Bourns Launches CFG-A Series Current Sense Resistors for Automotive Applications

Bourns has introduced the CFG-A Series of wide-terminal metal foil current sense resistors, available in 0508 and 0612 package sizes. Rated up to 2 W and covering a resistance range of 1 to 30 mΩ, the series is qualified to the AEC-Q200 automotive reliability standard and designed for use in automotive power electronics, motor drives, and other applications where measuring current accurately and consistently, even as temperatures fluctuate, is important. A current sense resistor works by placing a small, precisely known resistance in a circuit and measuring the voltage drop across it to calculate how much current is flowing.

 

The push behind this comes from how vehicle electrification is changing design requirements. As automotive systems increasingly run on 12V to 48V mild-hybrid architectures and beyond, current sensing needs to become more accurate at the same time board space is shrinking. Automakers are increasingly requiring AEC-Q200-qualified components as a baseline, and engineers designing compact electronic control units and power modules face growing pressure to manage heat buildup without making the board any bigger. Bourns designed the CFG-A Series to address this directly, using a metal foil sensing element, a wide-terminal design, and automotive-grade qualification. Compared to conventional thick-film current sense resistors...