The pioneering years in the history of capacitors was a time when capacitors were used primarily for gaining an early understanding of electricity, predating the discovery even of the electron. It was ...

Regular readers of Hackaday are intimately knowledgeable about old electronics, and whether it’s about that old oscilloscope sitting in the pile of other oscilloscopes, or the very rare vintage ...

Single-phase motors, adjustable-speed drives (ASDs), and power factor (PF) correction applications often depend on capacitors to operate properly. This article explains how to test these critical ...

There is a general trend of making electronics smaller and with more functionality. This translates into: “Cram it in there,” so naturally designers look to find smaller and smaller parts. What was on ...

The author writes occasionally here about restoring vintage electronics. Vintage equipment relies on many components to run properly. Let’s focus today on what capacitors do in this process. A ...

Out of all of the fundamental passive electronic components, capacitors are arguably the most abundantly used. In fact, it is hard to find a circuit board that does not have a capacitor on it and a ...

The four basic capacitor types. The key parameters involved in selecting the right capacitor for automotive designs. Advantages and limitations of electrolytic and electrostatic capacitors. Choosing a ...

This tutorial explains how ceramic capacitor type designations, such as X7R and Y5V, imply nothing about voltage coefficients. Engineers must check the data to know, really know, how a specific ...