Capacitor Power Supply

Skip to posts

● Circuits
● Forum
● Links
● Participate!
● Policy
● Showcase
● Contact

● Audio
❍ Amplifier
❍ Filter
❍ Generator
❍ Kits
❍ Mixers
❍ Preamplifier
● DIY
House
❍

❍ Repellent

❍ Robotics

● Gadgets
● Measure
❍ Controllers & Sensors

❍ Detectors

● Power supply
❍ Chargers

❍ Converter

❍ Inverters

❍ Solar

❍ Transformer

● Radio
❍ Antenna

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (1 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

❍Mobile Phones
❍ Oscillator

❍ Pll Transmitters

❍ Radio Amplifiers

❍ Receiver

❍ Transmitter

● Reviews
❍ Audio amplifier

❍ Digital Tv Box

❍ Radio Frequency

● Service
❍ Cell phone service

❍ Console service

❍ LCD TV Service

❍ Plasma TV service

● Useful
❍ Datasheets

❍ How to

❍ Programs, Software

❍ Theory

● Various
❍ Alarm

❍ Cars

❍ Games

❍ Indicators

❍ Infrared

❍ Lights

❍ Motors

❍ Sensors

❍ Testers

● Video
● Wiki

Search
<< Find more projects

Capacitor Power Supply

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (2 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

May 9, 2010 D.Mohankumar 32 comments

One of the major problems that is to be solved in an electronic circuit design is the production of low
voltage DC power supply from Mains to power the circuit. The conventional method is the use of a
step-down transformer to reduce the 230 V AC to a desired level of low voltage AC. The most simple,
space saving and low cost method is the use of a Voltage Dropping Capacitor in series with the phase
line.

Selection of the dropping capacitor and the circuit design requires some technical knowledge and
practical experience to get the desired voltage and current. An ordinary capacitor will not do the job
since the device will be destroyed by the rushing current from the mains. Mains spikes will create holes
in the dielectric and the capacitor will fail to work. X-rated capacitor specified for the use in AC mains
is required for reducing AC voltage.

X Rated capacitor 400 Volt

Before selecting the dropping capacitor, it is necessary to understand the working principle and the
operation of the dropping capacitor. The X rated capacitor is designed for 250, 400, 600 VAC. Higher
voltage versions are also available. The Effective Impedance ( Z ), Rectance ( X ) and the mains
frequency ( 50 – 60 Hz ) are the important parameters to be considered while selecting the capacitor.
The reactance(X ) of the capacitor ( C )in the mains frequency ( f ) can be calculated using the formula
X = 1 / (2 ¶ fC )

For example the reactance of a 0.22 uF capacitor running in the mains frequency 50Hz will be

X = 1 / {2 ¶ x 50 x 0.22 x( 1 / 1,000,000) } = 14475.976 Ohms 0r 14.4 Kilo ohms.

Rectance of the capacitor 0.22 uF is calculated as X=1/2Pi.f.C

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (3 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

Where f is the 50 Hz frequency of mains and C is the value of capacitor in Farads. That is 1 microfarad
is 1 / 1,000,000 farads.Hence 0.22 microfarad is 0.22 x 1 / 1,000,000 farads. Therefore the rectance of
the capacitor appears as 14475.97 Ohms or 14.4 K Ohms.To get current I divide mains Volt by the
rectance in kilo ohm.That is 230 / 14.4 = 15.9 mA.

Effective impedance (Z) of the capacitor is determined by taking the load resistance ( R ) as an
important parameter. Impedance can be calculated using the formula

Z=√R+X

Suppose the current in the circuit is I and Mains voltage is V then the equation appears like

I=V/X

The final equation thus becomes

I = 230 V / 14. 4 = 15.9 mA.

Therefore if a 0.22 uF capacitor rated for 230 V is used, it can deliver around 15 mA current to the
circuit. But this is not sufficient for many circuits. Therefore it is recommended to use a 470 nF
capacitor rated for 400 V for such circuits to give required current.

