Transformer design questions

You'll need to figure out what wire gauge to use. Here's a little graphic (interactive at site) compliments of https://engineerdog.com/2015/01/05/free-electrical-wire-gauge-sizing-calculator/

 

Have you any familiarity with magnetic units?
You'll need to calculate the Reluctance of your magnetic circuit , including the air gap
and the Webers of flux it'll carry
and at how many Teslas you want to operate the core.

Train your search engine . Start with 'transformer design'
mine returned for starters
http://ecee.colorado.edu/copec/book/slides/Ch15slides.pdf
http://www.edn.com/design/component...sformer-at-a-frequency-it-wasn-t-designed-for

I';d wager @tim9000 could help .

 

Here is a link from an earlier thread.

 

You can download a previous edition of the Transformer and Inductor Design Handbook. Try this 16Mbyte.pdf
http://ebook.pldworld.com/_eBook/-P... Revised and Expanded/ourdev_725050HHOGA4.pdf

 

thanks @jim hardy , Yes Harrison, building a TX for yourself is a really good idea for an EE student, what year are you?
For something so simple transformers are very tricky to get one's mind around, and you'll find yourself coming up with paradoxes in your head, along the way to mastering the model.

There's a LOT of great literature on magnetic circuits and TXs so....
I suggest creating your own electromagnetic formula book, where you write down all your rules of thumb, that you need to keep reminding yourself of.
There may not be all that many formulas to remember, but there are a lot of different ways that they need to be considered, with a lot of implications and consequences that you deduce from their various incarnations. I have a healthy amount of english descriptions mixed in with the maths of mine. For instance I have various descriptions of what would happen to the various situations that the ideal model could find itself in (when the core is doing the work, when the coil is doing the work, voltage regulation, efficiency etc.) Something Jim has been a mentor for me with is understanding the dimensions in a more rich, useful, way. Like "Volt.seconds per turn as the cores flux capability", and V.s as the ability of the winding on a core to not saturate when blocking current (an inductor holds off ...volts for ...seconds) or keeping in mind the integral relationship of flux from voltage.

Don't be afraid to re-arrange the formulae, and keep the model in mind. You'll appreciate the significance of small things like resistance, that seem un-important in normal operation... understanding the various conditions like maximum inductance or saturation over permeability for various core materials and things like transients, aren't easy to hold in mind after you put the books down a couple months ago. That's why seeing it first hand on the bench is a really good idea.

P.S: Remember to use an isolation TX between you and the mains!

 

There's an old old thread with considerable discussion about magnetic basics. It veers off to magnetic amplifiers but you might find the early part helpful with vocabulary and concepts
"how the power transfers across the ideal transformer"
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-the-power-transfers-across-the-ideal-transformer.819580/

 

Here is a good basic intro to transformers.

http://sound.westhost.com/xfmr.htm#intro0

This same site has free software used to design transformers.

Cheers,

Billy