SLAA701B October 2016 – June 2026 TAS5342A , TAS5342LA , TAS5352 , TAS5630B , TPA3220 , TPA3221 , TPA3251 , TPA3255 , TPA3255-Q1
Equivalent series resistance (ESR) and dissipation factor are fairly interchangeable ways to estimate the losses in the capacitor. See Section 1.5.2.3 to estimate the power losses using ESR or dissipation factor.
ESR is represented as a resistance in series with an ideal capacitor. ESR is a simple way to estimate the losses within the capacitor. Figure 1-34 depicts the ESR resistor.
Figure 1-34 Equivalent Series ResistanceDissipation factor is a slightly different measurement and is used primarily to compare the quality of a capacitor. It is the ratio of the ESR to the capacitance reactance. The dissipation factor includes the losses due to the dielectric material reactance, which when comparing different capacitor technologies makes it easier to understand which capacitor has less losses.
Figure 1-35 Dissipation FactorA lower dissipation factor means less power loss.