RC time constant

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Calculate τ (tau) of an RC circuit and get the complete charging and discharging time table. Useful for low pass filters, debounce and PWM→voltage conversion.

τ = R × C Table 1τ → 5τ Cutoff frequency

Parameters

Common applications

Low pass filter

R=10kΩ, C=100nF → τ=1ms, fc=1.6kHz. It reduces high-frequency noise in analog signals.

Hardware debounce

R=10kΩ, C=100nF → τ=1ms. The capacitor charges gradually and removes button bounce within a few milliseconds.

ON/OFF delay

R=100kΩ, C=10µF → τ=1s. Combinato con comparatore o trigger di Schmitt: delay preciso senza microcontroller.

See also

Frequently asked questions

What is RC time constant?

τ = R × C. Time to reach 63.2% of final voltage. After 5τ the capacitor is 99% charged.

What is RC cutoff frequency?

fc = 1/(2π×R×C). With R=10kΩ, C=10nF: fc ≈ 1.6 kHz.