Capacitance Converter
Convert between farads, microfarads, nanofarads, and more
Common Conversions
Common Capacitor Values
| Capacitor Type | Typical Capacitance | Common Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramic Capacitor | 1 pF - 1 μF | High-frequency filtering, coupling |
| Film Capacitor | 100 pF - 10 μF | Audio circuits, timing, AC applications |
| Tantalum Capacitor | 100 nF - 470 μF | Power supply filtering, coupling |
| Aluminum Electrolytic | 1 μF - 10,000 μF | Power supply filtering, large energy storage |
| Super Capacitor | 1 F - 3000 F | Memory backup, quick-charge energy storage |
| Timing Circuit | 10 nF - 100 μF | 555 timers, oscillators |
| Bypass/Decoupling | 100 nF - 10 μF | Power supply noise reduction |
| RF Tuning | 1 pF - 100 pF | Radio frequency tuning circuits |
| Audio Coupling | 100 nF - 47 μF | Audio signal coupling |
| Motor Starting | 10 μF - 100 μF | AC motor starting capacitors |
Understanding Capacitance
Capacitance is a measure of a component's ability to store electrical charge. Capacitors are fundamental electronic components that store energy in an electric field between a pair of conductors separated by an insulating material called a dielectric.
Key Concepts:
- Charge storage: A capacitor's primary function is to store and release electrical energy
- Blocking DC: Capacitors block direct current while allowing alternating current to pass
- Time constant: In RC circuits, the time constant tau = RC determines charging/discharging rate
- Reactance: Capacitors oppose AC current with capacitive reactance (Xc = 1/2πfC)
- Polarization: Some capacitors are polarized, meaning they must be connected with correct polarity
Applications:
- Filtering: Smoothing power supply ripple, removing noise
- Coupling: Passing AC signals while blocking DC
- Timing: Creating oscillators and time delays with resistors
- Energy storage: Storing and releasing energy quickly
- Power conditioning: Improving power factor, stabilizing voltage
- Tuning: Creating resonant circuits with inductors
Capacitor Types:
Different capacitor types offer various characteristics suitable for specific applications:
Common Types:
- * Ceramic: Small size, high stability, good for high frequencies
- * Film: Excellent stability, low losses, precise values
- * Electrolytic: High capacitance, polarized, higher leakage
- * Tantalum: High capacitance in small size, stable, polarized
- * Supercapacitors: Extremely high capacitance, energy storage
- * Variable: Adjustable capacitance for tuning circuits
The choice of capacitor type depends on factors like required capacitance, voltage rating, frequency response, stability, and size constraints.
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About the Capacitance Converter
Convert between farads, microfarads, nanofarads, and more All conversions run instantly in your browser and nothing you enter is sent to a server.
Common Conversion Formulas
| From | To | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Farads (F) | Microfarads (μF) | μF = F × 1,000,000 |
| Farads (F) | Nanofarads (nF) | nF = F × 1,000,000,000 |
| Capacitance (C) | Charge (Q), Voltage (V) | C = Q / V |