By:Prayag Nao
We all have a basic idea about the purpose of each wire going in and out
of our computer. But a few wires seem a bit off when it comes to their
appearance. They have a cylindrical bead dangling near the end. So
what’s this bead doing on that wire and what purpose does it serve?
Today, we are going to unravel this mystery for you.
You
will not only find this bead at end of charging cables but also mouse,
keyboard and other peripheral cables. It turns out that lump’s called a
ferrite bead or, more generically, a choke. It’s a fancy name for what’s
basically an electromagnetic wave-bouncer. If you open this bead, you
will not find any complex circuits but only a ferrite cylinder that is
magnetic in nature. It is this magnetic quality of the bead that serves
the purpose.
So
basically, when current passes through any cable, it generates
electromagnetic interference (EMI). Your electronic gadgets also produce
EMI during operation. For example, if you connect a camera to your
monitor, the camera would produce intereference and cause your monitor
to flicker without the presence of a ferrite bead. If left unabated, EMI
can wreck havoc with your computer peripherals.
These
ferrite chokes ensure that signals are only sent in the intended
directions and no EMI is transmitted between the peripherals. The choke
dampens these EMI waves by acting as an EMI blocker. The blocking is
most effective when it is near the source of the EMI, thats why you will
only find these ferrite beads near the end of the cables. So, this
little mystery is now solved! These tiny cyst-like beads make sure that
our computer peripherals work properly and don’t cause any issues for
the computer itself.
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