Supercapacitors in Action: Enhancing Backup Power and Load Management

Posted by Peter Matthews on Oct 9, 2024 8:15:00 AM

Supercapacitors, also known as electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), store energy electrostatically rather than via chemical reactions like traditional batteries. Their unique characteristics make them ideal for applications requiring short bursts of power and/or durability over time.  

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How Do You Make a Pulse in an RLC Circuit?

Posted by Peter Matthews on Oct 2, 2024 8:00:00 AM

One of the fundamental roles of capacitors is charging and discharging energy predictably. Many electronics applications leverage capacitors to store energy and release it in a controlled pulse of current or voltage. Here, we’ll revisit how pulses are produced in a basic RLC circuit featuring a capacitor (C), inductor (L) and resistor (R). 

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The Roles of Couplers, Combiners, and Dividers in Radar Power Amplifiers

Posted by Peter Matthews on Sep 25, 2024 8:00:00 AM

At the most basic level, high-power amplifiers (HPAs) take signals from the waveform generator and increase the signal level to a higher power as shown in Figure 1. Depending on the system, the increase could take the signal from hundreds of watts to many megawatts. This is an essential step for many radar systems to boost the strength of a signal and improve range, resolution, and overall performance. 

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Supercapacitors vs. Batteries: A Comparison in Energy Storage Solutions

Posted by Peter Matthews on Sep 18, 2024 8:15:00 AM

Supercapacitors feature unique characteristics that set them apart from traditional batteries in energy storage applications. Unlike batteries, which store energy through chemical reactions, supercapacitors store energy electrostatically, enabling rapid charge/discharge cycles. In certain applications, this gives them a significant advantage in terms of power density, lifespan, efficiency, operating temperature range and sustainability.  

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Topics: Capacitor

Enhancing Radar Performance: The Role of Gain Equalizers in RF Receivers

Posted by Peter Matthews on Sep 11, 2024 8:00:00 AM

Low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) in radio frequency (RF) receivers are designed to amplify low-amplitude signals (i.e., less than -100 dBm) from an antenna without decreasing their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In radar applications, a strong SNR increases the likelihood of detecting a target, so LNAs play an important functional role (Figure 1). Effective targeting requires both high resolution and high accuracy. A strong SNR translates to high accuracy.  

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Understanding the Impact of ESR on Ceramic Capacitor Selection

Posted by Victor Lu on Sep 4, 2024 9:26:14 AM

In an ideal world, capacitors could be designed in a way where they would exhibit no resistance. However, this is physically impossible to achieve as there will always be some type of internal resistance in a capacitor that appears in series with the capacitance of the device. Known as equivalent series resistance (ESR), the level of this resistance will vary across capacitors depending on a variety of factors including the dielectric materials used, frequency of the application, leakage, and quality and reliability of the capacitor. The two graphs in Figure 1 show an example of how ESR can change as frequency increases across various capacitances on two different classes of ceramic dielectrics.

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Topics: Capacitor, High Reliability

Capacitors for External Defibrillators

Posted by Peter Matthews on Aug 28, 2024 8:17:00 AM

Defibrillators are designed to deliver electric current to the heart, in the form of a controlled shock to the myocardium, to treat arrhythmias and restore the heartbeat back to normal. Capacitors play an important role in the function of these life-saving devices. Here, we’ll cover the basic components of a defibrillator circuit and explore the role of capacitor selection in defibrillator system design. 

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Combat Electrical Arcing in Circuits with Suppressor/Snubber Network Devices for Relays

Posted by Sean Ek on Aug 21, 2024 8:15:00 AM

Electrical arcing can cause any number of issues in a circuit that lead to unreliable operation. Without effective snubbing, arcing is associated with early failures in relays, switch contacts and solid-state components (e.g., SCRs and TRIACs). 

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Topics: Military and Aerospace

Knowles Achieves a Benchmark for Excellence: MIL-PRF-55681-Qualified Capacitors for Mission-Critical Defense Applications

Posted by Matt Walker on Aug 14, 2024 8:15:00 AM

When it comes to aerospace and defense applications, every single component plays a role in the success and longevity of the system. Capacitors are vital in flight control systems, radar systems, signal intelligence equipment and more. They support functions across guidance and control systems, electronic warfare (EW) and power supply units. To best support these development projects, Knowles sought MIL-PRF-55681 qualification for ten capacitor styles we manufacture and test in the United States. With this qualification, you can be assured that you’re using robust and dependable ceramic capacitors in your mission-critical systems. 

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Topics: Military and Aerospace

Supercapacitors: A Key Technology for Driving Modern Logistics

Posted by Peter Matthews on Aug 7, 2024 8:15:00 AM

As consumers demand rapid, and accurate, delivery of online orders, yet labor shortages continue to prevail, distributors need to increase efficiency and productivity, reduce errors, and improve inventory management in their warehouses. To do this, distributors must modernize warehouse logistics by creating smart warehouses that incorporate technologies such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), automated mobile robotics (AMRs), IIoT sensors, drones, and/or robotic arms. Using these technologies, distributors can streamline operations by automating and accelerating tasks such as order picking, inventory replenishment, automated storage and retrieval, and goods transportation.

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Insights Into Precision Passive Devices

Knowles Precision Devices is a premier global source for Capacitors, RF Filters, EMI Filters, Resonators, non-magnetic components and advanced dielectric materials. An umbrella for the brands of Compex, DLI, Johanson MFG, Novacap, Syfer and Voltronics, Knowles Precision Devices serves a variety of markets including military, aerospace/avionics, medical equipment, implantable devices, EMI and connector filtering, oil exploration, instrumentation, industrial electronics, automotive, telecoms and data networks.

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