Our engineering team frequently receives questions about whether we use Litz wire in our designs. We decided to focus this blog on educating our clients on this subject and explain why Litz wire is so ideal for certain applications and industries. Using Litz wire is associated with a number of benefits, including:
Food and Beverage Applications for Class 2/3 Power Transformers
Transformers convert alternating current (AC) from one voltage to a higher or lower voltage. Class 2 transformers are safer, more highly-rated electrical components frequently used in the food and beverage industry. Class 2 is a compliance rating signifying that the power transformer meets safety standards that reduce the risks of fire or shock.
Round Wire vs. Flat Wire in Transformers
Power transformers play an important role in many electronics and electrical applications, each of which has distinct performance requirements. When designing a transformer, wire selection is one of the most important considerations. Round and flat wires each offer unique benefits and drawbacks for certain applications. Below, you can learn more about the characteristics of flat wire vs. round [...]
Chokes vs. Inductors: What's the Difference?
Numerous technologies rely on chokes or inductors to deliver, alter, and filter electrical current. Understanding the difference between chokes and inductors is essential when designing devices and machinery that rely on electrical power. These electrical components each suit specific applications.
An Introduction to Common Mode Chokes
A choke is a magnetic inductor used to block or limit unwanted high-frequency alternating current (AC) while allowing the desired lower frequency direct current (DC) to pass through. The choke acts as a filter for the noise produced by other radio signaling devices, inverters, and unshielded equipment, thereby reducing interference in electrical and electronic devices and systems.
Basics of Inductance
Joseph Henry and Michael Faraday, working separately and on different continents (Henry in America, Faraday in England), simultaneously discovered the principle of electromagnetic inductance, the ability of an electrical conductor to generate electromotive force when the current running through it is changed, in the 1830s.
Medical Applications for Power Transformers
Complex electronics sometimes create stray electromagnetic fields, which can interfere with the performance of other electronics. This problem is especially prevalent in confined spaces like hospital rooms and surgery floors, and interference can be even more dangerous when it applies to delicate tools such as health monitoring equipment.
Exploring Current Sense Transformers
Commonly employed in high-current circuits, current sense transformers (CSTs) are a type of instrument transformer used to measure current values in a conductor. In current transformers (CTs), the primary has very few windings and is connected in series with the conductor carrying the current to be measured. The secondary contains a number of windings that are wound around a secondary [...]
Litz Wire vs. Copper Foil
In our most recent blog, we introduced Litz wire and discussed its various uses and properties. Litz wire is a multi-strand wire used to conduct alternating current (AC) at radio frequencies. Individually insulated magnet wires are braided together in a pattern that helps reduce AC losses from skin effects and proximity effects found in high-frequency windings. In this blog, we’ll compare Litz [...]
How Does Temperature Influence the Lifespan of a Transformer?
All electrical devices produce heat as an operational byproduct. In transformers, normal operation causes an internal temperature increase or temperature rise. When the transformer is at its nameplate rating, the transformer temperature rise is the average temperature increase of the windings above the ambient temperature. This increase in temperature has the potential to shorten the [...]