What Are Safety Capacitors?

Posted by Peter Matthews on Apr 23, 2025 8:15:00 AM

Safety capacitors are passive electronic components designed to mitigate the effects of transient voltages and interference in electrical circuits. Safety capacitors are designed to help safeguard users and equipment from electrical hazards, even in the event of failure. Since these components are commonly used in AC line filtering and power supply circuits where failure could lead to electric shock, fire, or equipment damage, safety capacitors are subject to stringent testing and certification requirements. 

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Topics: Capacitor

Understanding RF Inductors via Their Key Characteristics and Applications

Posted by Peter Matthews on Apr 16, 2025 8:15:00 AM

Inductors are a fundamental component in electronic circuits, but not all inductors perform equally across different frequency ranges. At high frequencies, standard power inductors suffer from increased losses, reduced efficiency, and undesirable parasitic effects. RF inductors, specifically designed for radio frequency and microwave applications, address these challenges by minimizing resistive losses, optimizing self-resonant frequency, and maintaining signal integrity.

Here, we examine the distinguishing characteristics of RF inductors, highlighting how they differ from other inductor types and why they are essential in high-frequency applications.

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Topics: Capacitor, Medical

How Ceramic Capacitor Assemblies Improve Efficiency in Power and RF Applications

Posted by Matt Walker on Apr 9, 2025 8:15:00 AM

By utilizing stacked configurations and advanced dielectric materials, capacitor assemblies optimize performance in power conversion and radio frequency (RF) signal management. These assemblies are designed to meet the demands of power electronics and radio frequency applications, where stability, efficiency, and compact design are important design considerations. 

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Topics: Capacitor

Understanding Energy Density and Power Density in Capacitor Applications

Posted by Peter Matthews on Feb 26, 2025 8:15:00 AM

Energy density and power density are essential, yet unique, metrics. Understanding the differences between them is crucial for designing efficient energy storage solutions. This blog explores those differences and their impact on capacitor performance.

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Topics: Capacitor

SLCs vs. MLCCs: Which Capacitor Type is Right for My Application?

Posted by Victor Lu on Feb 12, 2025 7:30:00 AM

Capacitors are essential passive components for designing any electrical circuit. But there are so many options to choose from with a wide range of specifications that it can be overwhelming to determine what capacitor may be the best fit for your application. One early decision that circuit designers must make is to determine if a single-layer capacitor (SLC) or multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) is the right fit for their application needs. 

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Topics: Capacitor

The Benefits of Using Supercapacitors for Recloser Back-Up Power

Posted by Peter Matthews on Feb 5, 2025 8:00:00 AM

To protect electrical grids from overloads and faults, utility companies can incorporate reclosers. When a fault occurs, this high-voltage circuit breaker automatically closes to isolate the faulty sections of the grid, allowing other areas of the grid to continue to operate safely. The recloser can then automatically test the electrical lines to determine if the issue has been resolved and reset itself, restoring power more quickly once a fault is cleared. Reclosers are also designed to perform remote switching, enabling utilities to manage their networks more efficiently.

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Topics: Capacitor

Specifying Capacitors for High-Energy Pulse Applications

Posted by Peter Matthews on Jan 10, 2025 4:28:03 PM

Energy storage capacitor banks supply pulsed power in all manner of high-current applications, including shockless compression and fusion. As the technology behind capacitor banks advances with more precise switching and higher energy density, fast discharge capacitors can reliably support more advanced applications.  

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Topics: Capacitor

EIA MLCC Case Sizes: Past and Future

Posted by Victor Lu on Jan 2, 2025 10:15:02 AM

Standards are a form of technical infrastructure, and their influence is felt throughout the electronics industry. For example, formed in 1924, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) was an American standards organization that established an alliance of trade associations in the United States electronics manufacturing industry. Their collaboration ensured that electronic equipment produced by different manufacturers was compatible and interchangeable. The EIA formally dissolved in February 2011, dividing by sector.

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Topics: Capacitor

Understanding Buck and Boost Converters and the Capacitors Behind Them

Posted by Jordan Yates on Nov 25, 2024 8:15:00 AM

Product designers working on critical applications requiring electrical power must carefully select components that not only supply the appropriate amount of voltage at the right time, but also help mitigate issues such as voltage ripple, ensure system longevity, and improve component reliability. 

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Topics: Capacitor

Powering Artificial Intelligence with Low-Loss Capacitors

Posted by Peter Matthews on Nov 13, 2024 8:15:00 AM

In a short period of time, artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs) like ChatGTP and Claude have made leaps and bounds in terms of their size and sophistication. Size, as measured by the number of parameters, has increased by a factor of one thousand in merely five years, and it’s not projected to stop (Figure 1). This rapid growth raises numerous questions about the future of AI, while also presenting immediate challenges, with power consumption being a significant concern.  

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Topics: Capacitor

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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  • Filters for 5G and mmWave
  • Capacitors for High Voltage
  • Capacitors for High Reliability

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