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Project # 167
High Current Amplifier for Helmholtz Coil with Capacitive Compensation
| Team Lead: | Brandi Briner |
| Other Team Members: | Diego Ibarra | Erdan Degollado | Andrew Molina | Austin Uhl | Edy Duran |
| Faculty Advisor(s): | David Wetz & Alex Johnston |
| Department: | EE |
| Project Type: | Senior Design |
| Title: | High Current Amplifier for Helmholtz Coil with Capacitive Compensation |
| Abstract: | The Magnetic Sensing Team at Texas Instruments evaluates magnetic field performance using a Helmholtz coil test system. As customer applications demand higher bandwidth and stronger magnetic field generation, a new drive solution was required. This project presents the design of a wideband, high-current amplifier capable of driving an inductive Helmholtz coil from DC to 1 MHz with bidirectional currents up to 33 A. Driving a highly inductive load across such a broad frequency range introduces significant challenges, including increasing impedance at high frequencies, phase shift, stability concerns, and power dissipation. To overcome these limitations, the amplifier integrates a capacitive compensation network that counteracts the coil’s reactance. This approach improves bandwidth, enhances stability, and enables accurate current control across the entire operating range. In addition to the hardware design, a custom firmware driver was developed to control and interface with the amplifier, enabling precise signal generation, system configuration, and automated test integration. The resulting system delivers reliable, high-speed magnetic field generation while maintaining robustness and scalability. |
| Poster: | View Poster #167 (PDF) |
| Judges Scoring: | Submit Evaluation (judges only) |