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MAGNETIC AMPLIFIER

Submitted by:Dharmendra
Chaurasia
1109131037

Contents
Introduction
History
Amplifier
Magnetic amplifier
Saturable reactor
Principal of magnetic amplifier
Working of magnetic amplifier
Application, strength & limitation
Uses in radio, aircraft & computing
Conclusion

INTRODUCTION
1.An electromagnetic device for amplifying
electrical signal.
2. A magnetic amplifier uses the principle of
transformers along with the concept of
magnetic saturation of the core.
3.Does not require any moveable part.
4. The magnetic amplifier has certain
advantages over :a)High efficiency
b)Reliability
c)Ruggedness

HISTORY
1. Developed as early as 1885 in united
state.
2. At that time mainly used for electric
machinery and theater lighting.
3. During world war II Germans used it
in long range rockets to regulate
frequency output of an a.c. generator.
4. Early time its uses as early
development of voice transmission by
radio.

Amplifier

1. An electronic amplifier is an electronic

device that increases the power of a signal.
2. It does this by taking energy from a power
supply and controlling the output to match
the input signal shape but with a larger
amplitude.
3. An amplifier modulates the output of the
power supply.
4. There are four basic types of electronic
amplifier:a)Voltage amplifier
b)Current
amplifier
c)Trans-conductance amplifier

Magnetic amplifier

The magnetic amplifier is an

electromagnetic device for amplifying
electrical signals.
The magnetic amplifier was invented
early in the 20th century.
It was used as an alternative to vacuum
tube amplifiers where robustness and
high current capacity were required.
In World War-2 Germany used this type of
amplifier, and it was used for instance in
the V-2 rocket.
The magnetic amplifier was most
prominent in power control and low-

The saturable reactor

The saturable reactor is the device from
which
the magnetic amplifier has been
fundamentally
developed.
The three essential elements of saturable
reactor are:

The saturable reactor

(continued)

Principal of magnetic amplifier

1. A mag-amp device may look like a
transformer but the operating principle
is quite different from a transformer essentially the mag-amp is a saturable
reactor.
2. It makes use of magnetic saturation of
the core.
3. For controlled saturation
characteristics, the magnetic amplifier
employs core materials which have a
specific B-H curve shape that is highly
rectangular, in contrast to the slowlytapering B-H curve of softly saturating
core materials that are often used in
normal transformers.

Working

1.The typical magnetic amplifier consists of two physically

separate but similar transformer magnetic cores each of
which has two windings - a control winding and an AC
winding.
2. A small DC current from a low impedance source is fed
into the series-connected control windings. The AC
windings may be connected either in series or in parallel,
the configurations resulting in different types of mag
amps.
3.The amount of control current fed into the control
winding sets the point in the AC winding waveform at
which either core will saturate. In saturation, the AC
winding on the saturated core will go from a high
impedance state ("off") into a very low impedance state
("on") - that is, the control current controls at which
voltage the mag amp switches "on".

The typical magnetic amplifier circuit

shown above has the following
components:
1.R1 - load resistance
2.G - gate winding
3.C - control winding
4.Ec - excitation
5.Es - input from AC source
6.Is - amplified AC current
7.Ic - control DC current

Application
As modulation and control amplifiers in the early
development of voice transmission by radio.
As voice modulator and magnetic amplifiers were used
in the keying circuits of large high-frequency
alternators used for radio communications.
Magnetic amplifier is useful for control of lighting
circuits, for stage lighting and for advertising signs.
Saturable reactor amplifiers were used for control of
power to industrial furnaces.

Usage in
computing

Magnetic amplifiers were widely studied during

the 1950s as a potential switching element for
mainframe computers.
Mag amps could be used to sum several inputs in a
single core, which was very useful in the
arithmetic logic unit (ALU).
The mag amp was able to combine the advantages
of tubes and transistors in an era when the latter
were expensive and unreliable.

Strength
A static device with no moving parts.
Has a good tolerance to mechanical shock and vibration.
It requires no warm-up time.
Multiple isolated signals may be summed by additional
control windings on the magnetic cores.
The magnetic amplifier is also used as a transducer in
applications such as current measurement and the flux
gate compass.

Limitations
The gain available from a single stage is limited and low
compared to electronic amplifiers.
Solid-state amplifiers can be more compact and efficient
than magnetic amplifiers.
The bias and feedback windings are not unilateral, and
may couple energy back from the controlled circuit into
the control circuit.
This complicates the design of multistage amplifiers
when compared with electronic devices.

 Although, magnetic amplifier is an

Conclusion
outdated
technology in present trend, It is the
first device
which can replace fragile vacuum
tube in
almost all its function.
It has good mechanical strength and
maintenance free.

THANK YOU