Compare components
Compare acoustic signatures from inductors, transformers, and board-mounted components. Investigate differences in peak amplitudes and resonance features between units or design revisions.
Electrical Measurements
Hear how your
electronics behave.
Measure the mechanical response of operating electronics through airborne ultrasound. BROADSONIC brings non-contact acoustic insight to component characterization and QA/QC.
Power-magnetics research presented at IEEE ECCE 2026.
- 5 MHz
- Sensor bandwidth
- 100 µm
- Active sensor diameter
- Non-contact
- Air-coupled optical sensing
A Mechanical View
Electrical excitation.
Mechanical insight.
Electrical components vibrate as they operate. Their airborne acoustic emissions carry information about switching harmonics, mechanical resonances, and the way their structure responds to excitation.
BROADSONIC records those emissions without attaching a sensor to the component. Its optical sensing head provides electrical isolation and inherent immunity to electromagnetic interference.
Voltage, current, and magnetic-field measurements describe the electrical excitation. Acoustic measurements add a view of the resulting mechanical response, helping you investigate features those measurements alone do not directly reveal.
- 01
Electrical excitation
Operating current drives the component.
- 02
Magnetic forces
In power magnetics, excitation acts on the core and windings.
- 03
Mechanical response
Structure and resonances shape the vibration.
- 04
Airborne ultrasound
BROADSONIC records the emitted acoustic signature.
Characterization & QA/QC
Add a mechanical view to your test bench.
Capture spectra, compare resonance features, and establish repeatable acoustic references using the commercial BROADSONIC system.
Explore operating conditions
Measure how emissions change with load, switching settings, and excitation. Relate the acoustic spectrum to the electrical behavior of your converter or power-supply board.
Build a reference baseline
Record a known reference under controlled conditions, then compare production or repaired units. Use spectral differences to guide further inspection and develop application-specific QA criteria.
Meaningful comparisons use repeatable excitation, loading, probe position, and acquisition settings.
Evidence from IEEE ECCE 2026
Measured on a working power converter.
Our research with the University of Alberta compared a filter inductor’s airborne ultrasound with its squared-current spectrum. The results connect electrical excitation to measured mechanical behavior.
- 1.5 kW three-phase converter
- 200 V DC link
- 10 kHz switching / 60 Hz output
- 2.5 mH filter inductor
- ≈1 cm probe standoff
≈260 kHz
Observed harmonic content
The presentation reports detectable harmonics up to approximately 260 kHz in this converter test. The sensor bandwidth extends to 5 MHz.
120 Hz
Resolved modulation sidebands
Sidebands around the 20 kHz and 100 kHz harmonics reveal modulation associated with the 60 Hz electrical output.
100 s
Steady-state acquisition
Stable harmonic signatures provided a healthy reference for investigating changes in subsequent measurements.
Harmonics linked to excitation
The measured acoustic peaks follow the harmonic structure predicted by the squared inductor current. This is consistent with the magnetic-force model used in the study.
Resonances shape the response
Acoustic amplitudes do not simply copy the electrical spectrum. The component’s mechanical-acoustic response shapes them, including a strong response near 100 kHz.
Placement reveals different features
Measurements near the winding, core side, and core top share harmonic structure but differ in amplitude. Probe placement is therefore part of the measurement method, especially when comparing units.
View the winding and core measurements
These results characterize a healthy converter under steady-state conditions. Fault-specific diagnosis and automated pass/fail thresholds require validation against the components and failure modes of interest.
Research reference: B. Li, T. Senavirathna, K. Scheuer, R. DeCorby, and G. Kish, “Non-Contact Acoustic Vibration Measurement of Power Magnetic Components Using an Optical Ultrasonic Microphone.” IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, 2026, paper #2009, oral Session 61. Results above draw on the conference presentation, slides 7–13.
View the conference program (PDF) · Read the magnetic-components application note (PDF)
Planning a Measurement
Questions from the test bench.
Does BROADSONIC measure voltage or current?
BROADSONIC measures airborne acoustic pressure from component vibration. Use it alongside voltage, current, or magnetic-field measurements to understand how electrical excitation translates into mechanical behavior.
Does the probe touch the component?
No. The optical probe receives sound through air. The ECCE experiment used approximately 1 cm standoff; suitable placement depends on the component, frequency range, acoustic access, and test conditions. No reflective target surface or attached accelerometer is required.
Can this be used for production QA/QC?
The commercial system can record and compare component emissions, spectra, and resonance features. A repeatable fixture and reference samples support those comparisons. Automated acceptance thresholds or diagnosis of a particular defect need to be developed and validated for your application.
Can measurements be extended to acoustic maps?
We have demonstrated acoustic mapping of transducers. Integrating scanning and production-test fixtures into circuit-board and power-equipment QA/QC is a next development step. Explore our transducer characterization work.
Continue the ECCE Conversation
What would you like to measure?
Tell us about your component, operating conditions, and the differences you need to resolve. We’ll help you plan an acoustic measurement and assess where BROADSONIC fits into your test process.