Electronics You Might not Have Learned in College Lesson 3: Introduction to Capacitors

In Electronics you Might not have Learned in College Lesson 3: Introduction to Capacitors, you'll learn ...

• Information on capacitors, their terminology, and measurement as they are applied to low voltage DC (direct current) circuits
• Types of capacitors, how they are made, where they might be used, and why one type should be chosen over another
• The step response of resistor-capacitor (RC) networks
• Use of large capacitors as filters in AC to DC converters

Overview

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Credit: 5 PDH

Length: 91 pages

Electronics are ubiquitous in the modern world, especially in engineering. Most engineers in all specialties have taken at least some basic electronics courses but might need a refresher course.

Even engineers working in Information Technologies and with computers and measurement instruments could use more understanding of the basic electronic components used in their equipment.

“Introduction to Capacitors” is the third standalone lesson in the “ELECTRONICS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE LEARNED IN COLLEGE” course.

This course is designed for engineers in professions that don’t require a lot of electronics knowledge but would still like to round out their technical understanding.

So many electronic tools and instruments are used in all professions that even a basic knowledge of the components that make them function is very useful to engineers.

This lesson provides information on one of the most important electronic components - capacitors.

Lesson 3 is designed to provide critical information on capacitors, their terminology, and measurement as they are applied to low voltage DC (direct current) circuits.

Capacitors are nearly as crucial as resistors in usefulness and abundance in electronic circuits.

Capacitors are extremely versatile and are supplied in a wide variety of types to handle the myriad applications to which they are put.

This lesson provides information on the many types of capacitors, how they are made, where they might be used, and why one type should be chosen over another.

It is important to understand the basic functions of capacitors and the meaning of their ratings when they are applied in circuits.

While most uses of capacitors are in AC circuits, studying their operation in DC circuits allows understanding of their basic operation using simple mathematics and analogies before attacking their far more complex AC applications.

Although the main subject of this course is capacitors in DC circuits, the final section introduces the most common use of large capacitors as filters in AC to DC converters (DC power supplies).

It is necessary to introduce diodes (rectifiers), alternating current sinewaves, half wave, and full-wave rectifier circuits with smoothing capacitor filters to provide a thorough description of how filter capacitors are designed and used.

Water analogies are used to aid understanding of AC to DC conversion and operation of diodes.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• How operation of capacitors is similar to batteries
• Water analogies for bipolar capacitors
• Units of measurement of capacitance
• Types of dielectrics and conductors used in capacitors
• Types of capacitors and how they are constructed
• Using variable capacitors and trimmers
• Comparison of combining parallel and series capacitors to resistors
• Calculation of voltage rating for series and parallel capacitors
• Resistor–capacitor (RC) network step response
• Water analogies for charging and discharging RC networks
• Use of the RC time constant to calculate charge and discharge curves for RC networks
• Use of rhythmic log functions for analysis of RC networks
• How to use step response calculations to design an RC surge suppression network
• How to specify and shop for capacitors
• Use of diodes to build half wave and full wave AC to DC converters
• Use of smoothing capacitors for power supplies and how to determine ripple

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 25 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.