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PrizmaCap™ is a superlative new series of standard and custom supercapacitors that employ a revolutionary new design in terms of form, fit, and function compared with other supercapacitors from Kyocera AVX. Leveraging this innovation, the supercapacitors have been engineered to provide peak performance in an array of Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) optimized, battery-powered products.

The PrizmaCap supercapacitors can be used on their own as system power backup devices, replacing batteries in some cases, or they can be used in conjunction with primary or secondary batteries. Using them in conjunction with a battery allows for extended system backup time, improved battery life, and allows provision of instantaneous power pulses in energy storage, energy and power holdup, pulse power handling, and battery assist applications.

How does PrizmaCap improve battery performance?

Essentially, the addition of a PrizmaCap helps smooth out the power demand which in turn enhances the performance and lifetime of the battery. Instantaneous power pulses, such as those typically seen in wireless communication systems during transmit cycles, or peak power assist requirements, such as those in motor drives, put a lot of current strain on the battery during these discharge events. Repetitive or prolonged exposure to power pulses and peak power assists leads to increased battery heating, shorter run times and will ultimately impact the effective life of the battery by reducing its number of overall charge/discharge cycles. Placing a supercapacitor in parallel with the battery effectively buffers it from the harmful effects of these repetitive power pulses, thus supplementing the performance and lifetime of the battery.

The PrizmaCap has an inherent low ESR which allows it to deliver large peak currents, up to 8.63A on the 15F model, and they are capable of fast charge/discharge cycles. Furthermore, their number of charge/discharge cycles far exceeds that of battery technology with more than 500K cycles achievable under specified conditions.

These attributes make it possible for designers to increase the lifetime of the battery in a system, achieve longer run times and reduce servicing costs throughout the life cycle of the end product. Alternatively, it is also possible to specify smaller capacity batteries when using them in conjunction with supercapacitors, because any peak current demands are supplemented by the supercapacitor allowing a battery with a lower maximum discharge pulse current to be used.

Technical Description of PrizmaCap

The SCP Series PrizmaCap is initially offered in three standard capacitances with higher capacitance values and rated voltages planned for release in the coming months. The three capacitances offered today are 3.5F, 8.5F and 15F with a rated voltage of 2.1V (derating to 1.1V for +90°C operation) and energy densities 1.14, 1.87 and 2.43Wh/kg respectively. They are also rated for maximum DCL as low as 50μA after 72 hours of operation, maximum ESR as low as 30mΩ at 1kHz and 55mΩ at DC, and up to 2,582W/kg power density and 0.0092Wh maximum energy. PrizmaCap offers the highest capacitance and energy densities currently available in the market for any small form factor (SFF) prismatic supercapacitors rated at more than 1F.

Additional off-the-shelf solutions with standard footprints and capacitance values are planned and will be released as they are qualified. Custom SCP Series PrizmaCap supercapacitors are possible with customer-specified footprints and capacitance values spanning 1–500F.

The wide applicability of PrizmaCap

PrizmaCap supercapacitors are suitable for a wide range of application uses including but not limited to wearables, handheld devices, high temp industrial equipment, Bluetooth keyboards, battery assist for power tools and communication devices, medical devices, power peripherals, Tablet/E-Reader, Military and high reliability equipment and space constrained designs.

They feature a wide operating temperature range specified from -55°C to +90°C with appropriate derating, this is the widest available from any supercapacitor currently available on the market and allows PrizmaCap to be used in applications which were previously off limits to this technology.

The PrizmaCap supercapacitors are based on a propylene carbonate electrolyte technology, which has been proven safe and effective in energy storage applications including lithium-ion batteries, this technology also allows the products to be extremely lightweight (<2gm) and the prismatic form factor allows for a very low-profile from 0.8 to 2mm.

Measuring just 48 x 45mm with maximum thickness of 2mm, the compact size of the PrizmaCap makes them especially well-suited for use in energy harvesting, wearable & handheld devices, energy metering, industrial equipment, consumer devices and any other application using high density PCB’s. The supercapacitors have two fixed-position, surface-mount terminals which are compatible with hand soldering, or for more reliable and production friendly connections they can be terminated using Kyocera AVX Interconnect’s economical and ultralow-profile 70-9159 Series STRIPT™ two-piece, single contacts.

The SCP Series PrizmaCap supercapacitors are RoHS- and REACH-compliant, lead-free compatible, and currently made in the USA. To ensure optimal performance and quality, Kyocera AVX have qualified the supercapacitors for life cycle, high-temperature load life, temperature characteristics, vibration resistance, and humidity characteristics.

Anglia are offering customers FREE samples of the Best-In-Class performance PrizmaCap™ Supercapacitors from Kyocera AVX, please fill in the form below to register your interest now.