Capacitor

What is a Capacitor?

A capacitor is a device used to store electrical energy. It consists of two conducting plates and a dielectric, an insulating substance. When a voltage is applied between the plates, an electric field forms across the dielectric, causing an electrical charge to build up.

The surface area, spacing, and kind of dielectric material all affect the amount of charge a capacitor can hold.

What is the Purpose of a Capacitor?

A capacitor’s purpose is to store electrical charges. They are commonly used for frequency filters and as decouplers in electrical circuits.

What is the Symbol for a Capacitor?

The capacitor symbol is a uniform graphical representation of the device’s presence in a schematic diagram. It provides engineers and electricians with an easy means of determining the capacitor's type, value, and orientation within the circuit without having to physically inspect it.

The structure follows:

• Two parallel lines signify the two plates where the dielectric is present within the capacitors.
• Two fine lines perpendicular to each of them represent their connection to the circuit wires.

Types of Capacitor Symbols

Basic Capacitor Symbol

The most commonly used symbol for a capacitor shows the device’s position within a simple circuit, where the type of the capacitor and its polarity are not necessarily indicated.

Polar Capacitor

This version of the symbol has a plus and minus sign to indicate the presence of positive and negative poles in the device. These types of capacitors have a relatively higher capacity than the basic variety.

Add Capacitor Symbols Quickly and Easily With Capital X Panel Designer!

Capital X Panel Designer makes adding new capacitor symbols to your schematic easier! This electrical CAD software contains different types of capacitor symbols that you can simply drag and drop onto your schematic drawing. You can even copy and paste any symbols you need multiples of, greatly improving your production speed.

Learn more about how to create custom electrical symbols.