How to measure Pulse Current?

Jul 09, 2006 8 Replies

Is there any suggestion how to measure Pulse current up to 10KA and pulse wide below 10mA?



"GSiu" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com:

below 10ma,a clip-on P6021,P6022(AC)current probe,or a TM500/AM503/A6302 system,DC-50 Mhz BW. The AM503/A6303 probe measures high currents (IIRC,up to 100's of A),but not 10,000A.

you may need some sort of current transformer for those really high currents.

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net

*All* of those probes are current transformers... At 10,000 amps one would have a problem in preventing saturation; the secondary winding resistance probably cause enough IR drop that the current would be low enough so that the current (amps) times turns (= ampere-turns) would reflect back to the primary (of one turn) so that the net core flux would be excessive. Now, it might be done with a *large* core and (relatively) large diameter wire (to reduce that IR drop)... So, start with a turns ratio of (say) 10,000 to 1, meaning the secondary has 10,000 turns. For insignificant IR drop, the secondary should be no smaller than #20. From that, figure out the cross-sectional area taken for 10,000 wires, thenmathematically "spread" it out over a torus (if that is the shape of the core) or rectangle (if "C" or "E" type core). That should give you a rough idea as to the minimum core size (will need to be larger due to insulation, etc).

Robert Baer wrote in news:4r3sg.2197$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net:

The AM503 probes are Hall-effect devices -with- a current transformer for hi-freq response. And they still are PROBES(based on transformers,yes.) ,not a stand-alone transformer.

They also can be slipped over a conductor and not have to be hard-wired into the circuit.

Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net

CT.. Current Transformer. you simply pass the load through it., the terminals give you a ratio.. something like a 500:1 comes to mind. also there is the concern of the pulse width time your looking for ? also you have Tranducers that can convert to 4..20, voltage or digitial output etc..

Real Programmers Do things like this. http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5

I believe this is the first time that "stand-alone" was mentioned...

Wow! Used Google to find out what that was, and the first hit, the PDF is very illuminating and useful.

I had a summer job at Culham lab years back and we used to make these things out of stripped Hackethal delay cable. I don't suppose you can still get Hackethal or anything like it. Last year I built myself a tiny Rogowski coil by soldering eight surface mount inductors into an octagon. It worked too!

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