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I-shaped inductor is an electromagnetic induction component composed of I-shaped magnetic core skeleton and enamelled copper wire, which can convert electrical signals into magnetic signals.

The I-shaped inductor itself is an inductor. It origins from the skeleton shape , which is similar to an I-shaped， and coil wind in the slot of “I”. Our common inductors are chip inductors, RF inductors, power inductors, common mode inductors, magnetic loop inductors, etc. Today, we are not going to introduce these inductors. What kind of inductors are they? That is the I-shaped inductor

I-shaped Inductor Core picture

As one of the plug-in inductors, the I-shaped inductor is not only in small size, but also easy to install, which is a plug-in type inductor and takes up less space; High Q factor; The distributed capacitance is small; High self resonance frequency; Special guide needle structure, not easy to produce closed circuit phenomenon.

The I-shaped inductor uses the conductor to pass the AC voltage and current. The I-shaped inductance is the ratio of the magnetic flux of the conductor to the current producing the alternating magnetic flux around the conductor when the conductor passes the AC current.  I-shaped inductor is generally used for circuit matching and signal quality control, and generally connected with power supply.

The stability of the I-shaped inductor is higher than that of the general inductor. The current passing through the circuit is relatively stable, and the efficiency is also improved a lot. The main function of the I-shaped inductor is to filter signals, filter noise, stabilize the current and control electromagnetic interference, which is an excellent countermeasure for EMI. Today, I’d like to share with you about the structure and characteristics of the I-shaped inductor.

Structure and composition of I-shaped inductor

The framework of the I-shaped inductor is formed by the winding support of the copper core coil. I-shaped inductor is one of the properties of electronic circuit or device, which refers to: when the current changes, some large fixed inductors or adjustable inductors (such as oscillating coil, current resistance coil, etc.) will generate electromotive force to resist current change due to electromagnetic induction.

The commonly used I-shaped inductor is regarded as a vertical version of the axial inductor, which is similar to the axial inductor in ease of application. However, the commonly used I-shaped inductor can have a larger inductance type, and the current can naturally be improved in application;

In most cases, enamelled wire (or yarn wrapped wire) is directly wound on the skeleton, and then the magnetic core, copper core, iron core, etc. are put into the inner cavity of the skeleton to improve its inductance.

The skeleton is usually made of plastic, bakelite and ceramics, and can be made into different shapes according to actual needs. Small inductive coils (such as I-shaped inductors) generally do not use a skeleton, but directly wind the enamelled wire on the magnetic core.

Diagram of I-shaped inductor

Characteristics of I-shaped inductor  

1. Small vertical inductor, occupying small installation space;

2. Small distributed capacitance and high self resonance frequency;

3. The special guide pin structure is not easy to cause open circuit.

4. Protect with PVC or UL heat shrinkable sleeve.

5. Lead free environmental protection.

Characteristics of I-shaped inductor

1. Inductance value range: 1.0uH to 100000uH.

2. Rated current: based on temperature rise, it shall not exceed 200C.

3. Operating temperature range: – 20oC to 80oC.

4. Terminal strength: more than 2.5 kg.

Function of I-shaped inductor

1. Energy storage and filtering in the power supply make the electric display source more stable.

2. Oscillation, which forms an oscillation component in the switching circuit to boost the voltage

3. Anti interference and anti interference:  it acts as a choke in the power supply and a differential mode inductor to prevent harmonic components in the power supply from polluting the power grid and interfering with the power supply, playing a stable role.

Most electronic devices contain RF inductors. “In order to track animals, the glass tube implanted in the skin of our domestic animals contains an inductor inside,” said Maria del Mar Villarrubia, a research and development engineer of Plummer Company. “Every time the car is started, wireless communication will be generated between the two inductors, one inside the car and the other inside the key.”

However, just as such components are ubiquitous, RF inductors also have very specific applications. In a resonant circuit, these elements are usually used in combination with capacitors to select a specific frequency (such as an oscillating circuit, a voltage controlled oscillator, etc.).

RF inductors can also be used in impedance matching applications to achieve impedance balance of data transmission lines. This is necessary to ensure efficient data transmission between ICs.

When used as RF choke, inductors are connected in series in the circuit to act as RF filters. In short, RF choke is a low-pass filter, which will attenuate higher frequencies, while lower frequencies will be unimpeded.

What is the Q value?

When discussing the performance of inductance, Q value is an important measure. Q value is an index to measure the performance of inductance. It is a dimensionless parameter used to compare the oscillation frequency and energy loss rate.

The higher the Q value, the closer the performance of the inductor is to the ideal lossless inductor. That is, it has better selectivity in the resonant circuit.

Another advantage of high Q value is low loss, that is, less energy is consumed by inductor. Low Q value will result in wide bandwidth and low resonance amplitude at and near the oscillation frequency.

Inductance value

In addition to Q factor, the real measurement of inductor is of course its inductance value. For audio and power applications, the inductance value is usually Henry, while high frequency applications usually require a much smaller inductance, usually in the range of millihenry or microhenry.

The inductance value depends on several factors, including structure, core size, core material and actual coil turns. Inductance can be either fixed or adjustable.

Application of I-shaped Inductor

I-shaped inductor is generally used in: TV and audio equipment; Communication equipment; Buzzer and alarm; Power controller; Systems requiring broadband and high Q values.

Through the above understanding of the performance, characteristics and functions of the I-shaped inductor, we can learn that the I-shaped inductor is widely used in vehicle mounted GPS, vehicle mounted DVD, power supply equipment, video recorder, LCD display, computer, household appliances, toys, digital products, security technology equipment and other electronic products.

If you are interested in more details, please feel free to contact us.