Inductance against DC bias
At your peak current, not at zero. Many parts lose 30 percent or more of their nominal value before they get anywhere near the rated current.
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COTS Magnetics
ConverNova is a custom magnetics house, and a custom part is not always the right answer. We also supply commercial off-the-shelf transformers, inductors and common mode chokes, and more usefully, we will tell you which of the two your project actually needs. Based in Madrid, Spain, and we aim to answer within 24 hours. Send the part number you are considering and your operating point, and you will get a straight assessment rather than a sales pitch.
The honest version
When standard is the right answer.
We would rather tell you this than sell you a design you did not need and lose you as a customer on the second project.
Send us your spec| Your situation | Buy standard | Design custom |
|---|---|---|
| The magnetic is not on the critical path | Yes | Waste of money |
| Low volume, tight schedule, generous envelope | Yes | Tooling will not amortise |
| A standard part meets your spec at your operating point with margin | Yes | Nothing to gain |
| Efficiency or size is what the product is sold on | Leaves points on the table | Yes |
| The nearest standard part is 20 percent too big | Costs you the board area every unit | Yes |
| You need a controlled leakage inductance | Not specified, so not controlled | Yes |
| Volume is high enough that unit cost dominates | You pay the distributor margin forever | Yes |
| Qualification wants a second source you control | Depends on the part | Yes |
If the row that matches you says buy standard, we will help you pick one. That is a shorter conversation and we are fine with it.
The one thing to check
Read the conditions, not the number.
Most magnetics datasheets quote inductance at zero DC bias, 25 degrees C and a small signal. Your converter runs at none of those. Before you commit to a standard part, check three things.
Loss at your frequency
Published loss is often given at one frequency and one flux swing. At double the frequency the core loss does not double, it climbs faster.
Temperature
Saturation current falls as the core heats. A part that is comfortable at 25 degrees can be marginal at the 85 degrees your enclosure actually reaches.
This is the same argument as the nominal point on the home page. It is not a reason never to buy a standard part. It is a reason to check the conditions before you do.
Start here
Send the part number and your operating point.
We will tell you whether it holds up, and if it does not, what a designed part would buy you. Either answer, and we aim to have it with you within 24 hours.