I am currently working with IHC Smoothside passenger cars, interiors, and lighting kits and I would like to wire in an appropriate capacitor to eliminate flickering.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to size and type of capacitor to use?
thanks in advance!
It should be a non-polarized electrolytic capacitor of at least 50 Volts rating at the highest microfarad you can squeeze into the available space, without being obvious.
Non-polarized electrolytics are sometimes hard to find, so I sometimes use a small bridge rectifier so a normal polarized electrolytic can be used.
One source of non-polarized electrolytics is All Electronics in Van Nuys, California; but unless you intend to order several other items the postage can be a killer ($7.00 minimum).
I doubt if Radio Shack carries such items, since they seem to be getting away from electronics components and stocking only fast-selling cell phones and similar gadgets.
A disc ceramic capacitor is smaller, but won’t hold a charge long enough for use in lighting circuits.
Is this DC or DCC? DC: the above suggestion is good. DCC: I think you will be forced to build a power supply in the coach. A diode or diode bridge to create single-polarity power, a capacitor to take out the ripple, and probably a resistor to limit inrush. The starting point for the design would be the amount of current the lamps will take.
Jim
Yes, it’s DC. Thank you both for your responses.
dan.
You can make non-polarized electrolytics by connecting two in series.
The value is reduced by 1/2 (using the same value) i.e. 2 100 uf in series = 50 uf