An air condenser is an adjustable capacitor consisting of rotating semi-circular aluminum plates and static plates with air acting as a dielectric. It is used in resonant circuits where adjustable capacitance is required. It allows for changes in capacitance by adjusting the total plate area. It is commonly used in frequency mixers, radio tuners, and antenna tuner impedance matching components.
An air condenser is an adjustable condenser consisting of a series of semi-circular aluminum plates rotating on a central shaft placed between a series of similarly spaced static aluminum plates. As the moving plates are rotated, the amount of overlap between the moving and static plates changes. The air between the sets of plates acts as an effective dielectric, isolating the sets from each other. Since the capacitance of any capacitor depends on the combined size of its plates, this adjustment adjusts the value of the capacitor in air. Air condensers are commonly used in resonant circuits where an adjustable capacitance is required.
Capacitors are electronic components that store electrical energy for short periods. Capacitors consist of thin metal film plates separated by a dielectric or insulating material such as glass, paper or air compounds. The capacity, or the extent of energy storage capacity, of any capacitor is largely dictated by the total area of its plates. Most capacitors have a fixed capacitance value, component replacement being necessary to decrease or increase the value. Some types of electronic circuits, however, require the values of certain capacitors to be changed repeatedly as part of the circuit’s function.
In these cases, components such as the air condenser, also known as a variable condenser or variable air condenser, are used. These are typically considerably larger than conventional capacitors and are not enclosed in a case. The air condenser consists of a series of semi-circular discs with a hole drilled in the center through which a control rod is passed. Alternate discs are attached to the control rod as it passes freely through the others. This means that the disc set is effectively split into two groups, one rotating between them with an insulating body of air between them.
These two sets of disks collectively form the two plate areas of the condenser. Since the platters are semi-circular in shape, rotation of the movable group causes the amount of overlap of the two groups to change, thus changing the total area of the platter. Since the capacitance of a capacitor depends on its total plate area, this change in area causes a corresponding change in the capacitance of the components, allowing an operator to change the component’s value at will. The air condenser is often used in LC, or resonant, circuits that require changes in capacitance. These circuits include frequency mixers, radio tuners, and antenna tuner impedance matching components.
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