Choosing the Right Inductor for Your Application

Inductors are two-terminal electrical components designed to oppose currents passing through them by inducting an electromotive force. They are primarily used for signal processing and analog circuits in power electronic applications. In SMPS devices, they are used as energy storage components. They store energy in the form of magnetic fields as long as current flows through them.

Inductors are estimated as open circuits for AC signals and as short circuits for DC signals. However, not all inductors are created equal. There are a variety of inductors available in the market that differ in terms of performance, size and cost. Also, it is the number of turns in the coil, the coil length, the coil area and core material that affect the amount of inductance of an inductor. All these factors and more must be considered while selecting an inductor for your application. Choosing the right type of inductor is highly important. Here are a few factors explained to help you choose an appropriate inductor.

How Do Step-Up and Step-Down Transformers Help In the National Grid?

Step-up and step-down transformers are two useful types of transformers that are used for altering the AC voltage supply to provide power to various types of residential, commercial and industrial electrical applications. This alteration in voltage from one value to another – may it be decrease or increase – requires the transformer to use the principle of electromagnetic induction.

All You Want To Know About The Maintenance Of Power Transformers

Power transformers are important devices used to transfer current from one circuit to another. You require them to provide high performance and a long functional life. And for that, you need to take every possible care about their maintenance. Different parameters of these power transformers need to be measured and tested so that this costly equipment never turns you down. Certain regular maintenance activities need to be performed to ensure a smooth performance of these transformers – some on a daily basis, some monthly, while some yearly. We will be speaking about all of these maintenance procedures in this blog. Remember that if these regular maintenance procedures are carried out properly, any emergencies and breakdown maintenance can be avoided.

Parameters To Be Checked To Ensure Long Life Of Transformers

Transformers are electronic devices, which form the main components of power networks and thus, if they break down, it will affect the entire network. So, make sure to check for the quality of the transformer right from the time of manufacture to the shipment and finally till the installation. Miracle Electronics is a leading transformer manufacturer in India that manufactures all sorts of transformers using the best quality materials and procedures, while taking complete care of delivering properly checked and inspected products to its customers.

All You Need To Know About Inductors

Inductors are passive two-terminal electrical components that resist any changes in electric current passing through them. Majority of inductors are made of copper, and they comprise of a conductor in the form of a wire wound into a coil. Energy is stored in the coil as magnetic field as long as current flows through it. When current changes, the magnetic field induces a voltage in the conductor that opposes the change. The capacity/inductance of an inductor depends upon the material used, the number of coils and the diameter of the inductor. This inductance is conveyed in Henries unit, which is the outcome of the magnetic flux created around the conductor by the flow of current.

Structure of inductors

Inductors have a very simple and easy-to-understand structure. They have a coil of conducting material of insulated copper wire wrapped around a core made of plastic or ferromagnetic magnetic material. These materials are used because of their high permeability, meaning the property of supporting electromagnetism. This property of permeability increases the inductance of any core and helps in getting maximum resistance.

Applications of inductors

·        Inductors are used in analog circuits and signal processing. Large inductors are used in power supplies which remove residual hums and other fluctuations from the direct current output with the help of filter capacitors. They are also used as energy storage devices in SMPS to produce DC current, where the inductor supplies energy to the circuit for current flow during the “off” mode.

·        Tuned circuits, which are formed when inductors are connected to capacitors, are used in radio frequency equipment like radio transmitters and receivers. They are used to select a single frequency from a composite signal, and to generate sinusoidal signals in electronic oscillators.

·        Transformers, formed with two or more inductors in proximity with coupled magnetic flux, are used in every electric utility power grid.

Types of inductors

There are a variety of inductors available, out of which the below three are the most commonly used. Miracle Electronics is the Leading Inductor Coil Manufacturer in India, where you can get a variety of inductors that have no air gap, produce no noise, have a low electromagnetic radiation and are built with a very safe design with superior quality wiring and high durability index.

·        Ferromagnetic/Iron core inductors – These inductors have iron or ferrite in their core to increase inductance because iron is more permeable than other metals. Transformers and heavy pieces of machinery use these types of inductors because they require high inductance and low resistance. However, the magnetic properties of the core may cause side effects, which may alter the behavior of the inductor. Thus, either special construction or core replacement from time to time is required.

·        Air core inductor – Unlike ferromagnetic conductors, air core conductors do not have any metal in their core. Instead, they have materials like plastic, ceramic or just air in the space of winding. Inductance in such inductors is lesser and they can be used for higher frequencies as they have no limitations of core loss. However, if there are many mechanical vibrations in the system, the desired inductance of air core inductors will be different.

·        Laminated core inductor – Inductors that require low inductance are made from laminated core materials, which are a number of laminated sheets that are covered with insulation material. These inductors are used to decrease eddy currents between the sheets so that energy loss is greatly reduced.

SUMMARY

Inductors are two-terminal electrical components with a coil of wire wrapped around a core that resist changes in electric current passing through them. Inductors store energy in the coil as magnetic field, which induces a voltage to oppose any change in current felt.

What Makes Transformers Explode?

