Inductors and Coils
Inductors are one of the most important components in electronics. Commonly used to store energy, they can also be used as RF chokes (see below). As current passes through an inductor, it creates a magnetic field around the coil. The strength of this magnetic field represents the stored energy. The measure of an inductor’s ability to store energy is called inductance, measured in Henries (H) and represented by the letter L.
Inductor applications include:
- Energy storage
- Solar/wind energy inverters
- Signal processing
- Switching power supplies
We can design a custom high frequency inductor to meet your specifications including:
- Inductance
- Current capacity
- Frequency (up to 1 MHz)
- Mounting
- Custom footprint
- SMD or TH
Air-core inductors (coils) are coreless inductors that aren’t wound around a ferromagnetic (i.e. ferrite) core. Traditionally, air-core inductors are wound solely on a plastic bobbin, but it isn’t uncommon to see air-core inductors as stiff wire wrapped into a coil shape.
The benefit of an air-core inductor is that it doesn’t saturate like a ferrite/iron core inductor does at higher frequencies. A drawback of using an air-core inductor is that many more turns are needed to meet inductance requirements.
Chokes
“Choke” is a relatively old term not commonly used anymore, and today people use the words “inductor” and “choke” interchangeably. Even though chokes and inductors are used for the same purpose, chokes were traditionally used in RF applications to block high frequency AC signals.
Common Mode Chokes
A common mode choke (CMM) serves as an efficient way to filter in-phase supply lines, enabling equipment to meet strict electrical radiation specifications. It helps filter and block high-frequency, common-mode current noise in the supply lines. This noise can potentially damage other electrical components or devices in your system if left unfiltered.
Common mode chokes are found in the following applications:
- Communication networks
- Power lines and cables (usually found at the base as a bead)
- Transmission and receiver applications (televisions and monitors)
We can design a custom high frequency common mode choke to meet your specific requirements, including:
- Inductance
- Current capacity
- Frequency (up to 1 MHz)
- Number of phases
- Mounting
- Custom footprint
- SMD or TH