Capacitors are electrical components that connect two wires. They are fundamental in electrical circuitry as they act like a battery, storing electrical charge.

Capacitors are often constructed from two metal sheets that are separated by an insulating material called a dielectric. This impedes the flow of electricity.

An array capacitor is a group of capacitors that come in a single package. Unlike network capacitors, they are not connected to one another.

How do capacitors work?

Capacitors act like a battery, storing and releasing electrical charge. Common applications include local energy storage and blocking voltages above a safe threshold (voltage spike suppression). They are also used in complex signal filtering. For example, they can be used to block direct current (DC) voltages, which are unidirectional, while allowing alternating current (AC) signals to pass.

What are the types of capacitor arrays?

Capacitor arrays may contain 1, 4 or 5 capacitors. They vary in capacitance, i.e. how much energy they can store. Capacitance ranges from 10 picofarads (pF) to 470 nanofarads (nF) (1nF = 1000pF). They vary in voltage, from 4 to 200 DC volts (V dc).