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Wires carrying current always have inherent resistance, or impedance, to current flow. Voltage drop is defined as the amount of voltage loss that occurs through all or part of a circuit due to impedance. This condition causes the load to work harder with less voltage pushing the current. …
What is the effect of inrush current?
Often high inrush current drops the source voltage and results in a brownout reset for microcontroller-based circuitry. In few cases the amount of current supplied to the circuit gets beyond the acceptable maximum voltage of the load circuit, causing permanent damage to the load.
How is the amount of inrush current determined?
As the voltage increases, an inrush of current flows into the uncharged capacitors. Inrush current can also be generated when a capacitive load is switched onto a power rail and must be charged to that voltage level. The amount of inrush current into the capacitors is determined by the slope of the voltage ramp as described in Equation 1:
Which is the best way to reduce inrush current?
3 Methods of Reducing Inrush Current Inrush current can be reduced by increasing the voltage rise time on the load capacitance and slowing down the rate at which the capacitors charge. Three different solutions to reduce inrush current are shown below: voltage regulators, discrete components, and integrated load switches.
What causes a voltage drop in a capacitor?
A known cause of small voltage drops are the starting or inrush currents for capacitors, motors and other devices. In the following diagram it can be seen that the current increases briefly when the motor starts up. The inrush current leads to a voltage drop across the impedances Z and Z1.
What causes a voltage drop along a line?
Both of these will cause an increasing voltage drop along the line in proportion to the current drawn. To maintain a steady voltage at the house R1 needs to be kept low relative to the maximum load (minimum resistance) of the load in the house. The situation is aggravated by sharing the supply with several other buildings on your street.