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Power transformer leads routing and length question

audiodon

Addicted Member
I got a new power transformer for my HK Chorale A260 from Heyboer.
I'd ruined the old one trying to get rid of some buzz in the power transformer. Power transformer buzz is one of my pet peeves and I have a couple of systems where the amp's right next to me and the buzz gets on my nerves.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=416045&highlight=Chorale

It's been sitting for months with the transformer here but I just injured myself doing something foolish the other day and can't do the late summer projects I'd usually do, so I had time to put the transformer in today.

This isn't a center tap transformer. It's an 8 lead power transformer. It came back new with two black, two red, two green and two white.
Everything ohmed out Ok so I twisted up all the pairs.
After applying power through the variac, I learned that the green wires, though the thickest, are the 6VAC filament wire and the white is for the negative bias circuit. The reds provide power to the rectifier in the power supply. The black are the transformer primaries.

Ok, so I put it all together according to my drawing of how I'd cut out the old wires to the old transformer before sending it to Heyboer for replacement.

I wasn't sure everything would work correctly, but it works like a champ.
Now that I know it works, should I cut the wire pairs to length and resolder?

I ran all twisted pairs against the outside of the chassis until I needed to pull them in to get to their termination points. The power to the diode bridge for B+, the fil and bias wire pairs didn't have a lot of slack - just a couple inches. Winding the wire took up a lot of it.
The Primary has two black wires and I left them the full foot long though I only need about three to five inches. I doubled over the rest of the twisted pair upon itself, leaving a crushed loop of twisted pair wire carring 120VAC. Should I clip them to proper length and resolder them to their respective thermisters?
What about the couple inches of slack on the others?
Thanks in advance.
What about the others. Some have a couple of inches of slack. Should I leave them?
 
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I'd trim them to reasonable lengths just so you don't have a ball of excess wire looped underneath. I dont know what it will do for performance but it looks neater when wires are the length they need to be rather than folded up.
 
I've had transformers I just couldn't bring myself to cut the leads on (like new in the box Acrosound OPTs), so I neatly coiled the excess leads up under the chassis, and tie wrapped them in a loop and to a chassis hold down point. I agree it's not as neat as cutting the leads to length, but it still comes off looking neat none the less for not trimming the leads.

Dave
 
FWIW, the green wires are thicker because the current is higher. Voltage only concerns the wires insulation, which I've seen as old green spaghetti on some filament leads. Depending on how many filaments that winding is supplying you could easily have a few amps there, while the high voltage wire's current would be measured in mAs. I tend to twist, keep the wires close to the metal of the chassis, and confined to one single corner of the amp (where the power cord enters the chassis). If there is a power switch in the front, I run a twisted shielded pair tight in against the chassis side corners and make sharp 90 degree bends. I then ground the shield to the third prong ground of the power cord.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I decided to reroute and cut the 6.3V fils and the transformer primaries. I've included some pictures.
Primaries:
attachment.php

Secondaries:
attachment.php
 

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