From: Tim Williams on
"Grant" <omg(a)grrr.id.au> wrote in message news:rjmq46tuls8137jsu1fo71r8p4srcs023k(a)4ax.com...
> Rarely see push-pull transformer these days, more common to see half or
> full bridge drive, to utilise copper all the time instead of half the
> time?
>
> Though centre-tap output windings are common, to save on expensive
> diodes, so copper utilisation perhaps a poor argument?

Typical of automotive stuff, for the same reason: conduction loss dominates over copper loss at low voltages. And for really low voltages, you use MOSFETs instead of schottkies, in a synchronous rectifier.

PP at line voltages would be silly, because you have twice the peak voltage (requiring 800V+ transistors for 240V input) and a lot more turns, increasing capacitance that you don't need in a hard switching forward converter.

Half bridge is great at line voltages because it only sees full rated voltage and needs one winding.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
From: John Fields on
On Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:50:22 -0700, Jim Thompson
<To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote:


>From the OP's loose description (he says a few amps, which I took as
>2A), I got 36uF :-(
>
> ...Jim Thompson

---
I originally misread the OP's post WRT frequency, and the work I did
was based on 100Hz.

The only "concrete" spec's he had were a triangular 300Hz, 40VRMS
waveform across across a 3�F cap.

At 300Hz, the reactance of a 3�F cap is about 177 ohms and would
require about a 94 millihenry choke for resonance.

Switching the supply through the choke would result in a sinusoidal
voltage across the cap, and since the OP wanted a triangle, Larkin's
suggestion of using a larger choke to increase its reactance and more
nearly approximate a "lossless" current source for the cap was a good
one.

I reworked the circuit and increased the inductance to 1 henry, which
will bring the choke's reactance up to about 1900 ohms and lower the
circuit's resonance to about 92Hz.

Hammond has a nice 1 henry, 300 mA, 40 ohm choke, its 158T, which is a
little pricey (?) at $18.49 from Mouser, but they have at least 1 in
stock.

It's starting to look like this thing might be able to be built!

(And work) ;)

Version 4
SHEET 1 1228 680
WIRE 32 -16 -48 -16
WIRE 176 -16 112 -16
WIRE 336 -16 256 -16
WIRE 448 -16 336 -16
WIRE 576 -16 448 -16
WIRE 336 48 336 -16
WIRE 576 48 576 -16
WIRE 992 48 912 48
WIRE 288 64 272 64
WIRE 640 64 624 64
WIRE 288 112 240 112
WIRE 672 112 624 112
WIRE -48 160 -48 -16
WIRE 912 176 912 48
WIRE 336 192 336 128
WIRE 416 192 336 192
WIRE 576 192 576 128
WIRE 576 192 480 192
WIRE 864 192 576 192
WIRE 336 240 336 192
WIRE 864 240 336 240
WIRE 336 272 336 240
WIRE 576 272 576 192
WIRE 288 288 272 288
WIRE 640 288 624 288
WIRE 64 336 64 304
WIRE 176 336 176 304
WIRE -48 432 -48 240
WIRE 64 432 64 416
WIRE 64 432 -48 432
WIRE 176 432 176 416
WIRE 176 432 64 432
WIRE 240 432 240 112
WIRE 240 432 176 432
WIRE 288 432 288 336
WIRE 288 432 240 432
WIRE 336 432 336 352
WIRE 336 432 288 432
WIRE 576 432 576 352
WIRE 576 432 336 432
WIRE 624 432 624 336
WIRE 624 432 576 432
WIRE 672 432 672 112
WIRE 672 432 624 432
WIRE 912 432 912 256
WIRE 912 432 672 432
WIRE -48 512 -48 432
FLAG -48 512 0
FLAG 64 304 A
FLAG 272 64 A
FLAG 640 288 A
FLAG 176 304 B
FLAG 272 288 B
FLAG 640 64 B
FLAG 992 48 Vcap
FLAG 448 -16 Sup
SYMBOL voltage -48 144 R0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V2
SYMATTR Value 12
SYMBOL sw 336 368 M180
WINDOW 0 32 15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 32 44 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName S1
SYMBOL sw 336 144 M180
WINDOW 0 32 15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 32 44 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName S2
SYMBOL voltage 64 320 R0
WINDOW 0 -53 5 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -242 110 Invisible 0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V1
SYMATTR Value PULSE(1 0 0 1E-6 1E-6 .0016666 .003333)
SYMBOL sw 576 144 R180
WINDOW 0 32 15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 32 44 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName S3
SYMBOL sw 576 368 R180
WINDOW 0 32 15 Left 0
WINDOW 3 32 44 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName S4
SYMBOL cap 416 208 R270
WINDOW 0 32 32 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 0 32 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName C2
SYMATTR Value 3e-6
SYMBOL ind 16 0 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 5 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName L2
SYMATTR Value 1
SYMBOL voltage 176 320 R0
WINDOW 0 -53 5 Left 0
WINDOW 3 -242 110 Invisible 0
WINDOW 123 0 0 Left 0
WINDOW 39 0 0 Left 0
SYMATTR InstName V3
SYMATTR Value PULSE(0 1 0 1E-6 1E-6 .0016666 .003333)
SYMBOL e 912 160 R0
SYMATTR InstName E1
SYMATTR Value 1
SYMBOL res 160 0 R270
WINDOW 0 32 56 VTop 0
WINDOW 3 0 56 VBottom 0
SYMATTR InstName R1
SYMATTR Value 40
TEXT -40 480 Left 0 !.model SW SW(Ron=0.1 Roff=1E6 Vt=0.5 Vh=0)
TEXT -32 456 Left 0 !.tran .1
TEXT 168 8 Left 0 ;/
TEXT 56 40 Left 0 ;INDUCTOR
TEXT 56 64 Left 0 ;SERIES R

JF