What Am I?

[ScuzZ]

Can anyone identify these components?

1.



2.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

First one is too small and blurred to tell, but looks like a choke?, the second is (fairly obviously) a very low inductance 'choke', just as used at VHF freqnecies.

 

[crusty]

do we win a prize?

 

[ScuzZ]

No prizes as of yet.

First one is like a solid steel bit on the end of two solder legs. It's hard to see, my camera doesn't do macro very well.

 

[Roff]

No prizes as of yet.

First one is like a solid steel bit on the end of two solder legs. It's hard to see, my camera doesn't do macro very well.

The first one looks like it's half as big as a tire.

 

[picbits]

They both look like chokes/inductors to me. First one looks like it has a bit of heatshrink round it.

 

[mneary]

I agree. Both are chokes.

 

[HiTech]

the first photo looks like a ferrite bobbin in shrink wrap... pretty common.

 

[ScuzZ]

So how does one tell the different between them?

eg.

 

[picbits]

You use an inductance meter

 

[Hero999]

They're both chokes, the top one has a lower inductance than the bottom.

 

[ScuzZ]

Newbie Alert: And a quick definition on what a choke is used for?

(Google results in hunting terminology)

 

[jbeng]

Not exactly quick ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductor

Jeff

 

[ScuzZ]

Oh ok. So they're similar to a capacitor..

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Oh ok. So they're similar to a capacitor..

No, completely the opposite!.

 

[Roff]

Oh ok. So they're similar to a capacitor..

About as similar as a spring is to a compressed air tank...

 

[Optikon]

No, completely the opposite!.

I wouldn't say completely opposite - they both store energy.

Their I-V phase relationships are opposite perhaps.
Also, at sufficiently high frequencies, they sometimes swap roles (impedance-wise) due to inevitable parasitic elements in their contruction.

But, this is probably confusing to the OP so he should research the basic differences between a capacitor and an inductor.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I wouldn't say completely opposite - they both store energy.

But of completely different types.

Their I-V phase relationships are opposite perhaps.
Also, at sufficiently high frequencies, they sometimes swap roles (impedance-wise) due to inevitable parasitic elements in their contruction.

But, this is probably confusing to the OP so he should research the basic differences between a capacitor and an inductor.

An inductors impedance INCREASES with frequency, a capacitors impedance DECREASES with frequency - completely the opposite of each other

 

[Optikon]

But of completely different types.



An inductors impedance INCREASES with frequency, a capacitors impedance DECREASES with frequency - completely the opposite of each other

Yes up to moderately low frequencies. Put a choke on a network analyzer if you've never done this... past 100MHz or so.. guess what, its a capacitor.. because the inter-winding capacitance starts to short the thing out... likewise, a capacitor starts looking inductive at a sufficiently high frequency due to the series inductance of the leads.. TRY IT!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

No need to try it, you don't get perfect components, I'm fully aware of the effects of using inductors and capacitors outside their limits.

But my comment still applies - it's pointless trying to over complicate the situation!.