680 nH, 3.5 A — what the ratings mean for your power rail
The Murata DFE201612E-R68M=P2 is a 680 nH wirewound inductor from the DFE18SBN series, shielded with a metal core. Its 3.5 A continuous current rating and 4.3 A saturation current mean it can handle the full load current of a point-of-load regulator plus the transient peaks without the inductance collapsing — the saturation headroom is about 23% above the rated current.
Shielded metal-core construction — why it matters for EMI-sensitive designs
The shielded construction contains the magnetic flux within the core, reducing radiated EMI into adjacent traces and components. This is critical when the inductor sits near a sensitive analog front-end or a wireless transceiver — the metal core also delivers higher saturation flux density than ferrite, so the inductance holds up better under DC bias. The 0806 (2016 Metric) footprint is a common size for power inductors in portable and space-constrained designs.
Active production — sourcing posture for this BOM line
The base product number DFE201612E covers the full inductance range in this footprint.