180 µH shielded wirewound — what the ratings mean for the BOM
The LQH3NPN181MGRL is a 180 µH shielded wirewound inductor from Murata's LQH3 series, built on a ferrite core in a 1212 (3030 Metric) surface-mount package. The 160 mA current rating and 130 mA saturation current define the usable DC bias range: the inductance holds within tolerance up to 130 mA, and the part can carry 160 mA continuous before the DCR self-heating becomes the limit. With a 7.68 Ohm max DCR, the resistive loss at 160 mA is about 0.2 W — within the thermal budget of the 1.0 mm seated height in still air. The self-resonant frequency of 2 MHz sets the upper bound for effective filtering — above that frequency the inductor behaves capacitively. For a DC-DC converter switching at 500 kHz to 1 MHz, this part works as a bulk output filter; for a 2 MHz+ switcher, the SRF is too close and the impedance roll-off will degrade ripple attenuation.
Last Buy — what it means for procurement
Murata has placed the LQH3NPN181MGRL in Last Buy status. This means the manufacturer has announced the end of production and is accepting final orders within a defined window. Once that window closes, the part will be unavailable through authorized channels. For a BOM that already uses this inductor, the decision is whether to secure a last-time-buy quantity or to qualify a replacement before the supply dries up. No official successor or pin-compatible alternative is recorded in the Murata LQH3 series for this exact inductance and current rating. A replacement search will need to compare the 180 µH, 160 mA, 7.68 Ohm DCR, and 1212 footprint against other shielded ferrite-core inductors in the same package size.
Where this inductor fits in a power rail
The shielded construction reduces magnetic flux leakage into adjacent traces and components — important when the inductor sits near sensitive analog or RF circuitry on the same board. The ferrite core keeps core losses low at switching frequencies below 2 MHz, making it suitable for low-power DC-DC converters, EMI input filters, and signal-line filtering in portable or space-constrained designs. The 1212 footprint (3.00 mm × 3.00 mm) with a 1.00 mm seated height fits standard pick-and-place assembly and low-profile board stacks.