You have seen how a camera shutters while clicking pictures, right? Do you know how long it takes for a standard camera to shutter? Only 8 milliseconds! Another thing you may have noticed is a hummingbird flapping its wings. Do you know how fast it flaps its wings once? 60 milliseconds! Now, you may wonder why this blog is talking about the speed of a camera or hummingbird wing flap. Keep reading, and you’ll understand.

Okay, let’s get back to the point – “What makes transformers explode?” Transformers are the big cylindrical boxes you see attached to electric poles that transfer voltages while transmitting electricity from one circuit to another. Electricity constantly flows through the transformer. But, in a case when it is flooded with too much electricity, the sudden rush of power may cause the transformer to explode. Transformers are programmed to turn off as soon as they detect an energy spike. But, this shutdown can take up to 60 milliseconds. There! You see why this blog spoke about the 8 milliseconds and 60 milliseconds earlier? To explain how fast these milliseconds are. But, in case of a transformer, these 60 milliseconds don't seem to be fast enough! When electricity is flooded into a transformer, this insignificant time turns out to be too slow to stop the electrical overload.

Immediate surge in the electric pole can be caused by many sources like a car hitting the pole or even a squirrel climbing up the pole. Another reason could be lightning. Due to lightning, heavy voltage builds up and the transformer may explode, if there is no security mechanism implemented to avoid it. Furthermore, the reason of an explosion in snow prone areas could be a snowstorm. After a heavy snowstorm, underground electric systems often suffer problems. The salting streets of these areas keep vehicles and pedestrians safe. But, the salt can slip through manholes and corrode wires and create hazardous conditions for the underground electrical systems, thus resulting in transformer explosion.

Within these transformers, there are several gallons of mineral oil to keep the circuits cool. But, when excess amount of electricity is let in, the circuits start melting and fail into a number of sparks, setting the mineral oil ablaze! This results in an explosion of the transformer. However, it isn’t necessary that a failure always results in a fire or explosion but, there is always a possibility. In short, if the input voltage to the transformer is lower or around the critical voltage and the output voltage is more, the load to the transformer increases during peak hours. This results in a heavy increase in the winding temperature and burns out the transformer.

For the best transformers, you can get in touch with Miracle Electronics, the best transformer manufacturer in India for all sorts of transformers like power, toroidal, isolation, UI, SMPS, poly phase, audio and many others.

All You Need To Know While Purchasing An Automotive Wiring Harness

Automobile wiring harness is an assembly of electrical wires, connectors, and other electrical components mounted in automobiles for transmission of power and energy. It has good pliability and great capacity to resist high temperature. These wiring harnesses are in huge demand by automobile set-ups because they are ductile in nature, are dimensionally accurate, easy-to-use and have a short assembly time. They provide great safety against the effects of vibrations, abrasions and moisture, and optimize the usage of space as compared to loose wires and cables. The non-flexing bundle decreases the risk of a short and electrical fire by constricting all the wires together.

All the cables in a wiring harness are bound together by straps, cable ties, sleeves, cable lacing, electrical tape, etc. Just like the nerves in our body play different roles, similarly every individual wire in a wiring harness plays respective roles of supplying power, sending sensor signals, transmitting information, and supporting all the key functions of automobiles. All these wires are classified based on their functionality and specifications.

How are wiring harnesses helpful in the automotive industry?

Wiring harnesses are used in the automotive industry for multiple purposes like ignition switch connectors, AC, battery cables, power windows and door locks, dimmer switch connectors, headlight circuit breaker, engine fan, wipers, horn relay, backup lights, radio battery, brake lights, etc. They are designed so as to perform efficiently even under extreme conditions without any interruption. They also offer great sustainability of handling heavy loads like in harsh conditions of frigid temperature or tropical climate. They can carry high currents at high voltages in cars that require high heat resistance and tolerance to electromagnetic noise. Last but not the least, wiring harnesses improve fuel efficiency, thus helping in the conservation of environment. Moreover, they are easy to install and are very cost-effective for every kind of electrical requirement in automobiles.

What checks are needed to be made while purchasing a wire harness?

Automobiles require different types of cable harnesses to keep them running smoothly and efficiently. There are a wide range of automotive wiring harnesses available for different range of vehicles like cars, three-wheelers, two-wheelers, utility vehicles and commercial vehicles like trucks and buses. Today, many manufacturers use the finest quality materials to build up these harnesses by strictly examining every stage of production to guarantee the best quality products that bring high safety along with them.

The automobile industry has defined specific standards for wiring harness manufacturers to follow. It is important that you use those harnesses that are manufactured keeping these set standards in mind. So, before you purchase an automotive wiring harness, make sure that it conforms to the industry standards to ensure safety. You can also get customized wiring harnesses as per your requirement like different specifications, colour coding, etc. Check with your engineering department to see what kind of harness is needed for your industry before taking a decision. If you are dealing with Miracle Electronics, you can rest assured that they use only those materials that are of the finest quality, thus making them a leading wire harness manufacturer in India that takes care of every aspect of quality, cost effectiveness and latest technology.