets the input or output level of a device to ' 0 '.
The pull-down resistor set the level to ' 0 ' when the input / output is disconnected. When the input / output is connected, the level is determined by the device and overrides the pull-down resistor.
Electrical Units

Electrical Units

Electrical Units

Electrical & electronic units of electric current, voltage, power, resistance, capacitance, inductance, electric charge, electric field, magnetic flux, frequency:
  • Electrical & electronic units table
  • Units prefix table
  • Electrical units definitions

Electrical & electronic units table

Unit NameUnit SymbolQuantity
Ampere (amp)AElectric current (I)
VoltVVoltage (V, E)
Electromotive force (E)
Potential difference (Δφ)
OhmΩResistance (R)
WattWElectric power (P)
Decibel-milliwattdBmElectric power (P)
Decibel-WattdBWElectric power (P)
Volt-Ampere-ReactivevarReactive power (Q)
Volt-AmpereVAApparent power (S)
FaradFCapacitance (C)
HenryHInductance (L)
siemens / mhoSConductance (G)
Admittance (Y)
CoulombCElectric charge (Q)
Ampere-hourAhElectric charge (Q)
JouleJEnergy (E)
Kilowatt-hourkWhEnergy (E)
Electron-volteVEnergy (E)
Ohm-meterΩ∙mResistivity (ρ)
siemens per meterS/mConductivity (σ)
Volts per meterV/mElectric field (E)
Newtons per coulombN/CElectric field (E)
Volt-meterV⋅mElectric flux (Φe)
TeslaTMagnetic field (B)
GaussGMagnetic field (B)
WeberWbMagnetic flux (Φm)
HertzHzFrequency (f)
SecondssTime (t)
Meter / metremLength (l)
Square-meterm2Area (A)
DecibeldB 
Parts per millionppm 

Units prefix table

Prefix

Prefix
Symbol
Prefix
factor
Example
picop10-121pF = 10-12F
nanon10-91nF = 10-9F
microμ10-61μA = 10-6A
millim10-31mA = 10-3A
kilok10 31kΩ = 1000Ω
megaM10 61MHz = 106Hz
gigaG10 91GHz = 109Hz


Electrical units definitions

Volt (V)

Volt is the electrical unit of voltage.
One volt is the energy of 1 joule that is consumed when electric charge of 1 coulomb flows in the circuit.
1V = 1J / 1C

Ampere (A)

Ampere is the electrical unit of electrical current. It measures the amount of electrical charge that flows in an electrical circuit per 1 second.
1A = 1C / 1s

Ohm (Ω)

Ohm is the electrical unit of resistance.
1Ω = 1V / 1A

Watt (W)

Watt is the electrical unit of electric power. It measures the rate of consumed energy.
1W = 1J / 1s
1W = 1V ⋅ 1A

Decibel-milliwatt (dBm)

Decibel-milliwatt or dBm is a unit of electric power, measured with logarithmic scale referenced to 1mW.
10dBm = 10 ⋅ log10(10mW / 1mW)

Decibel-Watt (dBW)

Decibel-watt or dBW is a unit of electric power, measured with logarithmic scale referenced to 1W.
10dBW = 10 ⋅ log10(10W / 1W)

Farad (F)

Farad is the unit of capacitance. It represents the amount of electric charge in coulombs that is stored per 1 volt.
1F = 1C / 1V

Henry (H)

Henry is the unit of inductance.
1H = 1Wb / 1A

siemens (S)

siemens is the unit of conductance, which is the opposite of resistance.
1S = 1 / 1Ω

Coulomb (C)

Coulomb is the unit of electric charge.
1C = 6.238792×1018 electron charges

Ampere-hour (Ah)

Ampere-hour is a unit of electric charge.
One ampere-hour is the electric charge that flow in electrical circuit, when a current of 1 ampere is applied for 1 hour.
1Ah = 1A ⋅ 1hour
One ampere-hour is equal to 3600 coulombs.
1Ah = 3600C

Tesla (T)

Tesla is the unit of magnetic field.
1T = 1Wb / 1m2

Weber (Wb)

Weber is the unit of magnetic flux.
1Wb = 1V ⋅ 1s

Joule (J)

Joule is the unit of energy.
1J = 1 kg ⋅ m2 / s2

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

Kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy.
1kWh = 1kW ⋅ 1h = 1000W ⋅ 1h

Kilovolt-amps (kVA)

Kilovolt-amps is a unit of power.
1kVA = 1kV ⋅ 1A = 1000 ⋅ 1V ⋅ 1A

Hertz (Hz)

Hertz is the unit of frequency. It measures the number of cycles per second.
1 Hz = 1 cycles / s



Amps to Kilowatts Calculator

Amps to Kilowatts Calculator

DC amps to kilowatts calculation

The power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to the current I in amps (A), times the voltage V in volts (V) divided by 1000:
P(kW) = I(A) × V(V) / 1000

AC single phase amps to kilowatts calculation

The power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to the power factor PF times the phase current I in amps (A), times the RMS voltage V in volts (V) divided by 1000:
P(kW) = PF × I(A) × V(V) / 1000

AC three phase amps to kilowatts calculation

Calculation with line to line voltage

The power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to square root of 3 times the power factor PF times the phase current I in amps (A), times the line to line RMS voltage VL-L in volts (V) divided by 1000:
P(kW) = 3 × PF × I(A) × VL-L (V) / 1000

Calculation with line to neutral voltage

The power P in kilowatts (kW) is equal to 3 times the power factor PF times the phase current I in amps (A), times the line to neutral RMS voltage VL-N in volts (V) divided by 1000:
P(kW) = 3 × PF × I(A) × VL-N (V) / 1000

Typical power factor values

Do not use typical power factor values for accurate calculations.
DeviceTypical power factor
Resistive load1
Fluorescent lamp0.95
Incandescent lamp1
Induction motor full load0.85
Induction motor no load0.35
Resistive oven1
Synchronous motor0.9