Vintage Asylum

How old are we talking here?

63.249.84.6

In Reply to: RE: Output transformers on vintage radios posted by Frihed89 on June 18, 2007 at 02:59:01

The others are correct that the old table radios were mass-produced and designed with the fewest components that did the job - which meant that output transformers were the first to go.

For power transformers, these were eliminated early on due to weight, size and cost reasons. Since most of these manufacturers only had distribution channels in the US and Canada, then there were no design requirements for any other electrical connections. Remember, that the 50s generally did not have the level of Industry Certifications we see today such as CE, UL, etc.

Once, however, much of the manufacturing went offshore in the late 60s, then we started seeing lots more switches in the gear until the mass-market again caught up in the 70s. By this time, many of the multi-tap transformers in Asian gear had been replaced with single voltage transformers due to competitive cost cutting.

That didn't last long, though, when switching power supplies finally became cost-effective through mass production in the computer industry. Once that happened, the big transformer became even more unique.

Hope that helps. Probably more than you needed, huh?

Cheers,

David

Follow Ups:

Thanks David -Minerva US vs. Minerva Austria? - Frihed89 00:29:18 06/19/07 (1)
- Not heard of them but.... - doodlebug 08:51:08 06/19/07 (0)

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.