Electrical

Passive RC High-Pass Filter Fundamentals

Electrical Diagrams · made in Skemio

Circuit schematic showing an AC voltage source in series with a capacitor C1 and resistor R1, with a voltmeter across R1 to measure output.
Circuit schematic showing an AC voltage source in series with a capacitor C1 and resistor R1, with a voltmeter across R1 to measure output.
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What it shows

  • Capacitive reactance Xc is inversely proportional to frequency (1 / 2*pi*f*C).
  • Cutoff frequency fc = 1 / (2*pi*R*C) marks the -3dB power point and 45-degree phase lead.
  • Blocks DC bias completely while acting as a frequency-dependent voltage divider.

The takeaway

An RC high-pass filter strips DC bias by placing high capacitive reactance at low frequencies and passing AC through R.

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