A device for operating a switchable inductive load between two terminals comprises a half-bridge for applying a predetermined voltage between the terminals and a control device designed to actuate the half-bridge in such manner that a predetermined voltage is applied between the terminals. The control device is designed to set the voltage between the terminals to a predetermined first value when a previously non-energized load is connected between the terminals, then, after the lapse of a predetermined time interval, to reduce the voltage to a second value lower than the first value, and after the lapse of a further predetermined time interval to reduce the voltage from the second to a third value which is lower than the second value.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached figures, which show: