What effect does increasing filter capacitance have on ripple?

Increasing filter capacitance reduces ripple in a circuit. In a power supply that uses filtering to smooth out the output voltage, ripples are caused by the fluctuations in voltage due to the rectification of alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC).

When capacitance is increased, the capacitor has a higher ability to store charge. This means that during the periods when the voltage drops (between the peaks of the rectified waveform), the capacitor can discharge more slowly. As a result, the output voltage remains closer to the peak voltage of the rectified waveform, thus minimizing the fluctuations or ripple that one would observe at the output.

A larger capacitance allows the capacitor to better maintain the steady output voltage by compensating for the load current fluctuations, leading to a smoother and more stable DC voltage. This is why increasing filter capacitance is an effective method to minimize ripple in power supply designs.