Antek supplies a shoulder washer to insulate the bolt. Even without that, there's a chance if the paint isn't chipped - there's only a fraction of a volt, so it doen't take much insulation.
So I did have Edcor send me the insulator pad for my very loud power transformer. Before installing this insulator pad I actually measured the noise as 27.5dB from a foot away!
As you can see from the attached pictures it appears the pad was incorrectly designed as it does not fit the transformer. I had to cut up the rubber to get the wires to fit. It’s also possible that Edcor sent me the wrong insulator pad for my specific transformer.
It was a real pain to install!!! The entire time I was installing I was cursing myself, thinking this insulator would not do anything.
Sure enough though, even though the pad looks terrible (see finished installed pic) it does indeed actually works. The buzz is dampened. I can now sit in my listening position 8’ away from the transformer and not hear it at idle.
So the bandaid solution to a poorly designed/manufactured transformer does seem to work…
As you can see from the attached pictures it appears the pad was incorrectly designed as it does not fit the transformer. I had to cut up the rubber to get the wires to fit. It’s also possible that Edcor sent me the wrong insulator pad for my specific transformer.
It was a real pain to install!!! The entire time I was installing I was cursing myself, thinking this insulator would not do anything.
Sure enough though, even though the pad looks terrible (see finished installed pic) it does indeed actually works. The buzz is dampened. I can now sit in my listening position 8’ away from the transformer and not hear it at idle.
So the bandaid solution to a poorly designed/manufactured transformer does seem to work…
Attachments
About 1 year ago, I bought the higher-grade Antek transformer shield without knowing exactly how it was supposed to mount to the chassis and avoid the shorted turn. When I received it, there was no shoulder washer to insulate the bolt. I decided that I must either: (1) use a nylon shoulder washer and regular washer (difficult to find in that size) to insulate the central mounting bolt from the chassis; OR (2) use an insulating pad - rosin paper, dampening material, rubber pad, whatever - to ensure that the case never touches the chassis. The rubber pad on the inside of the case is for deepening and protection of the transformer and its windings; it does nothing to prevent shorted turn issue.
Perhaps I should contact Antek to ask them to send me the apparently-missing shoulder washer but I am doubtful that they can and will do that. I guess no harm trying, so I will do that and post my experience here
Kinda telling when the maufacturer has a whole selection of damping sheets on their website. 🙁
jeff
Apparently the way those covers work is that the center post is a fraction of an inch longer than the case, creating an air gap between the cover and the chassis. But a lot of people seem to feel this is risky. It shouldn't be difficult to find a nylon shoulder washer, Amazon carries them and a good hardware store will have them.
Just went to my local hardware store, which is actually well-stocked, and they did not have nylon shoulder washers - or at least the salesman that helped me said so (an old-timer, so he probably knew his stock). Next stop: Fastenal local store.
Very!
$548 USD delivered for three transformers. Unfortunately (or not lol) this will be my first and last time using Edcor transformers.
I still like some of their output transformers for lower budget projects. But I will never buy another power transformer from them!
That did absolutely nothing in my case. Buzz is worse than with sorbathane washers.
Thanks for the review! The anti vibration mounts I've used seem to do the job - not 100% but you can only hear the noise close to the transformers.
On Edcor's site they say "It helps mitigate the vibration a transformer might produce at certain times". How about all the time!
On Edcor's site they say "It helps mitigate the vibration a transformer might produce at certain times". How about all the time!
I've used rubber dampers like with vibrating transformers. Very useful to isolate the vibrations from spreading into the chassis, but no good against the buzzsaw sound from rattling laminations and windings.
transformer vibrations are non existent in my traffo builds. Why?
because I made sure that the lamination stacks and the bobbins are a tight fit...
and add to that, I dip the whole assembly in a vat full of air drying polyurethane varnish..
the process takes about 30 minutes....
because I made sure that the lamination stacks and the bobbins are a tight fit...
and add to that, I dip the whole assembly in a vat full of air drying polyurethane varnish..
the process takes about 30 minutes....
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I've used one of these to help the varnish creep deep into the windings and laminations:
will get there eventually, i have a vacuum pump on hand, looking for a pressure vessel to use...