ALS80A242KF400

Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are capacitors in which the anode is an aluminum foil with a very thin oxide layer serving as the dielectric and the electrolyte serves as the cathode. This type of capacitors is extensively used in electronics due to their high capacitance to size ratio and long service life. They can be categorized in two groups: polar and non-polar depending on how they are wired. Polar aluminum electrolyte capacitors are especially used in power electronics as output smoothing, decoupling capacitor and power supply filtering, due to their high capacitance and low internal resistance.

The ALS80A242KF400 aluminum electrolyte capacitor is a polar low impedance capacitor used to filter the power supply and to smooth an unregulated output in power supplies. The source voltage range is 80Vdc to 400Vdc and it is usually used for applications ranging from low frequency to high frequency AC power supplies, instrumentation, RF devices, medical equipment, LEDs, power switching and control, signals and hifi audio.

Working Principle

When an alternating current (AC) is applied to the capacitor, charge is stored and released in the form of electric current in the opposite direction of its previous flow. This process is continued in every half-cycle of the waveform, in which the electric current flows and the capacitor charges and discharges alternatively. This charging and discharging process creates a voltage drop across the capacitor, resulting in a power smoothing effect. The ALS80A242KF400 aluminum electrolyte capacitor has a lower resistance so that it produces a higher current flow than other types of capacitors. When the capacitor is fully charged, and the alternating current flow is constant, the capacitor seeks equilibrium by counterbalancing the same amount of charge that flows from the capacitor. This process produces an even, regulated voltage. Also, due to their high dielectric strength, they can handle very high pressure and wide temperature ranges, making them ideal for power supplies that need to supply high levels of power.