PEMF Equipment Submission Checklist

The kind of electronics a PEMF device uses to push current through the coil and create each magnetic pulse. The pulser type shapes the pulse the coil produces, including how fast the field rises and whether it reverses direction. Common designs include capacitor-discharge pulsers, which release stored energy for a sharp, high-peak pulse, and H-bridge or switching pulsers, which can reverse the current to make bipolar pulses.

The number of electromagnetic pulses a device delivers each second, measured in Hertz (Hz). Frequency is independent of field strength: a high-frequency signal can still have a low Gauss output, and the reverse. It is one of the main variables that describes how a device operates. PEMF frequencies are often grouped into named ranges borrowed from EEG convention, Delta (0.5 to 4 Hz), Theta (4 to 8 Hz), Alpha (8 to 12 Hz), Beta (12 to 30 Hz), and Gamma (above 30 Hz), which show where a setting's pulse rate falls. Those names label the pulse rate only and do not by themselves indicate a specific effect in the body.

The shape of the electromagnetic pulse produced by a PEMF device. Waveform type influences how energy is delivered to tissue. Knowing it helps compare devices and predict biological behavior. Square waves deliver sustained peak energy. Triangle and sawtooth waves emphasize rate-of-change effects. Classification criteria: Square has a flat top >40% of the pulse with edge fraction <30%. Triangle has flat top <15% with near-symmetric rise/fall ratio (0.6–1.7) and linear edges (R² >0.85). Sawtooth has strongly asymmetric rise/fall, either flat top <15% with linear edges and ratio <0.3 or >3.0, or extreme asymmetry with ratio <0.15 or >7.0 regardless of flat top or edge shape. This captures capacitor-discharge and impulse pulses with sharp spike and exponential recovery, where the broad peak briefly holds near max before decaying. Sine is the default for smooth curved edges not matching other criteria. Bipolar damped-sine bursts (loop coils driven by capacitor discharge producing a sine ringdown across multiple cycles) bypass these criteria entirely and are always assigned Sine. The carrier inside each burst is sinusoidal at the ring frequency by construction.

What fraction of each pulse cycle the magnetic field is actually on versus off. For example, a 50% duty cycle means the field is on for half the time and off for half the time. Higher duty cycles deliver more total energy but generate more heat. Expressed as a percentage of the total cycle time.

Duration of one pulse, expressing how long the field stays at significant strength per cycle. Longer pulse widths deliver more cumulative field exposure. Duty cycle is simply pulse width divided by the full period. Measurement depends on the device topology. For monopolar pulses (a single excursion from baseline), it's the time between the 50% amplitude crossings on the leading and trailing edges. For bipolar damped-sine bursts (loop coils driven by capacitor discharge that ring through multiple cycles), it's the full burst-on duration. That's measured from the first sample above 10% of dominant amplitude to the last, so duty cycle reflects burst-on time rather than a single carrier half-cycle.

A pulse that reverses field direction partway through its cycle, so it induces current twice, on the swing out and on the swing back. A pulse that stays in one direction is monophasic (unipolar); one that reverses is biphasic (bipolar).

The overall physical form of the applicator that delivers the field, such as a disc, a loop or ring, or a flat mat. Accessory shape sets how the field is laid out over the target area: a disc concentrates it in a small spot, a loop surrounds a limb, and a mat spreads it across a wide surface. The shape also determines how the field is measured and which coverage figures appear in the report.

The winding pattern of a coil, most often a flat pancake spiral or a ring-shaped loop. From its measured field a coil is also classified as pancake (center-strong), donut (ring-strong), or loop.

The outside diameter of an individual coil winding. This measurement is used as the size of the visual reference circle drawn around each coil on the field heatmap. For a single-coil disc or loop, it's the entire accessory's coil diameter. For a multi-coil mat, it's the diameter of each individual coil, much smaller than the mat's overall width or height. When coil diameter isn't specified, the heatmap estimates it from the distance between detected coils.

The number of individual coils inside a multi-coil accessory such as a mat or pad. Knowing the count tells you how the device distributes its field across the target area: a 4-coil mat covers a wider zone but each coil contributes a smaller share of the total drive than a single-coil disc would. Each coil's peak location is identified from the field measurements and reported individually, so you can compare output and positioning across all coils in the accessory.

A standardized wire sizing scale used in North America. The scale runs inversely to wire diameter, so a lower AWG number means a thicker wire. 24 AWG is a common coil winding wire. 22 AWG is one step thicker and has roughly half the resistance per unit length of 24 AWG. Thicker wire reduces resistive losses and heat generation in the coil, allowing more current to flow at the same voltage. In PEMF coil design, wire gauge is one of the primary variables controlling coil resistance, heat, and maximum drive current.

The electrical resistance of the coil wire. It determines how much heat the coil produces during operation and how much voltage the device needs to reach peak current. Lower resistance means less wasted heat and more efficient energy delivery to the magnetic field. Measured in Ohms (Ω). Resistance decreases with thicker wire (lower AWG number) and increases with temperature.

The coil's resistance to changes in current flow. It directly determines how fast the magnetic field can rise when power is applied. Higher inductance means slower field buildup but potentially stronger peak field. Measured in Henries (H) or millihenries (mH). Inductance increases with more turns and with ferrite or iron core materials. Combined with resistance, it sets the L/R time constant.

How quickly the magnetic field reaches its peak strength during a pulse. Faster rise time means a sharper pulse edge and stronger tissue stimulation. This is one of the most important pulse characteristics for effectiveness. Measured as the 10%-to-90% transition time of the magnetic field pulse, typically captured with an oscilloscope.