The capacitor is an electrical charge storing device and the ability to store this charge is known as capacitance. There is a huge variety and design of capacitors available and the capacitor is used in almost all types of electrical appliances. To illustrate capacitors of different features different symbols are used in diagrams and illustrations. Here we bring you symbols, main features and detail of all famously used capacitors.
Capacitor schematic symbols - capacitor, polarized capacitor, variable capacitor.
| Symbol | Name | Description |
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Capacitor | Capacitor is used to store electric charge. It acts as short circuit with AC and open circuit with DC. |
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Capacitor | |
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Polarized Capacitor | Electrolytic capacitor |
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Polarized Capacitor | Electrolytic capacitor |
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Variable Capacitor | Adjustable capacitance |
This table brings symbols and details of short circuit capacitors for AC & DC open circuits, electrolyte polarized capacitors for AC & DC circuits, and variable capacitors with variable capacitance.
There are two common capacitor symbols. The first symbol is an one-way polarized (usually tantalum or electrolytic) capacitor, while the other symbol is used for non-polarized capacitors. In each case , there are two terminals running perpendicularly to plates. The symbol that has one curly plate signifies that it's in polarization.