Toroidals

[ambulancevoice]

has anyone used these for a power supply before??
also, what differences do they have from a transformer? i know there smaller and lighter, but what else?
any tips on them? or cautions?

im asking this cause i need a dual pv supply for a ruby/boost combo im going to build one day, and in the catalogue for my local electronics store, they have a dual 9v toroid for sale, unlike a transformer

and yes, i know about rectifying and filtering/regulating a power supply

[brett]

Hi
there are few, if any disadvantages of toroidal transformers.  They're cheaper, lighter, emit less radiation.
I've only used one, once, in a home-made 300W solid state amp, and it was really excellent.
Go for it.

[aron]

I think the only disadvantage if any is that if it's used for an output transformer - it doesn't sound like a normal transformer - well that's what I read.

[bancika]

I use them for power supplies, work great

[momo]

Im using one in a neovibe, the enclosure is pretty tight,the signal wires pass right beside the psu...very clean sound, no magnetic induction from the psu. I dont think a regular psu would of been that clean.

Its in the metal blackbox you see up at the right, I tried it without the box and it was as clean, the box is there more for supporting the psu.

[aron]

Wow! Great work!

[ambulancevoice]

this is enough to convince me
we have a bunch of different ones hear
from 9v to 50v toroidals

wow, yeha, i dont think they come as output transformers
just power supplys

[ambulancevoice]

any suggestions on how to mount them??
ive read that you can use a bolt through the center to secure it

[petemoore]

ive read that you can use a bolt through the center to secure it
  I would think there'd be a magnetic field which could be influenced by metal core insertion.
  And would mounting it flat on a ground plane do the same?
 

[momo]

There was a screwhole in mine and its even mentioned in the datasheet, so I dont know about the effects of a screw in there, but its provided by the manufacturer.

[bancika]

Mine always came with screw in the middle, don't worry about that. It's pretty cool way to mount it

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

A bolt through the middle is OK, but.. make sure there isn't a closed elecrical path AROUND the toroid, acting like a winding. Because, that would be a shorted turn.. not what you want!
(for example, if you used a pair of metal U-sections to hold the toroid in place, and the U sections were bolted to a metal case.. that would be two shorted turns around the toroid).

[mac]

• As a power transformer it is excelent. My Laney has one, small, low radiation and lots of power.
• Also ideal if you want a small size high inductance choke.
• Recently I asked on a thread about toroidals as audio transformers. I wanted to use solid iron rings from a big chain in a Deacy amp, the driver and the output Ts. Since in this project the induced currents into the solid iron are small to melt it, I thought it may work. RG responded saying that the problem is that the iron core is saturated even by small currents in the winding. In other words, the efficiency of the toroidal is a bad thing in an audio T. The only way to make it work as and OT is with an air gap, or as I did, winding 50-80% of the lenght. Both ways limit the saturation of the core, but the efficiency is reduced, so you ask yourself why not going with a std T.
If you speak spanish, read about toroidals in a Vox wah, http://www.pisotones.com

mac

[Minion]

Just make sure the top of the mounting bolt doesnt touch the chassis or any grounded metal surface or you will quickly destroy the torroid....torroids are awesome for PSU"s accept thay have a huge inrush current so you might want to add a slow blow fuse as opposed to a non-Slow blow or you risk burning out then fuse every time you start it up.....


Cheers