rpm@wd.msc.umn.edu (Rod Meyer) (07/19/90)
Hello. I need some help from somebody who understands transformers very well and specifically toroidal transformers. Please e-mail me if you have a good knowledge. Specific problem: I enjoy racing RC cars but do not enjoy waiting for the batteries to charge back up. I have been looking at building a battery charger that will be capable of charging many batteries at once. The major obstical that I need to overcome is finding a suitable transformer that is capable of putting out 20 amps. (You may have seen my request about a month ago looking for power supplies.) Anyway, I recieved very little responce from the request (2 messages). One responce was very good. He told me to look at a company called "Amecon" in Anahein, California. They make toroidal transformers for various reasons. When I talked to one of the engineers about the transformer he instructed me that it would not be a good idea to use a toroid because they tend to saturate under non-linear and/or capacative loads. My question: Why? I don't understand why a capacative load such as a battery would cause the transformer to saturate. Another interesting question if you can help me. Can I get around the saturation problem be using a bigger toroid? I figure the most I will be drawing will be around 20 amps, probably less. They make a toroid rated for 20.8 amps and I was going to use that one. They also make one rated for 33.4 amps. If I use the bigger toroid and keep the amperage much lower than what it is rated for, will I avoid the saturation problem? What happens to the toroid when it becomes saturated and it there a way of detecting this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. If the problem is too complex for a written message, send me a phone number and good times to reach you and I will call you. Thank you. -Rod