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What
is a Capacitor? It's an electrical component that consists
of two conductors separated by an
insulator; it has the property of capacitance
- it's ability to store an electric charge and energy and
so opposes any change
in the voltage across it's terminals. The capacitance is measured in units of
farads (f) and fractions of farads called microfarads (mfd) and picofarads
(pfd). A capacitor was also
known as a condenser and the capacitor is the only
other device besides a battery that can store
electrical energy. It is this
stored energy that enables the capacitor to reset the changes in voltage.
What
you need to know to identify a capacitor:
1) Voltage (6.3, 10, 16, 25, 50, 63, 100, 250,
350, 450, are some of the most popular)
2) MFD or PFD (0.01, 1, 4.7, 10, 63, 100, 220,
etc.)
3) Lead Type (axial have
one lead
on each end of the capacitor (like a car axial) and radial have
both leads coming out
the same end) The
above picture is a radial capacitor. |
