4/5/2019 Capacitors and Inductors - Electronics Cookbook [Book]

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Electronics Cookbook by Simon Monk

Chapter 3. Capacitors and Inductors

3.0 Introduction
When it comes to digital electronics, capacitors are almost a matter of insurance,
providing short-term stores of charge that improve the reliability of circuits. As such their
use is often simply a matter of following the recommendations in the IC’s datasheet
without the need to do any math.

However, when it comes to analog electronics the use of capacitors becomes much more
varied. Their ability to store small amounts of charge for a short period of time can be used
to set the frequency of oscillators (see Recipe 16.5). They can be used to smooth the ripples
for a power supply (see Recipe 7.2) or to couple two audio circuits without transferring the
DC part of the signal (see Recipe 17.9).

In fact, capacitors will be used throughout this book in all sorts of ways, so it’s important
to understand how they work, how to select the right capacitor, and how to use it.

Inductors are not as common as capacitors, but they are widely used in certain roles,
particularly in power supplies (see Chapter 7).

3.1 Store Energy Temporarily in Your Circuits

Problem
You need an electronic component that can store energy for short periods of time, perhaps
to create pulses, or to insulate other components from voltage spikes.

Solution

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4/5/2019 Capacitors and Inductors - Electronics Cookbook [Book]

Use a capacitor.

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In construction, capacitors are just two conductive surfaces separated by anIninsulating
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layer (Figure 3-1).

Electronics Cookbook by Simon Monk

Figure 3-1. A Capacitor

In fact, the insulating layer between the conductive surfaces ...

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