X Rated AC capacitors – 250V, 400V, 680V AC

Table showing the X rated capacitor types and the output voltage and current without load

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (4 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

Rectification

Diodes used for rectification should have sufficient Peak inverse voltage (PIV). The peak inverse
voltage is the maximum voltage a diode can withstand when it is reverse biased. 1N 4001 diode can
withstand up to 50 Volts and 1N 4007 has a toleration of 1000 Volts. The important characteristics of
general purpose rectifier diodes are given in the table.

So a suitable option is a rectifier diode 1N4007. Usually a silicon diode has a Forward voltage drop of
0.6 V. The current rating (Forward current) of rectifier diodes also vary. Most of the general purpose
rectifier diodes in the 1N series have 1 ampere current rating.

DC Smoothing

A Smoothing Capacitor is used to generate ripple free DC. Smoothing capacitor is also called Filter

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (5 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

capacitor and its function is to convert half wave / full wave output of the rectifier into smooth DC. The
power rating and the capacitance are two important aspects to be considered while selecting the
smoothing capacitor. The power rating must be greater than the off load output voltage of the power
supply. The capacitance value determines the amount of ripples that appear in the DC output when the
load takes current. For example, a full wave rectified DC output obtained from 50Hz AC mains
operating a circuit that is drawing 100 mA current will have a ripple of 700 mV peak-to-peak in the filter
capacitor rated 1000 uF. The ripple that appears in the capacitor is directly proportional to the load
current and is inversely proportional to the capacitance value. It is better to keep the ripple below 1.5 V
peak-to-peaks under full load condition. So a high value capacitor (1000 uF or 2200 uF) rated 25 volts or
more must be used to get a ripple free DC output. If ripple is excess it will affect the functioning of the
circuit especially RF and IR circuits.

Voltage Regulation

Zener diode is used to generate a regulated DC output. A Zener diode is designed to operate in the
reverse breakdown region. If a silicon diode is reverse biased, a point reached where its reverse current
suddenly increases. The voltage at which this occurs is known as “Avalanche or Zener “value of the
diode. Zener diodes are specially made to exploit the avalanche effect for use in ‘Reference voltage
‘regulators. A Zener diode can be used to generate a fixed voltage by passing a limited current through
it using the series resistor (R). The Zener output voltage is not seriously affected by R and the output
remains as a stable reference voltage. But the limiting resistor R is important, without which the Zener
diode will be destroyed. Even if the supply voltage varies, R will take up any excess voltage. The value
of R can be calculated using the formula

R = Vin – Vz / Iz

Where Vin is the input voltage, Vz output voltage and Iz current through the Zener
In most circuits, Iz is kept as low as 5mA. If the supply voltage is 18V, the voltage that is to be dropped
across R to get 12V output is 6volts. If the maximum Zener current allowed is 100 mA, then R will pass
the maximum desired output current plus 5 mA . So the value of R appears as

R = 18 – 12 / 105 mA = 6 / 105 x 1000 = 57 ohms

Power rating of the Zener is also an important factor to be considered while selecting the Zener diode.
According to the formula P = IV. P is the power in watts, I current in Amps and V, the voltage. So the
maximum power dissipation that can be allowed in a Zener is the Zener voltage multiplied by the current
flowing through it. For example, if a 12V Zener passes 12 V DC and 100 mA current, its power
dissipation will be 1.2 Watts. So a Zener diode rated 1.3W should be used.

LED Indicator

LED indicator is used as power on indicator. A significant voltage drop (about 2 volts) occurs across

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (6 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

the LED when it passes forward current. The forward voltage drops of various LEDs are shown in Table.

