KYOCERA AVX has launched online engineering simulation software to make it easier for engineers to evaluate and select supercapacitors for industrial, energy, automotive, transportation, telecommunications, commercial building and consumer electronics applications.

The latest version of its SpiCat online simulation software is dedicated to supercapacitors.

The software makes it easier for engineers to identify the characteristics of a wide variety of KYOCERA AVX components, including multilayer ceramic capacitors, polymer, tantalum and niobium capacitors, multilayer varistors, negative-temperature-coefficient thermistors, and now supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors are electrochemical double-layer capacitors that strike a balance between the capabilities of electronic or dielectric capacitors such as ceramic, tantalum, film and aluminium electrolytic capacitors and batteries. This includes pulse power handling characteristics resulting from the combination of high capacitance and low ESR.

These large-energy-storage devices can be used by themselves or with primary or secondary batteries to extend back-up time, lengthen battery life and provide instantaneous power pulses in power backup, hold-up, energy harvesting, peak power assist, pulse power and battery applications in the industrial, energy, telecommunications, automotive, transportation and medical industries.

The SpiCap SpiSCap online simulation software (spicat.kyocera-avx.com/scap) for the firm’s supercapacitors makes it easier for engineers to evaluate and select SCC and SCM series supercapacitors for their applications’ discharge requirements, based on criteria including: initial and end-of-life capacitance values, the latter of which is defined as exhibiting 70% of rated capacitance and 200% ESR; initial and final voltage; constant current, power or resistance modes; power; and duration time.

Users can identify recommended supercapacitors ranging from single cells and modules to series and parallel combinations of parts and enjoy one-click access to detailed information about the proposed products, including physical and electrical characteristics, input values, part number explanations, and even interactive voltage and current-versus-time graphs.

The supercapacitors have capacitances from 0.47F to 3000F, depending on the series. Rated operating temperatures are -40 to +65˚C at rated voltage or +85˚C with appropriate derating.

“Supercapacitors, like our SCC and SCM series, provide a number of unique advantages over both electric and dielectric capacitors and batteries and help engineers in the industrial, energy, automotive, transportation, telecommunications, commercial building and consumer electronics markets overcome common power challenges,” said Jiri Machanicek, product manager at KYOCERA AVX (www.kyocera-avx.com). “So, we’re very excited to release the new SpiCat SpiSCap online simulation software to help them evaluate and select supercapacitors optimised for their unique application demands.”