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Re: [Amps] winding an HV transformer

To: KD7QAE <KD7QAE@ARRL.NET>
Subject: Re: [Amps] winding an HV transformer
From: Jeff Blaine <keepwalking188@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:22:19 -0500
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Tomm,

Very interesting information here.  I am wondering if any of the 
commerical tube amps are using this kind of circuit for the plate voltage. 

Given a decent 2KW TX alone can set easily set a guy back $400 or so, a 
switching power supply seems the natural evolution for tube amps.  But 
I've not seen a switcher in a tube amp yet. 

Is there is some limitation that prevents easy scaling to those power 
levels and voltages?

73/jeff/ac0c

KD7QAE wrote:
> Paul,
>
> At a 6:1 ratio, assuming the core are supports the flux created by 340V 
> and 6 turns, you will have an output of 6x340 or 2040V.  The transformer 
> takes the 680Vp-p primary square wave and delivers 4080Vp-p to the FWB 
> which 'inverts' the negative pulses and adds them into the gaps between 
> the positive pulses to give you the 2040Vdc output. 
>
> Since this is a square wave, a capacitive filter will suffice to fill in 
> the small gaps due to switch rise and fall times and transformer 
> response.  I would build this filter as a high frequency filter followed 
> by a few hundred uF of energy storage caps. 
>
> If you want to pull the maximum out of the AC line you have to power 
> factor correct the input rectifier so the PS looks resistive to the 
> incoming AC.  This is a simple matter of either building a PFC circuit 
> from PS controller application guides, or, better yet, buying a surplus 
> 2kW computer (server) power supply and reusing the AC front end to get 
> the PFC and even the power MOSFETS.  By the way, this approach will give 
> you line regulation and, if you reuse more of the PSU, load regulation 
> as well.
>
> On a final note, while the 50% square wave chopper is an easy circuit, I 
> see a major drawback in that it has no load or line regulation.  If you 
> were to add a simple PWM controller to this so that the duty cycle of 
> the square wave were variable, and add an output inductor filter, you 
> would then have a regulated HV PSU for not much more trouble than what 
> you are now building.
>
> Tomm, KD7QAE
>
> Paul Decker wrote:
>   
>> I've been holding this question for a couple of days now, I'm sure it is 
>> very simple and perhaps I just need some reassurance on the answer. 
>>
>>
>>
>> If you have been following some of this smps discussion, I've got 100Khz 
>> pulsed DC (0 - 340v) which is generated by directly rectifing and filtering 
>> the 240 V AC mains and providing that into an h-bridge.   The h-bridge dumps 
>> the 340 V 100Khz square wave into the transformer. 
>>
>>
>>
>> As the QST article recomends, I've wound the transformer with five turns on 
>> the primary and had calculated that I need 30 turns on the secondary.   
>> Performing some small signal tests, inputting 3.4v pk-pk square wave from my 
>> signal generator yeilds about 20.4 volts pk-pk square wave.   I believe this 
>> relationship should be linear and inputting 340 V will yeild 2040 volts on 
>> the secondary.    
>>
>>
>>
>> At this point the secondary dumps into a full wave bridge rectifier followed 
>> by a filter capacitor.   This is where I am unclear.    When I rectify this 
>> with the full wave bridge, will I get 2040 * 0.90 or will I get  2040 * 
>> 1.414 as the final DC output?     Part of me says I get the 1.414 value of 
>> 2885 VDC, however reading through the handbook, I seem to be reading I'll 
>> get 0.90 the output voltage. 
>>
>>
>>
>> thanks, 
>>
>> Paul 
>>
>>
>>
>>   
>>
>>
>>
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