Help me to understand transformer

Thread Starter

dante_clericuzzio

Joined Mar 28, 2016
246
I am totally a newbie in electronic and i have research quite extensively regarding transformer but still i couldn't really get the exact answer for my needs. I have this transformer taken out from a printer power supply and it reads like this

240v:6v~2A

From what i have read this is a step down transformer from 240v to 6v at 2 amp current. What i want is to use this transformer on the reverse direction and as a step up transformer but i don't know if this is possible. And some of the other question i have as follows

1. How to connect it to the battery in order to allow continuous current flow?
2. There are 4 legs on the transformer which one should i connect to the positive and negative of the battery?
3. Why won't it work when using battery?

There was something that i read on the net it needs alternating current (AC) to power this transformer how do i get the simple AC source can the PC power supply do it? and if this does where should i connect the positive and negative of the transformer?

This is the picture of this

20160328_192307.jpg
20160328_192332.jpg
 

blocco a spirale

Joined Jun 18, 2008
1,546
From your extensive research (which I assume must have included googling the phrase "how do transformers work") you will know that transformers only work with AC. Batteries are DC and connecting one to the transformer will only drain the battery and heat the transformer.
 
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Thread Starter

dante_clericuzzio

Joined Mar 28, 2016
246
From your extensive research you will know that transformers only work with AC. Batteries are DC and connecting one to the transformer will only drain the battery and heat the transformer.
Is it possible to make a battery to an AC or what power source can supply AC can the computer power supply do it?
 

blocco a spirale

Joined Jun 18, 2008
1,546
Is it possible to make a battery to an AC or what power source can supply AC can the computer power supply do it?
All batteries are DC, is the computer power supply output AC or DC?

It is possible to add electronics between the battery and transformer to convert the DC to AC, these devices are called inverters.
 
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bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,270
Hello,

Just read the text on the transformer again.
It says 6 Volts at 0.2 Amps.

To drive the transformer you will need an AC voltage.
A PC powersupply will give DC and can not be used directly.

Bertus
 

Thread Starter

dante_clericuzzio

Joined Mar 28, 2016
246
Hello,

Just read the text on the transformer again.
It says 6 Volts at 0.2 Amps.

To drive the transformer you will need an AC voltage.
A PC powersupply will give DC and can not be used directly.

Bertus
How do i get an AC power source? the simplest one that i can easily find?
 

Thread Starter

dante_clericuzzio

Joined Mar 28, 2016
246
I've this questioned myself using transistor and some other component to turn the battery DC into AC and make 3 volt DC 500 volt AC. But i have to thanks all for the ideas given earlier that make me lead to this answer

 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
No need to use big, colorful fonts. People can read the normal font just fine.

You set up a red herring example to make a blanket claim that isn't true.

Take the step-up transformer example from your explanation. The primary is 100 V and the output is 1000 V with a power rating of 1 kW.

So if you turn it around, you now have a primary that is 1000 V and a secondary that is 100 V with a power rating of 1 kW. The current that flows in both windings is the same in either case.

In your example, you are choosing to violate the ratings for reasons that have nothing to do with whether it is being used as a step-up or step-down transformer.

Imagine taking that transformer and using it as a step-up transformer but applying only 10 V to the input. To get 1 kW you need 100 A while your output would be 100 V at 10 A, both 10x the current the winding were rated for. Yet it is still being used as a1x step-up transformer.
 

Motanache

Joined Mar 2, 2015
540
Is it possible to make a battery to an AC or what power source can supply AC can the computer power supply do it?
AC not.

If you can create a mechanical device that interrupts the circuit periodically.
Then the transformer will work.

At 50-60 interruptions on the second (50% Duty Cycle) will have maximum efficiency.
 

EM Fields

Joined Jun 8, 2016
583
I am totally a newbie in electronic and i have research quite extensively regarding transformer but still i couldn't really get the exact answer for my needs. I have this transformer taken out from a printer power supply and it reads like this

240v:6v~2A


From what i have read this is a step down transformer from 240v to 6v at 2 amp current.
View attachment 127191
Transformer.png
What i want is to use this transformer on the reverse direction and as a step up transformer but i don't know if this is possible.
It is possible.
And some of the other question i have as follows

1. How to connect it to the battery in order to allow continuous current flow?
If you connect the battery across either the primary or the secondary, current will flow continuously in that winding, but will flow in the other winding only while the magnetic field is building up or decaying.
2. There are 4 legs on the transformer which one should i connect to the positive and negative of the battery?
It doesn't work that way.
3. Why won't it work when using battery?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday's_law_of_induction

There was something that i read on the net it needs alternating current (AC) to power this transformer how do i get the simple AC source can the PC power supply do it? and if this does where should i connect the positive and negative of the transformer?

This is the picture of this
View attachment 103269
View attachment 103270
If you don't have access to a simple AC source you can do this if you want to play with the transformer, but be careful since If you're driving the low voltage primary, you could get a nasty shock from the secondary:
Buzzer flyback.png
 
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nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,079
This is totally wrong...you made a big mess for your life ....i can easily use either side of transformer to step up or step down...u read too much books and ignoring reality...NIKE says just do it...don't waste time....life is too short for books
That's going too far. Someone misread a book or made incorrect assumptions that X also means Y from the lack of knowledge that's in any engineering book about transformers.
 
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WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
This is totally wrong...you made a big mess for your life ....i can easily use either side of transformer to step up or step down...u read too much books and ignoring reality...NIKE says just do it...don't waste time....life is too short for books
There's no justification for these sweeping claims. In point of fact, the mmasba1988 is bringing up a valid real-world issue that is usually not dealt with in books; he just is drawing too sweeping a conclusion from it.
 

jkaiser20

Joined Aug 9, 2016
30
Yes, but you have to make sure that the transformer coil's resistance is low enough to allow the relay coil to attract the relay's armature.
Made one for science fair in '83 from car coil and hand wound magnet together with a set of points with spring removed. Fun shocking others with it. Good experiment for a kid, or anyone really.
 
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