Figure 8.3.2 8.3. 2: (a) Three capacitors are connected in parallel. Each capacitor is connected directly to the battery. (b) The charge on the equivalent capacitor is the sum of the charges on the individual capacitors.
We can also define the total capacitance of the parallel circuit from the total stored coulomb charge using the Q = CV equation for charge on a capacitors plates. The total charge QT stored on all the plates equals the sum of the individual stored charges on each capacitor therefore,
Charge on this equivalent capacitor is the same as the charge on any capacitor in a series combination: That is, all capacitors of a series combination have the same charge. This occurs due to the conservation of charge in the circuit.
Charging batteries in parallel means supplying a charging current to the entire battery bank collectively. Charging batteries in parallel offers several advantages: 1. Increased capacity: By combining multiple batteries, the overall capacity of the battery bank is increased.
The capacitor charging circuit is simple: a series resistor R1 to limit charge current through D1 into the capacitor bank C2. If the power-up events are rare, the energy loss on R1 is not substantial and doesn't have undue impact on the energy efficiency of the device.
These two basic combinations, series and parallel, can also be used as part of more complex connections. Figure 8.3.1 8.3. 1 illustrates a series combination of three capacitors, arranged in a row within the circuit. As for any capacitor, the capacitance of the combination is related to both charge and voltage: