Shunt resistance

The SACI shunt resistor

Shunt resistors are a type of resistors that are used for the purpose of measuring the current in an electrical circuit. Normally this resistive load is known very accurately and is used to determine the current flowing in the load by measuring the voltage difference across the load. At SACI we have shunts with connection for high current values in DC circuits, contact us for more information!

How current measurements using resistance work

The shunt must be connected in parallel to the measuring device. The current flows through the shunt and produces an accurately measured voltage drop. Using Ohm's law and the known resistance, the current can be calculated. To minimise the power loss and, consequently, increase the heat, the shunts have to have a resistive value fairly small or below in the milliohm range.

Thus, thanks to current measurement using resistance, errors can be easily detected and corrected. They are therefore very useful in almost all applications where safety is required and faults have to be found quickly.

Some of the advantages of shunts

Using shunts has many advantages. Most notably, they help to measure the amount of current in a circuit. without significantly affecting the operation of the circuit. This benefit is very useful in situations where an accurate current measurement is needed without stopping the operation of the circuit.

They are also very easy to install and use, as they should only be connected in parallel with the load in the circuit and use a multimeter to measure the difference in current between the total current and the current flowing through the shunt resistor.

Copper shunt for higher conductivity

There are different materials that can be used to manufacture these types of resistors. However, copper is undoubtedly one of the most common materials because of its high electrical conductivity and its economical price. It therefore offers excellent accuracy and a very good price/performance ratio.

At SACI you can find a wide variety of copper shunt resistors to suit your needs. All our tools are designed with quality materials and manufactured to give exact precision and a long service life. If you need more information about our shunts, you can contact our team.