Planar Power Magnetics; New Low-Profile Approaches for Low-Cost Magnetics Designs (Part I)

Focus:

The first of a two-part article, this two-page introduction to planar magnetics discusses why planar magnetic components are being adopted in place of standard transformers and inductors, how planar magnetic components are constructed, the origins of this technology, and some early suppliers of the technology. Benefits such as thin-size (low profile), cost, consistency, and larger surface area for heat dissipation are discussed. Methods of building planar components using circular and rectangular assemblies are described including winding methods (PCBs or flat-coils), commonly used cores (E, I and others), core materials, and use of special bobbins. Height definitions for planar components are discussed and some example components and their dimensions are presented. Options for standard versus custom components are discussed. A brief history mentions the military origins of planar magnetics and their introduction as commercial off-the-shelf components by Alex Estrov at Multisource Technology.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the benefits of planar magnetics
• How to understand the construction of planar magnetic components
• How to understand the history of planar magnetics

Notes:

"Reprint from the Summer issue 2002. Actual date of publication is not specified.

View the Source

Author & Publication:

Ed Bloom, e/j BLOOM associates Inc, Magnetics Business & Technology, Jul 01 2002

This article summary appears
in the HOW2POWER Design Guide.

The Design Guide offers
organized access to
hundreds of articles
on dozens of power conversion
and power management topics.

The Design Guide search results
include exclusive summaries
and accurate "how to" analysis
to help you make faster,
more informed decisions.

Search
for more articles