A typical LED can pass 30 –40 mA current without destroying the device. Normal current that gives
sufficient brightness to a standard Red LED is 20 mA. But this may be 40 mA for Blue and White
LEDs. A current limiting resistor is necessary to protect LED from excess current that is flowing
through it. The value of this series resistor should be carefully selected to prevent damage to LED and
also to get sufficient brightness at 20 mA current. The current limiting resistor can be selected using the
formula

R=V/I

Where R is the value of resistor in ohms, V is the supply voltage and I is the allowable current in Amps.
For a typical Red LED, the voltage drop is 1.8 volts. So if the supply voltage is 12 V (Vs), voltage drop
across the LED is 1.8 V (Vf) and the allowable current is 20 mA (If) then the value of the series resistor
will be

Vs – Vf / If = 12 – 1.8 / 20 mA = 10.2 / 0.02 A = 510 Ohms.

A suitable available value of resistor is 470 Ohms. But is advisable to use 1 K resistor to increase the
life of the LED even though there will be a slight reduction in the brightness. Since the LED takes 1.8
volts, the output voltage will be 2 volts less than the value of Zener. So if the circuit requires 12 volts, it
is necessary to increase the value of Zener to 15 volts. Table given below is a ready reckoner for
selecting limiting resistor for various versions of LEDs at different voltages.

Circuit Diagram

The diagram shown below is a simple transformer less power supply. Here 225 K(2.2uF) 400 volts X
rated capacitor is used to drop 230 volt AC. Resistor R2 is the bleeder resistor that remove the stored
current from the capacitor when the circuit is unplugged. Without R2, there is chance for fatal shock if

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (7 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

the circuit is touched. Resistor R1 protects the circuit from inrush current at power on. A full wave
rectifier comprising D1 through D4 is used to rectify the low voltage AC from the capacitor C1 and C2
removes ripples from the DC. With this design, around 24 volts at 100 mA current will be available at
the output.This 24 volt DC can be regulated to required output voltage using a suitable 1 watt Zener. It
is better to add a safety fuse in the phase line and an MOV across the phase and neutral lines as safety
measure if there is voltage spike or short circuit in the mains.

Capacitor Power supply Circuit

Caution: Construction of this form of power supply is recommended only to those persons
experienced or competent in handling AC mains. So do not try this circuit if you are not
experienced in handling High voltages.

The drawback of the Capacitor power supply includes

1.No galvanic isolation from Mains.So if the power supply section fails, it can harm the gadget.
2.Low current output. With a Capacitor power supply. Maximum output current available will be 100
mA or less.So it is not ideal to run heavy current inductive loads.

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (8 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

3.Output voltage and current will not be stable if the AC input varies.

Caution

Great care must be taken while testing the power supply using a dropping resistor. Do not touch at any
points in the PCB since some points are at mains potential. Even after switching off the circuit, avoid
touching the points around the dropping capacitor to prevent electric shock. Extreme care should be
taken to construct the circuit to avoid short circuits and fire. Sufficient spacing must be given between
the components. The high value smoothing capacitor will explode, if is connected in the reverse polarity.
The dropping capacitor is non- polarized so that it can be connected either way round. The power
supply unit must be isolated from the remaining part of the circuit using insulators. The circuit should be
housed in metal case without touching any part of the PCB in the metal case. The metal case should be
properly earthed.

D.Mohankumar

Power supply Power supply, X rated Capacitor

Search
<< Find more projects

Comments

Leave a comment

Written by hb on May 13, 2010. Reply

Was just surfing the net for circuits and got on to this post..

I must say i have never understood any transformerless supply circuits ever…but in this post the
whole concept got clear and now i may make one by the guidance of this post…

Thank you for such a deep and proper explanation which is in simple language

Written by D.Mohankumar on May 13, 2010. Reply

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (9 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

Thanks for the feedback.I will post more articles in easy to understand way so that even a new
comer can make use of it

Written by V GOPALAKRISHNA on May 21, 2010. Reply

Dear sir,
I am a non technical person but verymuch interested in electronics. I have not understood how
the reactance for 0.22 uF capacitor
under 50 hz.A.C. mains is coming to 14.4 ohms. I am getting
by the formula X = 14462.98 ohms. Kindly explain. Thanks in advance. V.G.Krishna, Hyderabad.

