Quality of good inductor

There are several important properties for an inductor that may need to be considered when choosing one for use in an electronic circuit. The following are the basic properties of a coil inductor. Other factors may be important for other kinds of inductor, but these are outside the scope of this article.

Current carrying capacity is determined by wire thickness and resistivity.

The quality factor, or Q-factor, describes the energy loss in an inductor due to imperfection in the manufacturing.

The inductance of the coil is probably most important, as it is what makes the inductor useful. The inductance is the response of the inductor to a changing current.

The inductance is determined by several factors.

v  Coil shape: short and squat is best

v  Core material: The number of turns in the coil. These must be in the same direction, or they will cancel out, and you will have a resistor.

Coil diameter: The larger the diameter (core area) the larger the induction.