Low-cost current monitor tracks high dc currents

Focus:

To enable overload detection, a simple LC oscillator circuit measures dc current through an inductor by exploiting the relationship between the inductor core's permeability and the current flow through the inductor's windings. This current measurement technique provides moderate accuracy, wastes little power, and is inexpensive.

What you’ll learn:

• How to use an LC oscillator to measure dc current for overload detection
• How to measure dc current using a dc-dc converters's filter inductor
• How to measure dc current through an inductor using the relationship between core permeability and inductor current

Notes:

An EDN Design Idea

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Author & Publication:

Susanne Nell, Breitenfurt, Austria; Edited by Brad Thompson and Fran Granville, EDN, Mar 01 2007

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