One of the best ways to understand magnetic design is to work through a practical example. In this article we will examine the design process for a buck converter inductor used to convert 48V DC into 12V DC at 10A output current. The goal is not to create a production-ready design, but to demonstrate the … Read more
Efficiency is one of the most important performance metrics in modern power electronics. Whether designing a DC-DC converter, motor drive, battery charger, or industrial power supply, engineers want magnetic components that deliver maximum performance with minimum loss. Unfortunately, no inductor is perfectly efficient. Every inductor generates losses that reduce overall system efficiency and increase operating … Read more
One of the most common mistakes engineers make when selecting or designing an inductor is choosing a current rating that appears acceptable on paper but fails under real operating conditions. Many designers focus only on average current while ignoring ripple current, saturation limits, and thermal performance. The result can be excessive heating, reduced efficiency, and … Read more
One of the most common questions engineers face when selecting magnetic components is whether to use a shielded or unshielded inductor. The answer depends on several factors including: Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. This guide explains the differences and helps engineers determine which option is best for their application. What Is a Shielded Inductor? … Read more
When engineers evaluate inductors, they often focus on inductance, current rating, and saturation performance. However, another important parameter is Q factor, sometimes called the Quality Factor. Q factor provides insight into how efficiently an inductor stores energy compared to how much energy it dissipates as loss. Understanding Q factor is useful in power electronics, filter … Read more
Designing an inductor may appear straightforward at first glance. Choose an inductance value, select a core, add some wire, and you’re done. In reality, successful magnetic design requires balancing electrical, thermal, magnetic, and manufacturing requirements simultaneously. Many power electronics problems can be traced back to mistakes made during magnetic design. This guide examines ten of … Read more
One of the primary purposes of an inductor is to store energy. In power electronics, inductors act as temporary energy reservoirs that smooth current, reduce ripple, and transfer energy between switching cycles. Understanding how energy is stored in magnetic components is essential for designing inductors, flyback transformers, motor drives, and switching power supplies. This guide … Read more
Forward converters are widely used in isolated power supplies where higher power levels and improved efficiency are required. Unlike flyback converters, which store energy in the magnetic component, forward converters transfer energy directly from the primary winding to the secondary winding during the switch ON period. This difference has a major impact on transformer design. … Read more
No transformer is perfect. In an ideal transformer, all magnetic flux generated by the primary winding couples directly into the secondary winding. In real transformers, however, some magnetic flux does not link both windings. This uncoupled magnetic flux creates what engineers call leakage inductance. Leakage inductance is one of the most important non-ideal characteristics of … Read more
One of the first concepts engineers encounter when designing transformers is turns ratio. Turns ratio determines how voltages and currents are transformed between the primary and secondary windings. Whether designing a flyback transformer, forward converter transformer, or line-frequency transformer, understanding turns ratio is essential. This guide explains what transformer turns ratio is, how it affects … Read more
