You may be wondering what people mean when they say filter. Well, filters are simply electrical circuits that are usually installed between electronic devices and external power lines to provide protection against power surges. The purpose of an electrical filter is to attenuate conducted radio frequencies or EMI between the DC or AC power line and the equipment the power is used to power. In this article, let us take a look at what filters are, why we need them and where they should be placed in a circuit.

This is why we need power line filters
At the moment, almost all kinds of electrical equipment use switching-mode power supply together with fast digital circuits. During normal operation in such devices, high frequency voltages ad currents are usually generated. There are so many regulatory bodies in various countries that regulate how electronic devices are manufactured, and one of the requirements they have is that the electronic devices must meet certain safety and performance standards. For instance, the level of noise interference must be eliminated or kept to the bare minimal in these devices. That is where emir filters come in.

Power line filters have two main functions in as far as performance standards are concerned, that is, to prevent high frequency signals that are generated within device from being transmitted to input power lines and secondly, to prevent high frequency signals on AC power distribution systems from getting into the equipment.

Further reading on power line filtering
Power filtering is important to avoid the adverse effects that electromagnetic interference often causes in power lines. When EMI enter a power distribution line, they are transmitted along the lines into all devices that are connected to the line. That means that EMI are originate from a single house can cause electrical disturbance in an entire district. That is something that no government would allow because every citizen has the right to enjoy using their electrical devices without EMI from other people affecting the quality of their experience.

If it happens that some EMI get transmitted into the power line, power line filters prevent it from getting it the device that is connected to that power line. As such, filters work in both directions. As such, if you are thinking of getting into manufacturing of electronic devices, then you have to consider how your device will be handling electromagnetic interference.

Where power line filters should be placed?
The efficiency of your filter in huge part depends on how and where it is mounted in the circuit. If the filter is not mounted correctly, then its efficiency can be impeded a lot. There are several mistakes that people make when mounting filters and one of them is to mount the filter as close to the point where power lines enter the enclosure as possible. The problem with mounting a filter in such a way is that the power line can always pick up noise from magnetic and electric fields that are inside the enclosure.

For more information please click on this link https://www.aeps-group.com/products/emi-filters/.

Author's Bio: 

something that no government would allow because every citizen has the right to enjoy using their electrical devices without EMI from other people affecting the quality of their experience.