Type of transformer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: christos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 12:53:56 pm
content: what type of transformer is this?imgur

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 12:56:45 pm
content: A heavy one?

author: christos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 01:02:14 pm
content: Quote from: BradC on October 24, 2015, 12:56:45 pmreally??its a heavy one

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 01:25:24 pm
content: My guess (if it's a game) is Pri-120-0-120v / Sec ?-ct-?, foil shield, ?-ct-? and 6.3v heater. Do you have a multimeter? Test for continuity between blu-red-brn side and all wires on the other side and note that. Note conductivity groupings and resistance between wires on both sides. Tell us where you got it from, etc.. and if there's any power headers on what appears to be the secondary side. Then we'll be better equipped to answer..

author: christos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 02:34:34 pm
content: Quote from: Cliff Matthews on October 24, 2015, 01:25:24 pmmy bro got it for me,,so i dont know where he got it from,,the three blue,yellow,black wires got power headers on ,,the other side got two pin connector ..no multimeter right now

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 26, 2015, 11:59:38 am
content: Cristos, if you have no multi-meter, I cannot recommend connecting this to the mains (in your area 220v). Put it aside until you are more properly equipped to deal with large transformers.(edit: your profile says you have a "kathley model 2000" - I don't know what happened to it, but since it's more expensive than my oscilloscope, I would like to be the owner of a 6.5 digit DMM too..)

author: dom0
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2015, 01:02:44 pm
content: A mains transformer with a laminated core (obviously).Primary will be the usual deal (0-115-230).Secondaries look what you'd expect in a A/V receiver or similar devices. I'd expect 2 windings, low power, 12-15 V each. black-orange-black is probably a center tapped high power winding with 2x 20...40 V. And another winding, medium power, for digital supplies with maybe 6 V or so.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2015, 01:15:43 pm
content: Quote from: dom0 on October 26, 2015, 01:02:44 pmI'm not so sure, the blue-red-black side wires are thicker than the wires on the other side. You can even see that the blank copper wires are thicker also on that side.So I would not assume lightly that the 3 wire side is primary.

author: dom0
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2015, 02:00:02 pm
content: In consumer audio gear, which is usually class II, the primary wires of the transformers are doubly insulated and thus thicker than they seem. I can't really see the presumed high power windings wires on the secondary, so I can't really judge that.OP has to test it anyway to be sure.

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 26, 2015, 03:05:55 pm
content: Class II often has a double bobbin (this spool is wound-over) and some form of thermal cutout, which we can't see. With all respect to our OP, get a meter or get it tested. My friend at CSA tells me a Class II transformer can have a secondary short and the overheat will not cause a subsequent fire.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 02:06:19 am
content: Quote from: christos on October 24, 2015, 01:02:14 pmNow you've seen the level of guesswork and speculation required to give you a handwavingly inaccurate answer you'll note my original answer is probably the most accurate out of all in the thread.Your question was a bit like asking "what kind of car is this" while showing a picture of a shift knob. You'll get loads of speculative answers and absolutely nothing useful until you supply more information.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 02:39:03 am
content: Quote from: BradC on October 27, 2015, 02:06:19 amdefine heavy

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 02:50:27 am
content: OK, you get a brownie. But handwavingly? Now that's heavy. At least I gave a fart enough to ask for more info and test results.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 03:14:19 am
content: Quote from: AlfBaz on October 27, 2015, 02:39:03 amWeighs more than a duck .

author: fivefish
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 03:56:30 am
content: Mystery transformer....I'd suggest get resistance readings of the primary and secondary sides... and figure out how it's wired based on resistance readings you got.For ex: on secondary, are the windings tied to one another? multitaps? or are they independent pair of windings?Maybe feed it a small AC voltage, say 10Volts AC, and try to measure AC voltages on the secondaries and see if you can get the RATIO = Vin/Vout.

author: Seekonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 10:37:43 am
content: You can test a transformer with a lamp in series like a 100W bulb. A transformer is a transformer till the core magnetically saturates. Then it becomes just a resistor. Haven't done it in a while but a good 120V transformer saturates at about 150V. A friend has a commercial HVAC business and I salvage transformers from old units. These generally are 24V with 120, 208, 240 and 480 taps. You can connect 120V to a higher voltage tap to get a lower output voltage at a reduced power or use it as a buck.

author: christos
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 02:45:43 pm
content: don't have any multimeter cuz I'm in my bro's town,,,maybe it's a 3 phase transformer?

author: Cliff Matthews
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 03:19:27 pm
content: 99% it's not but post a photo of both sides.

author: dom0
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 03:40:24 pm
content: Quote from: christos on October 27, 2015, 02:45:43 pmA three phase transformer can't be done on a single core leg.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 03:47:14 pm
content: Quote from: BradC on October 27, 2015, 03:14:19 amMetric duck , or imperial?

author: liquibyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 06:54:52 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on October 27, 2015, 03:47:14 pmGot to be metric, otherwise he'd be in the US and pissing off the rest of the world.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 10:13:29 pm
content: My best guess is that the transformer is from one of the following pieces of equipment:1) Selectable Output power supply component for powering various devices, i.e. battery charger/laptop/radio/router etc circuits.2) Vacuum Tube tester power transformer to set various filament/heater voltages.3) The popular TortureMatic interrogation instrument supplied with insertable probes.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2015, 01:55:21 am
content: Quote from: Stonent on October 27, 2015, 03:47:14 pmActually, I believe in a fortuitous case of coincidence an ISO standard Duck weighs the same in both Metric and Imperial. This is most likely because the weight of a standard duck was based on a standard Witch, and the standard Witch pre-dates the ISO.

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2015, 04:23:35 am
content: Quote from: BradC on October 28, 2015, 01:55:21 amWhich witch?

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2015, 09:35:34 am
content: Quote from: crispy_tofu on October 28, 2015, 04:23:35 amSpecifically "Madame Olympia", however pretty much any of the 20 odd witches convicted at the Salem trials would be close enough for the measuring technology available at the time.