I've been trying to build a custom motor that runs on a lithium-ion battery, but every time I connect the electromagnet, it sparks. Can anyone explain why this happens and if it's normal?
1 Answer
Sparking is pretty common when you connect inductive loads like electromagnets to a power source. It happens because the battery is dumping a lot of current into the coil, which is momentarily like short-circuiting it. So don't worry too much—it's not necessarily a sign that something's wrong, just a part of how inductors work!
Oh, I see! I didn't know that.