Capacitor | Efficiency | Heat Sinks | Protection | PFC

What is a Capacitor? Why is it Important?

A capacitor is a component that stores electrical energy with a pair of metal plates separated by a non-conductive substance (dielectric). Charging the capacitor requires electrical charges of opposing polarity on each plate. The storage capacity (capacitance) depends on the size of the capacitor and is stored in units of farads.
Uses of a Capacitor
● Much quicker discharge when compared to a battery.
● Act as electronic filter to between high and low frequency signals.
● Block DC voltage by restricting current flow once the capacitor is charged. However,
　 AC signal continues to flow through a capacitor.

Capacitors are categorized based on the following:

Type Thermal Conductivity Application
Pro Con
Diamond
 * High Frequency
* High Compressive Resistant		 * Size too large * Monitor
* High frequency Telecom Equipment
Gold
 * High voltage range * Replace by Polystyrene Capacitors * Special Usage
Silver
 * High Heat-Resistant * Low capacitance * Motherboard
* Telecom Product
* Monitor
Copper
 * High Heat & Compressive Resistant * Rare Raw Material
* Expensive
* Size too large		 * Special usage
Aluminum
 * High Temperature Range
* High Static Capacity		 * Temperature will impact the capacitance Bad Performance under high frequency

* Life is Limited		 * Power Supply
* Motherboard
* UPS
* Monitor
Lead
 * Stable Capacitance
* Low leakage
* Low Temperature Interference		 * High Polluted
* Expensive		 * Monitor
* Motherboard

Capacitors used in PSU are “electrolytic capacitors” which uses two types of materials - “Liquid” and “Solid”. The advantage of Solid Capacitor is better noise filtering. Traditional “liquid type” capacitors’ are limited by temperature (85 ℃) whereas the “solid type” can tolerate up to 200 ℃. Cooler Master carefully selects the most appropriate combination of solid and liquid capacitors to accommodate intense temperature changes as a result of voltage input in all our power supplies.

High quality Japanese AC capacitor => high reliable & input voltage stability
High quality Taiwanese DC capacitor => output voltage stability
High quality solid capacity => output voltage stability & minimize voltage noise