Trimmers, Variable Capacitors

Capacitors are passive electronic components that store electrical energy in an electric field. They consist of two conductive plates separated by an insulating material, called the dielectric. When a voltage is applied across the plates, an electric charge builds up on each plate, creating an electric field between the plates. Capacitors are commonly used in electronic circuits to store and release electrical energy, and to filter out unwanted signals. Trimmers, also known as variable capacitors, are a type of capacitor that can be adjusted to change its capacitance. Trimmers are typically small, cylindrical devices that are used in circuits to fine-tune the performance of the circuit. They are often used in radio frequency (RF) circuits to adjust the resonant frequency of an antenna, for example. Trimmers are often manually adjustable, but some types are controlled electronically using a potentiometer or other type of variable resistor.