Shielded 680 µH drum core for automotive power rails
The Coilcraft LPS6235-684MRC is a shielded drum core inductor in the LPS6235 series, rated at 680 µH with ±20% tolerance. Shielded construction contains the magnetic flux within the ferrite core, reducing radiated EMI into adjacent traces or components — a practical benefit when the inductor sits near a sensitive analog front-end or RF section on the same board.
Current rating and saturation — the real design limit
The 280 mA DC current rating is the thermal limit based on the 2.2 Ohm maximum DCR — at full rated current, the I²R loss is about 173 mW, which raises the winding temperature above ambient. The saturation current of 170 mA is the lower bound: once the core saturates, inductance drops sharply and the ripple current in a buck converter spikes. For a 24 V to 5 V step-down at 200 kHz, the peak inductor current under load must stay below 170 mA to maintain the 680 µH value. Self-resonant frequency is 2.8 MHz — this sets the upper frequency limit for the inductor's inductive behavior. Above that frequency, parasitic capacitance between windings dominates and the component behaves capacitively. For switching converters operating below 500 kHz, the SRF provides adequate margin.
Package and board integration
This is a standard footprint for medium-power shielded inductors — the ferrite core sits flush with the winding body, and the terminations are on the bottom face for reflow soldering. The 0.138-inch (3.50 mm) height fits within most 1.6 mm PCB stack-ups with a 10 mm enclosure clearance.