Written by D.Mohankumar on May 22, 2010. Reply

Rectance of the capacitor 0.22 uF is calculated as X=1/2Pi.f.C

Where f is the 50 Hz frequency of mains and C is the value of capacitor in Farads. That is
1 microfarad is 1 / 1,000,000 farads.Hence 0.22 microfarad is 0.22 x 1 / 1,000,000 farads.
Therefore the rectance of the capacitor appears as 14475.97 Ohms or 14.4 K Ohms.
To get current I divide mains Volt by the rectance in kilo ohm
That is 230 / 14.4 = 15.9 mA.
The detailed explanation is added in the writeup

Written by gopala on May 22, 2010. Reply

Thank you Sir, for your kind prompt reply.

Written by muthurajmuthali on June 24, 2010. Reply

this circuit is OK.But how to increase the current for up to 400mA.because in this circuit is
giving only 100mA. please reply how to change the circuit to get the 400mA current

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (10 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

Written by ElectroSchematics.com on June 24, 2010. Reply

Hi, here is a transformerless power supply with 30 volts and 1000 mA output.

Written by muthurajmuthali on June 24, 2010. Reply

thanks…guys…please send the details of the circuit ..details of components…… ..is there any
other circuit……..

Written by atir on July 7, 2010. Reply

Dear Sir,
Could you please let me know the value of 5k capacitor in uf?
I’ll be very thankful to you.
Regards
Atir

Written by D.Mohankumar on July 7, 2010. Reply

I think you are asking for 5 PF capacitor. 5 PF is 0.000005 UF.Letter K is usually used in High
voltage capacitors and it means + / – 10% tolerance
CAP TOLERANCE
C = +/- 0.25PF
D = +/- 0.5PF
F = +/- 1%
G +/- 2%
J +/- 5%
K +/- 10%
M +/-20%
Z +80% / -20%

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (11 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

Written by Lovejeet on July 9, 2010. Reply

sir,

I have some confusion. The function of capacitor C1 is to only provide series reactance to step
down AC mains, it is nothing to do with energy storage. if i simply put one high watt resistor,
will it work for the same purpose.

Please elaborate the significance of capacitor C1.

Written by D.Mohankumar on July 9, 2010. Reply

If we use a high watt resistor in series with AC, current will be reduced but huge quantity of heat
will be generated and energy will be lost due to heat. Capacitor power supply eliminates the
chance of heat generation and it gives some isolation from mains, until the dielectric of the
capacitor breaks due to short circuit or high voltage.

Written by dee on July 15, 2010. Reply

hi there, what a great article! covers just about everything. well written and very clear. thanks a
lot. dee.

Written by D.Mohankumar on July 16, 2010. Reply

Thanks for the feedback

Written by Navidad on August 6, 2010. Reply

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (12 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

What is the device of the MOV?

Written by D.Mohankumar on August 7, 2010. Reply

MOV is Metal Oxide Varister, a kind of component used to protect circuits from AC
spikes. If the input AC increases above the limit, it will short circuit and break the fuse

Written by Navidad on August 7, 2010. Reply

Thank you…

Written by ElectroSchematics.com on August 7, 2010. Reply

Here you can read more about the MOV http://electroschematics.com/5224/

metal-oxide-varistor/

Written by Navidad on August 10, 2010. Reply

1. What affects the size of the output voltage

2. What affects the size of the current in this circuit.

Written by Navidad on August 10, 2010. Reply

size of the curent should be given reactance of capacitor, I think. Is it true? But I don’t
know what affects the size of the output voltage.

