Shunt

Description

The current sensor should be sized larger than the highest peak amperage expected in an application (including momentary spikes lasting more than 1 second), but should be sized as small as possible to improve accuracy. Some headroom should be left between the maximum expected amperage and the size of the current sensor to allow for brief current transients that may exceed the rating of the current sensor. For example, if the application is expected to draw 195 amps maximum, a 200A current sensor should not be used. Additionally, as shunt current sensors heat up, some manufactures specify a maximum continuous average amperage of only ⅔ the rated amperage of the sensor and some airflow may be necessary. For this reason, sometimes it is desirable to use a larger size sensor or a 75mV shunt as a 50mV shunt.