Transformers: Antek

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#4
They've been great. Their transformers are cheap and seem to be of great quality. I've used a few of them at this point.

They're also one of the few companies that offers toroidal transformers with both HV windings and filament windings. That's good for tube amps, but it's also useful anytime you've got a circuit that needs a HV section along with a 12 V DC rail for general purpose control circuits. That's not an uncommon thing when designing custom instrumentation.

Only thing I don't like is that they don't sell a lot of big transformers that will fit in a 2U enclosure (just a little too tall), and I'd love it if they sold 100 VA - 200 VA transformers that would fit in a 1U enclosure. So Antek, if you're reading this... low profile toroids would be super awesome.
 
#5
The aspect ratio of the cores is such that it minimizes the footage of copper needed. Unfortunately, the biggest ones require 3U or more, and I’ve only used the 400, 800 and 1500 so I don’t know about in between. 400 will go in 2U, 800 will not. I’ve used all the smaller sizes down to 25VA. I’d like to find *anybody’s* 200 or 300 VA that will fit in 1U. My old 225 VA Plitrons are maddeningly close but don’t quite get there. They’d fit 1.25 U just fine. I would love to make my 125 WPC class H design (using two of the 225VA 20-0-20’s) go in 1U because I don’t need a lot of heat sink, but no dice. I’d have to go down to the 50 VA Anteks to get it to go in, and they’re just too small and have insufficient regulation for that much load.
 
#6
I’ve used a couple of them in my tube amp supplies with great results. They always seem to run a little bit over voltage but that’s fine with me. It’s most likely my wall voltage being high rather than them. Well built and cheap with fast service! Usually you can only get two out of three of those features. I do wish the has 5v rectifier windings in addition to the dual 6v heater windings but you can’t have everything. Trust me, I’ve tried! Lol
 
#7
It’s a little of both. They do run a bit high on voltage, because the tube models put out rated voltage at rated load. And *any* trafo with that many turns on the secondary will have less regulation than the typical lower voltage power toroid with only one layer of turns on the primary and one for the secondary. Works like that with EIs, too. Some of the EI Hammonds run *really* high with no load - some 20% or more over. I get about 88% regulation using the Antek tube power trafos. Well into the 90’s for a typical high current 35-0-35.
 
#8
wg_ski said:
The aspect ratio of the cores is such that it minimizes the footage of copper needed. Unfortunately, the biggest ones require 3U or more, and I’ve only used the 400, 800 and 1500 so I don’t know about in between. 400 will go in 2U, 800 will not. I’ve used all the smaller sizes down to 25VA. I’d like to find *anybody’s* 200 or 300 VA that will fit in 1U. My old 225 VA Plitrons are maddeningly close but don’t quite get there. They’d fit 1.25 U just fine. I would love to make my 125 WPC class H design (using two of the 225VA 20-0-20’s) go in 1U because I don’t need a lot of heat sink, but no dice. I’d have to go down to the 50 VA Anteks to get it to go in, and they’re just too small and have insufficient regulation for that much load.
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It can be done. Omniphonics and Chameleon both sold reasonably powerful 1U amplifiers with toroidal power transformers. True, it's not the most efficient use of copper, but in a lot of equipment the additional transformer cost may be offset by a lower chassis cost, for example.
 
#9
As much as I’d like to get some amps into 1U, I’m not going to go the $300 custom transformer route when an Antek is $43 or ones I have on hand effectively “free”. I’ll just put up with a 2U chassis if I have to. I don’t pay full price for chassis, either. I buy junked equipment or make my own out of sheet metal scrap.
 
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