Knowles makes a wide range of capacitors. To really understand the breadth of Knowles’s offerings, it helps to look at the scale of energy storage they offer. From tiny bypass capacitors in medical implants to massive energy-storage banks used in fusion experiments, Knowles products span an incredible range.
Finding the Right Capacitor for Your Application
The energy stored in a capacitor is given by the equation:
Both capacitance (C) and voltage (V) play a critical role in determining the energy a capacitor can store. Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between capacitance and voltage across different capacitor types, with lines indicating constant energy levels, demonstrating the range of storage capabilities available. 
Figure 1: A plot of capacitance and voltage for various Knowles capacitors, overlaid with diagonal lines representing constant energy levels from 0.1mJ to 100kJ.
Here’s a breakdown of Knowles’s capacitor offerings by energy level and function. While these categories help illustrate different capacitor applications, in practice, capacitors of all types can appear in a wide range of systems, often overlapping in their functions and use cases.
Millijoule-Scale Capacitors for Precision Filtering & Noise Suppression
For applications requiring small-scale energy storage, filtering and signal integrity.
| Capacitor Type |
Product Page |
Approximate Energy Units | Application Example | Further Reading |
| Bypass Capacitor (10nF, 250V) |
View Products | 0.3mJ | Medical Implants | Fundamental Capacitor Functions in the World of Electronics |
| High Q Resonant Capacitor (12nF, 1.2kV) |
View Products | 8mJ | Resonant Power Converters | The Role of Resonant Capacitors in Power Electronics |
| Safety Capacitor (4.7nF, 2.5kV) |
View Products | 14mJ | EMI Suppression | The Role of EMI Filters in Power Electronics |
Joule-Scale Capacitors for Power Conversion & Energy Storage
For applications requiring higher energy storage and power handling.
| Capacitor Type |
Product Page |
Approximate Energy Units | Application Example | Further Reading |
| DC Filter Capacitor Assembly (3.9μF, 500V) | View Products | 0.5J | Military Power Supplies | A Custom Approach to Large Capacitor Assembly |
| Flatpack Capacitor (20mF, 10V) |
View Products | 1J | Portable Military Electronics | Selecting Capacitors for Charge Storage in Radar Power Amplifiers |
| High-Voltage Safety Capacitor (40μF, 630V) | View Products | 8J | Solar Converter | Exploring Power Electronics Trends in Solar Power |
| DC Link Capacitor (100μF, 800V) |
View Products | 32J | Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) |
Kilojoule-Scale Capacitors for High-Energy Applications
For applications requiring extreme energy storage and discharge capabilities.
| Capacitor Type |
Product Page |
Approximate Energy Units | Application Example | Further Reading |
| Medical Discharge Capacitor (32μF, 6kV) | View Products | 500J | Defibrillators | Capacitors for External Defibrillators |
| Supercapacitor Module (36.6F, 9V) |
View Products | 1.5kJ | Back-up Power Systems | The Benefits of Supercapacitors for Recloser Backup |
| High-Energy Capacitor Bank (290μF, 26kV) | View Products | 98kJ | Plasma Research | How High-Energy Capacitor Banks Drive Plasma Research |
At Knowles, we provide capacitor solutions for a vast range of demanding applications, from precise noise filtering in medical implants to high-energy storage in capacitor banks for fusion experiments. Across the board, we have the expertise and technology to meet the unique demands of your project.
Courtesy of Knowles Precision Devices
