Tool Models Toroid Behavior For Microwave/RF Designers

Hardware for adequate characterization of toroidal cores is expensive, particularly with regard to self-resonant behavior. Toroid v.3.0 is designed for professional filter engineers who need to characterize surplus cores for filter design. The tool is an iron-powder toroidal core toolbox that's designed to model toroid behavior from dc to microwave frequencies with an emphasis on the range from 1 MHz to 200 MHz.Mouse or arrow-key-driven menus allow quick scrolling through core size, mix and wire-gauge menus, while all pertinent information updates automatically to the user's pre-selected inductance. Errors in the standard MFG formula for low-permanence and phenolic cores have been corrected. As a result, the tool offers a custom core feature for use with ferrite cores or stacking cores. It even enables users to machine their own cores from alternate materials such as wood, plastic, other phenolic materials, and others. A demo copy is available at the company's web site.