Paper capacitors are a type of capacitor with a layered construction of aluminium sheets separated by waxed or oiled paper sheets. The paper between the aluminium acts as the dielectric (insulating) material. Some paper capacitors feature a cardboard cover while others are encapsulated in hard plastic. RS Components have a broad range of paper capacitors that covers an expansive set of capacitances and voltages, with products from industry leading brands such as KEMET and Cornell-Dubilier.
What do capacitors do?
Capacitors are a type of passive component that stores an electrical charge. The more charge a capacitor can store, the larger its capacitance is. Capacitance is measured in denominations of farads – such as microfarads or picofarads.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of paper capacitors?
Paper capacitors have a high working voltage and a high capacitance range. They are suited to high voltage and high current applications.The paper dielectric provides excellent stability and reliability of the component.
Paper capacitors tend to have high leakage rates, making them unsuitable for applications such as AC coupling.
Paper capacitors typically have tolerances between ±10% and ±20%, making them unsuitable for precision timing circuits.
