Most core types will also need a winding bobbin to fit the core that you choose, and possibly assist in the mounting of the finished product. The exact core chosen may depend on board spacing, location, mounting style, or any of a number of physical and electrical parameters that only you can decide. There are many other core types, and many sizes, shapes, and material grades within the cores listed above. Remember this is only a guideline it’s not uncommon to go outside of these ranges (e.g., audio transformers can use silicon steel laminations and operate from 20 to 20,000 Hz). At 400 to 2000 Hz, consider a tape-wound or nickel-alloy core.When less than 400 Hz, a silicon steel lamination is generally used.You should consult with a core manufacturer to obtain the specific characteristics and power-handling capabilities for each type and size of core.

The first step is to determine the type of core for the design. Note: At this step, it’s important to point out that all of the decisions made concerning the design will be verified through calculations that can only be made after many “rules of thumbs’” and “educated guesses” are used to get us to that point. Environmental conditions may also be a consideration. There may very well be other parameters to consider, both physical and electrical, such as available space for mounting, mounting style, isolation requirements, leakage currents, etc. At the minimum, these include the input voltage(s) and frequency, and the output voltage(s) and current(s).

You need to determine a few things before you can start to design a transformer, though. This file type includes high resolution graphics and schematics when applicable. However, when the right part just can’t be found, you may want to consider designing a custom transformer to fit your specific requirements. Thousands of ready-made off-the-shelf transformers out in the market are available to be designed into electronic or electrical circuits.

Transformer design calculation excel