• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Power Transformer

I needed a Power Transformer for a project, with 14 secondaries.

These dudes ( https://x.alibaba.com/AwA6KK?ck=minisite ) made me one, and finished it 24 hours after I paid. $110 for 2Kva.

Comms were great, and they patiently delt with my alterations.

I haven't tested it yet as it's in transit.

I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, just thought it may be helpful to some.
 

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The only “good” place for CCAW wire is in speaker voice coils. You do get a higher motor strength to mass ratio with it, for a given amount of system loss. But if a tinsel lead ever opens or goes intermittent you’re looking at full recone (with a preassembled kit only) or replacement Cause you ain’t soldering to the VC wire. With HF diaphragms thats no biggie cause you replace the works anyway. For drivers under very high mechanical stresses, it’s best to stick with regular copper wire VC’s.

Transformers are going to have issues at the terminations, unless real power distribution terminals meant for aluminum wire are used. You usually see those in 2 gauge and up.
 
For a power transformer you don’t need OFC wire. You don’t need the advantages it gives you because you’re only dealing with 50 or 60hz and the tiny advantage in efficiency won’t be worth the price. Just normal enameled copper wire of the proper gauge is fine.
 
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I needed a Power Transformer for a project, with 14 secondaries.

These dudes ( https://x.alibaba.com/AwA6KK?ck=minisite ) made me one, and finished it 24 hours after I paid. $110 for 2Kva.

Comms were great, and they patiently delt with my alterations.

I haven't tested it yet as it's in transit.

I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, just thought it may be helpful to some.
do you know how much whole thing weighs in kilograms?
also do you have the dimensions of the longest side, then the stack height...
i can judge the cost if you can give me these physical data...
 
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20kg175mmx175mmx185mm..$USD110

For rectification, I use SemiQ high voltage SiC schottky diodes, and OS PIO Pyranol filter caps...so I'm wondering if the CCAW in the power transformer will "sound different" 🤔 (than pure copper wire)
 
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CCAW doesn't sound different per se than magnet copper wire, especially not in power transformers. An amplifier that allows you to listen to it's power transformer's »sound« is a poorly designed one. But remember that specific conductivity between aluminium and copper are different by a factor of about 1.5. So aluminium wire cross section has to be 1.5 times bigger than that of copper wire for the same resistance. Hence the transformer needs a bigger core for the same VU rating.

Best regards!
 
Postage for copper will be higher. And so will the trafo (and not just a little bit). It’s a steal at $100 even with CCAW. The only issue you’ll run into is where the CCAW connects to the outside world. It’s what always fails. You could still get many years of service out of it - it does take thermal cycling, shock, and vibration to get a Cu/CCAW solder joint to fail. That fate awaits all CCAW VC loudspeakers that are played hard, but you can play a lot of gigs before one opens up on you.

Pure aluminum alloy, on gas tight Co/ALR terminals tend to fare better. You can go 50 years before the ones at your electric meter need attention.
 
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