Capacitors are among the simplest of electronic components – in theory – but the practical implementation is becoming more complex, says Christian Merkel. Figure 1: How capacitance is calculated ...

Considering the choice between MLCCs and conductive polymer capacitors from three perspectivesIn discussions about AI servers ...

Even experienced engineers get this wrong. The Professor explains decoupling capacitors, power planes, ground planes and how to make your PCB succeed. A circuit design can only be deemed “successful” ...

Capacitors. These seemingly simple devices are an integral part of virtually every electronic design. It’s been noted that capacitors account for more items in most circuit bills-of-material (BOMs) ...

A capacitor rarely fails loudly. It fails quietly, and that’s what makes it dangerous. I remember debugging a compact PLC power board used in a packaging line. The system worked perfectly on the bench ...

Not all UPS designs are the same. As a result of cost savings in the very competitive UPS market, some designs may not have the highest level of component reliability. Capacitors are an integral part ...

Tantalum capacitors offer designers of densely packed, high-performance electronic circuits a reliable high-capacitance solution with stable performance. A historical favorite among design engineers, ...

Some 99 percent of the “design” problems associated with linear and switching regulators can be traced directly to the improper use of capacitors: wrong type, wrong value, or incorrect physical ...

Bypass capacitors are frequently needed in electronics development. Figure 1 shows a switching regulator that can generate a lower voltage from a high voltage. In this type of circuit, the bypass ...

Microprocessor-based devices require a regulated power supply unit that detects the loss of input power and continues to supply power for the length of time it takes to complete a memory backup. One ...

When a crew employed by a local electric utility set out to conduct a DC hi-pot test on a new circuit breaker, the task seemed like nothing more than a routine call. Unfortunately, the events that ...