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thebugger
modified 8 years ago

How To Design A Power Transformer

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19:08:35
There's a whole bunch of methods for designing a power transformer, but I like to use this method because it gives a little overestimate of the results, giving you a fairly good safe margin when using it, to not overheat or blow out the transformer. Okay so the design steps are as it follow: 1. You gotta know the primary voltage (220/110V). Also you got to know the nominal secondary voltage and power. Let's assume we want 30V@5A from 220V . So we can assume the secondary power is 150W. 2. Once you know the secondary nominal power rating, you gotta figure out the primary's power. It's given by the formula Ppr=Psec/k. k is the conversion efficiency constant and is around 0.9 for transformers over 50W. It can be as low as 0.77 for low power transformers (1-5W) and around 0.85 for midpower transformers (10-20W). So the primary needs to have a power rating of 166W 3. Now we got to determine the cross sectional area of the core. You can find how to measure it on the web given your core. It's usually a multiplication of one side of the core by the other. So S=sqrtPpr. In our example it's S=sqrt166=12.8cm^2. Always round up a little when building it, for instance for our example an appropriate core will have a cross section of 13.5cm^2 4. Next you gotta find the wire turns. For the primary the formula is Npr=40xVpr/S. So we get Npr=40.220/12.8= 687 turns for the primary. The secondary is given as Nsec=44xVsec/S. Nsec=44.30/12.2=103 turns for the secondary. 5. The last thing we need to determine is the wire diameter based on the current through it. It's given by the formula d=0.02xsqrtI. The current is in mA and the given result for the diameter in mm. I'm not exactly sure for what current density is the formula given, but it hasn't let me down so far. So for the primary we have I=P/V. I=166/220=754mA. d=0.02xsqrt754=0.55mm. Same applies for the secondary. d=0.02xsqrt5000=1.4mm 6. With this the calculations finish and you can start building. A few tips. C type cores are around 20% more efficient than E-I cores and will heat up less if properly secured. Use double coated wire for the primary, it's always beneficial to secure your transformer good. If you want your output characteristic less soft and kneeley, you can use 3:2 interleaving if your winding window allows it. Just wind 1/3 of the primary, then 1/2 of your secondary, then again 1/3 of your primary, again the other half of the secondary and finish it up with the last 1/3 of your primary. This is beneficial, especially if you've got a constructively large core. Every interleavement should be carefully insulated with high voltage dielectric, like waxed paper, or some other good dielectric, whatever suits you best. Always insulate the transformer as good as your budget allows it. From double enamel insulation of the wires to good HV insulation between the windings. The results here give a 10% theoretical margin of error, but in reality due to losses and whatnot, everything should add up. A few notes on the methodics of the calculations. Most results, coefficients and calculations are slightly increased, from a practical point of view (according to the author) for less transformer heating. Also the secondary voltage given, is for the nominal load of 150W. Working on an open circuit or with a lighter load, will increase the secondary voltage by a few volts.
published 8 years ago
hurz
8 years ago
Link?
TheBrosGRIMM_Jr
8 years ago
This is really neat
thebugger
8 years ago
It's in bulgarian, don't know if you can access it from your country. http://constructor.bg/shop/pages.php?page=1760
thebugger
8 years ago
Yeah I've build a couple of trannys with this method and so far it's proven impeccable. I wanted to translate it in english, so you guys can use it as well.
thebugger
8 years ago
Something useful I forgot to add, If you want to actually simulate how your transformer will behave under a load it's good to know the active resistance of your windings. Just calculate the number of turns by the length which 1 turn makes. For instance the secondary makes 103 turns over 13.5cm. This means 1390cm of conductor of 1.4mm. Check this calculator http://chemandy.com/calculators/round-wire-resistance-calculator.htm according to it the secondary will have an active resistance of 140mOhm
zorgrian
8 years ago
Have you attended an American school? Or other institutions that assist Bulgarian persons in English? Or do you reside in the trump land?
zorgrian
8 years ago
The reason I ask is that your English is excellent. Can you write some Bulgarian?
zorgrian
8 years ago
моля напишете нещо
zorgrian
8 years ago
Ok so apart from excellent English your description is also highly detailed. However, i am very unsure about following these instructions. I make toroidal transformers which dont use the formula outlined in your text. Mostly my transformer design is for impedance ratio change rather than power.
zorgrian
8 years ago
I did once make a power transformer for an audio amplifier. This was also toroidal. Unfortunately, despite performing the mathematics correctly, the transformer blew itself into a spectacular explosion. The fault was a crack in the toroidal former. As this totally freaked me out, i haven't tried it again.
zorgrian
8 years ago
Like everyone else, I have moved to class D amps and tube preamp stages. But i do prefer the sound of a more traditional push pull analogue design and this demands expensive power transformers. Your writing has inspired me to try winding power transformers again. Thanks!
thebugger
8 years ago
No, I haven't been anywhere outside of Bulgaria, it's just whenever I set my mind on something I always gotta see it through. English was the first thing I studied all the way through, and electronics is probably the second thing I'm currently advancing on. But yeah I can write something in Bulgarian, for instance the next sentence. I think there's a different set of equations for toroidal transformers, because unlike other type of cores they're not composed from a set of iron leaves but are build from powdered iron. I think this lack of complete coherency of the core makes them easily saturable, and that's why they're rarely used as audio transformers. Also their shape is completely different in respect to other transformers so the equations are bound to differ. I think they're primarily used as power transformers for higher power levels, because they're more efficient than other type of cores and dissipate less heat for a given power. So yeah for toroid transformers don't use these formulas, because I don't think they'll do you good, I haven't wound toroidal transformers, and I'm really unsure what formulas are involved. Now about that sentence in Bulgarian, it should roughly translate to something like this ,,Мисля че има съвсем различен набор от изчисления за тороидалните трансформатори, защото за разлика от другите, не са съставени от набор пластини, а от желязо на прах''
thebugger
8 years ago
And as for how I prefer my amps - a completely transistorless design. Only tubes (well maybe a few transistors if I need a constant current sink), but all amplification should be handled by the tubes. As a matter of fact I've been working on the ultimate 15W tube amp, I'll post a schematic if someone requests it.
thebugger
8 years ago
I think this is a good example of how to calculate a toroidal transformer, but the given values are for a 1.2kW transformer. I'm sure you need less than that, but it works as a point of reference https://youtu.be/lyZ7nM6Fo94
kiani
6 years ago
How about transformer design for square wave input ?! Is the above true?!! how would you design transformed with the model' s info in this simulator,, what is coupling factor,, it does not care about faux density,,

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