Hi, I'm trying to understand where you might experience inductive kick in a DC circuit. My understanding of induction (possibly flawed, and certainly incomplete) is that in general an inductor tends to resist changes in current, ie:, if there is no current an inductor will initially resist an application of voltage introducing current through the inductor, and if there is a current running though an inductor, and the voltage is removed, the inductor will attempt to keep that current going by producing an increase in voltage of its own.
So for the purposes of my question, assume an automotive type DC system: Lead-Acid 12V battery, negative frame ground, and a simple DC inductive load (not a motor, just a solenoid coil)
I know that is you have a circuit that goes: Battery + terminal to inductor to switch to ground, and with current flowing through that circuit, if you open the switch, the inductor will create a sharp voltage spike that may cause arcing across the switch contacts as they open (more so than you'd get opening the switch with the same amperage through purely resistive load)
So here's my question: If your circuit went: Battery + terminal to switch to inductor to ground, would you still get the same amount of inductive kick and contact arcing?
Part of me is saying: positive and negative and current flow direction are just arbitrary conventions, so it's still going to behave the same regardless of whether the switch is "upstream" or "downstream" from the inductor. Then there's this other voice that is saying that in the second circuit with the switch between the power supply and the inductor, the inductor can't cause the same arcing because it couldn't produce an equivalent voltage difference across the switch because it would have to be a negative voltage spike.
Can anyone help me understand whcih way this works? Thanks.
So for the purposes of my question, assume an automotive type DC system: Lead-Acid 12V battery, negative frame ground, and a simple DC inductive load (not a motor, just a solenoid coil)
I know that is you have a circuit that goes: Battery + terminal to inductor to switch to ground, and with current flowing through that circuit, if you open the switch, the inductor will create a sharp voltage spike that may cause arcing across the switch contacts as they open (more so than you'd get opening the switch with the same amperage through purely resistive load)
So here's my question: If your circuit went: Battery + terminal to switch to inductor to ground, would you still get the same amount of inductive kick and contact arcing?
Part of me is saying: positive and negative and current flow direction are just arbitrary conventions, so it's still going to behave the same regardless of whether the switch is "upstream" or "downstream" from the inductor. Then there's this other voice that is saying that in the second circuit with the switch between the power supply and the inductor, the inductor can't cause the same arcing because it couldn't produce an equivalent voltage difference across the switch because it would have to be a negative voltage spike.
Can anyone help me understand whcih way this works? Thanks.