Blogs

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Inductors are used across many industries to store energy, regulate the flow of current, and create impedance. Circuits require different types of inductors as well as core and winding styles to perform optimally in a given application. Understanding inductor properties is the best way to determine which materials and shapes are best suited for your custom needs. This blog post will discuss the [...]

Electric cars are increasingly becoming popular due to their efficiency and smart features. Improved safety capabilities, such as autonomous driving and advanced driver-assisted systems, are fueling the demand for higher quantities of increasingly complex onboard electronic control units (ECUs). To function optimally, these circuits require automotive inductors and transformers with unique [...]

Impedance and resistance are similar ideas that both represent how a component fights against the flow of current. Since they both use ohms as units, there can often be some confusion about their differences. In general, DCR, or DC resistance, is a value that represents the amount of resistance any circuit or device can offer when a DC signal of 0 Hz passes through it, while impedance describes [...]