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and follow the procedure given earlier in this chapter. (The secondary DC resistance can be difficult to measure
with some DVMs because of its very low value.)
In order to choose a proper value of filter capacitance, you can equate the CB radio to a resistor. Its power
requirement is 12 to 14 volts at 1.5 amps.
Using Ohms law, you can calculate its apparent resistance:
R = E / I = 12 volts / 1.5 amperes = 8 ohms (worst case)
As far as the power supply is concerned, the CB radio will look like an 8-ohm load. Note that the 8-ohm calculation
is also the worst-case condition. If the upper voltage limit (14 volts) had been used in the calculation, the answer
would have been a little over 9.3 ohms. Eight ohms is a greater current load to a power supply than 9.3 ohms (as
the load resistance decreases, the current flow from the power supply must increase).
You now know two variables in the load time constant equation: the apparent load resistance (Rload) and the
desired time constant (83 milliseconds with a full-wave rectifier). To solve for the capacitance value, the time
constant equation must be rearranged.
Divide both sides by R:
Tc / R = R(C)/R
The R values on the right side of the equation cancel each other, leaving
Tc / R = C or C = Tc / R
By plugging our known variables into the equation, it becomes
C = 83 milliseconds / 8 ohms = 0.010375 farad or 10,375 micro-Farad
According to the previous calculation, the filter capacitor needed for the CB radio power supply should be about
10,000 micro-Farad. A capacitor of this size will always be electrolytic, so polarity must be observed. The voltage
rating should be about 20 to 25 WVDC (this provides a little safety margin over the actual DC output voltage),
depending on availability.
If this calculation had been based on a half-wave rectifier circuit, the required capacitance value for the same
performance would have been about 20,000 micro-Farad.
RESOURCE: McGrow Hill. TAB Electronics Guide to Understqanding Electricity and Electronics