Supercapacitors outscore battery power

These Cornell Dubilier devices offer higher power than batteries and greater energy without degradation over millions of charge-discharge cycles.

They are available at distributor New Yorker Electronics.

These new supercapacitors can replace or extend battery life in on-board memory backup. They are electric double-layer components that provide high capacitance values in a thru-hole stacked coin type package.

Three case configurations are available for horizontal, vertical and radial-lead PCB mounting. EDC and EDS series capacitors are ready to board mount in such applications as real-time clock (RTC) backup, power failure backup, battery assist and in market segments such as smart metering, HVAC controls, building automation, communication systems, appliances, instruments and other microprocessor-based devices.

Because of their high volumetric power density, they can be an effective way to reduce board size and weight.

Either series can be used as a drop-in replacement for similar value capacitors recently discontinued by other manufacturers. The CDE EDC Series is rated at voltages up to 6.3WVDC with an operating temperature of -25°C to +70°C. The EDS series is rated at 5.5WVDC with an operating temperature of -25°C to +85°C.

Both offer values from 0.047F to 1.5F capacity. Primarily designed for integrated circuit voltage backup, the capacitors can also be used to deliver the initial power from batteries.

Other features are long life, high discharge current and 70°C (EDC) or -85°C (EDS) operating temperature.