Bucking transformer 240v to 225v
for
your precious vintage gear
by
sv3ora
Did
you know that you can use an ordinary transformer as a "bucking"
transformer to reduce the mains voltage to a more appropriate level for
your vintage gear? The technique is described in this website
and it works great. The example schematic is shown below and you can of
course use any transformer in hand, not just the one with the shown
voltages.
I used an old UPS case
and transformer to accomplish a reduction of 240V (mains voltage in my
country) to 225V, to make a Collins 51S-1 internal transformer run
cooler and thus saving its life. These UPS enclosures are great because
they already have all the holes, plugs, fuzes and transformer needed. I
used the 2x8V wiring in my transformer as a secondary and its 220V as
primary. Make the connections as shown in the schematic and measure the
voltage at the output. If you have connected the secondary in the wrong
phase, you will see an increase in output voltage. If that happens,
connect the secondary the other way round and you should measure a
decreased output voltage. This technique works flawlessly and very
efficiently and by using an old UPS you can build this at no cost and
within a few hours without any serious labor involved. Simple,
efficient and effective!
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