Editing Magnetic amplifier (section)

== Principle of operation ==
[[File:Magnetic amplifier.svg|thumb|right|A saturable reactor, illustrating the principle of a magnetic amplifier]]
Visually a mag amp device may resemble a [[transformer]], but the operating principle is quite different from a transformer – essentially the mag amp is a [[saturable reactor]]. It makes use of [[saturation (magnetic)|magnetic saturation]] of the core, a non-linear property of a certain class of transformer cores. For controlled saturation characteristics, the magnetic amplifier employs core materials that have been designed to have a specific [[hysteresis#Magnetic hysteresis|B-H curve]] shape that is highly rectangular, in contrast to the slowly tapering B-H curve of softly saturating core materials that are often used in normal transformers.

The typical magnetic amplifier consists of two physically separate but similar transformer [[magnetic cores]], each of which has two windings: a control winding and an AC winding.  Another common design uses a single core shaped like the number "8" with one control winding and two AC windings as shown in the photo above.  A small DC current from a low-impedance source is fed into the control winding.  The AC windings may be connected either in series or in parallel, the configurations resulting in different types of mag amps. The amount of control current fed into the control winding sets the point in the AC winding waveform at which either core will saturate. In saturation, the AC winding on the saturated core will go from a high-impedance state ("off") into a very low-impedance state ("on") – that is, the control current controls the point at which voltage the mag amp switches "on".

A relatively small DC current on the control winding is able to control or switch large AC currents on the AC windings. This results in current amplification.

Two magnetic cores are used because the AC current will generate high voltage in the control windings. By connecting them in opposite phase, the two cancel each other, so that no current is induced in the control circuit.  The alternate design shown above with the "8" shaped core accomplishes this same objective magnetically.