[DHeal]

Could one of our more knowledgable contributors explain to me the purpose of "capacitors" (?) in certain RV-12 electrical circuits (e.g., AP servos, fuel pump, strobes, pulsed landing light, etc.)?

It is my understanding that the capacitors serve to dampen or absorb (to GRND) the on and off electrical impulses generated by these intermittently-powered devices. These on and off impulses create a varying field in the wire that induces an undesirable flow of currrent? Left undamped, these on and off impulses would generate undesirable electronic noise or interference in nearby sensitive circuits (e.g., intercom, data, audio, etc.)?

Is this a correct (if somewhat basic) understanding?

Thanks.

 

[longranger]

Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on how capacitors are used as noise filters. Capacitors offer less impedance to the higher frequencies contained in switching transients, effectively "shorting" them to ground.

 

[smbrown]

Decoupling or Bypass capacitors, better explanation than I could provide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoupling_capacitor