Inductor, referred to as inductor, is one of the indispensable basic components in electronic circuits. It has many types and shapes, the common ones include single-layer flat-wound air-core inductor coil, inter-wound air-core inductor coil, bodiless air-core coil, multi-layer air-core inductor coil, honeycomb inductor coil, inductor coil with magnetic core, Magnetic tank inductor coil, high frequency choke coil, low frequency choke coil, fixed inductor, etc. As a versatile serialized product, fixed inductors are characterized by the fact that their coils (usually containing magnetic cores) are packaged in a casing. Therefore, they have the advantages of small size, light weight, solid structure, stable inductance and easy installation.
The two key parameters of an inductor are inductance and rated current. The unit of inductance is Henry (H). The commonly used units in practical applications are millihenry (mH) or microhenry (μH). Their conversion relationship is 1H=1000mH, 1mH=1000μH. There are two main methods for marking inductance: direct marking method and color marking method. The direct marking method prints the value of the inductance directly on the inductor; the color marking method uses a color ring to represent the inductance, where the 1st and 2nd color rings represent two significant figures, and the 3rd color ring represents the multiplier. The 4th color circle represents the allowable deviation. The color wheel colors have the same meaning as the color wheel resistors.
The rated current refers to the maximum current allowed to pass through the inductor under normal operating conditions. When using an inductor, you must ensure that the actual operating current is less than its rated current. If the rated current is exceeded, the inductor coil may heat up or even burn out. Therefore, when selecting and applying an inductor, it is crucial to correctly identify its inductance and current rating. Through these tips, the misuse and damage of the inductor can be effectively avoided and the stable operation of the circuit can be ensured.