Capacitor (Non-Polarized)
A capacitor with no polarity requirement — either terminal can be at a higher potential. Used in AC coupling, audio crossover networks, and any circuit where voltage polarity may reverse.
Properties
| Property | Description | Default | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacitance | Charge storage capacity (F) | 100 nF | 1 pF – 100 µF |
| Voltage rating | Maximum safe peak voltage across the component (V) | 50 V | 1 V – 1 000 V |
| ESR | Equivalent series resistance (Ω) | 0.05 Ω | 0.001 Ω – 5 Ω |
Simulation behavior
Behaves identically to the polarized capacitor for DC and transient analysis, except there is no polarity enforcement. Failure occurs only if the absolute voltage across the terminals exceeds the voltage rating, regardless of direction.
ESR contributes series resistance losses and slightly reduces high-frequency performance.
Tips
- Use non-polarized capacitors for AC coupling between stages — the signal swings both above and below zero, which would destroy a polarized capacitor.
- Ceramic and film capacitors (the real-world equivalents of this component) typically have lower ESR than electrolytics — set ESR low (< 0.05 Ω) to model them accurately.
- If you are building a filter and the capacitance seems to have no effect, check that the frequency is in the range where 1/(2πfC) is comparable to the surrounding resistance.