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (13 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

Written by D.Mohankumar on August 10, 2010. Reply

Output voltage and current depends on the Capacitive Rectance of the capacitor used.Higher
value capacitor like 2.2 uF will give around 100 milli ampere current and 50 volts AC.This
depends on the input AC voltage

Written by Navidad on August 10, 2010. Reply

OK. Thanks. I think it. :-)

Written by Lovejeet on September 12, 2010. Reply

sir,

in one of my experiments with capacitive power supply, to have 4V DC output with DC input
instead of AC, i found that bleeder resistor R2 across capacitor C1 is very useful.
It provides path to DC to be injected.
Please suggest will it (R2) have any adverse effect on performance of power supply with AC
input or high voltage DC input if its value and power rating properly selected?

Written by D.Mohankumar on September 12, 2010. Reply

In capacitor power supply, the bleeder resistor is included to remove the stored current quickly
when the circuit is unplugged. Usually a 220-470 K 1 watt resistor is used for the purpose. If high
volt DC is used as input, increase the value of the bleeder resistor to 1 M or 2.2 M so that it will
not affect much to the output

Written by A.Yuvaraj on September 30, 2010. Reply

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (14 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

Capacitor Power Supply

I have 2 Amps Load in DC Supply, and how much Capacitor range i want to connect for
protection purpose?

Written by Palitha Alahakoon on October 3, 2010. Reply

nice idea

Written by k.raghvban on October 19, 2010. Reply

can i use 1M;1/4W bleeder resistor for .22uF ? plz suggest me……..

Written by D.Mohankumar on October 19, 2010. Reply

Use 470K to 1M bleeder resistor for the AC capacitor to remove stored current quickly
when the unit is unplugged. Low value resistor may heat up.Ideal value is 470K or 560K
1W

Written by Godwill on October 23, 2010. Reply

A capacitor is in series with resistance of 30 ohms and connected to a 220 volt ac line. The
reactance of the capacitor is 40 ohms. What is the current in the circuit ? Help me with the answer

Written by D.Mohankumar on October 24, 2010. Reply

What is the value of the AC capacitor. See the table showing output current and voltage of
common capacitors given in the article. Convert the rectance into Kilo ohms by dividing it
with 1000. Then the current is supply voltage / rectance in Kilo ohms. Resulting current is
in Milli amps

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (15 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

Written by k.raghvban on October 26, 2010. Reply

sir,
is it essencial to use bleeder resistor except for safety purpose….what r the basic difference
whenever we use bleeder resistor or not for .22uF ? is any variation in voltage and current.please
advice me….

Written by D.Mohankumar on October 26, 2010. Reply

Dear Raghvban

The bleeder resistor parallel to the AC capacitor is a must in capacitor power supply. The
AC capacitor is rated 400V,600V or up to 2 KV. The capacitor charges fully up to this
high voltage, and keep this high voltage for many days even if the unit is not connected to
AC lines. This can give a lethal shock, if the pins of the AC cord is touched. If you add a
bleeder resistor, this stored current will be removed immediately when the cord is un
plugged.Adding a high value bleeder resistor like 470K or IM will not affect the
properties of the capacitor, voltage, current etc in practical conditions.

Leave a Comment

Your name
Your email
Your website

Subscribe to commentsLeave comment

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

Previous Post Next Post

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (16 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM

 Capacitor Power Supply

Enter your e-mail address Subscribe

Related Articles

● Power Supply Regulation

● Portable Power Supply
● 12 Volts Transformerless Power Supply
● TransformerLess Power Supply
● Transformerless Power Supply

Recent Articles

● X ‘Mas Decoration
● Water Switch Sensor Circuit
● Automatic Lawn Light with LDR
● Temperature Alarm
● Regulated Charger

© 2008 - 2010 electroschematics.com - My Profile

file:///C|/Users/Rohan/Desktop/Capacitor%20Power%20Supply.htm (17 of 17)2/3/2011 10:41:42 PM