How to Measure Inductance

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Connect the inductor coil to a pulsed voltage source.

   Keep the cycle of the pulse below 50 percent.
2. 2

   Step 2: Set up current monitors.

   You'll need to wire a current sense resistor into the circuit, or else use a current probe.
   
   Either should be connected to an oscilloscope. , The peak current will be measured in amperes, while the time between pulses will be in microseconds. , For example, if a voltage of 50 volts is delivered every 5 microseconds, this figure would be 50 times 5, or 250 volt-microseconds. , Continuing the above example, if the peak current was 5 amperes, the inductance would be 250 volt-microseconds divided by 5 amperes, or 50 microhenries.
   
   Although the math is simple, the setup for this method of measuring inductance is more complex than for other methods of measuring inductance.
3. 3

   Step 3: Read the peak current and the amount of time between voltage pulses.

4. 4

   Step 4: Multiply the voltage delivered in each pulse by the length of each pulse.

5. 5

   Step 5: Divide the product of the voltage and pulse length by the peak current.

Detailed Guide

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