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4 months ago in Power Electronics By Trisha
What practical mitigation strategies actually work in real-world PCB-based designs?
We're pushing switching frequencies up to several megahertz to shrink inductor and transformer sizes, but proximity effect losses in the windings are becoming dominant. The classical Dowell curves tell me to use thinner conductors, but at these frequencies the required thickness becomes mechanically infeasible for PCB traces. I need alternative, experimentally validated approaches that industry is actually using.
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By Govind Answered 1 month ago
Yes, awareness of eddy current losses is increasingly critical, particularly with the adoption of high-frequency wide-bandgap semiconductors. Eddy currents in magnetic components and nearby conductive structures can lead to significant power losses and excessive heating. To address this, designers rely on analytical models such as Dowell’s equation, Steinmetz-based loss parameters, experimental characterization, and finite element analysis (FEA). These tools allow losses to be predicted and mitigated early in the design process, improving efficiency and thermal performance.
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By Supriya Pathak Answered 1 month ago
From my experience in power supply design, I've had to solve this exact problem. I would recommend three approaches that have worked well for me in production designs. First, consider interleaving primary and secondary windings this dramatically reduces the magnetomotive force across individual layers. Second, explore using stepped or non-uniform conductor thicknesses; you don't need the entire trace thick, only the regions carrying high current. Third, I've seen excellent results with advanced core geometries that distribute the air gap, which significantly reduces fringing fields from cutting into adjacent windings. These are not textbook solutions, but they are proven in silicon.
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