Transformer

A transformer is a passive electronics component and consists of a pair of

wire coils coupled together with an iron core. The input coil is called the primary coil
and the output coil is called the secondary coil.

A device used to transfer electrical energy from one circuit to another. With an alternating current, a
transformer will either raise or lower the voltage as it makes the transfer.

A device with two or more coupled windings, used to convert a supply of electric power at one voltage
to another voltage.

It is the Device that transfers electric energy from one alternating-current circuit to one or more other
circuits, either increasing (stepping up) or reducing (stepping down) the voltage. Uses for transformers
include reducing the line voltage to operate low-voltage devices (doorbells or toy electric trains) and
raising the voltage from electric generators so that electric power can be transmitted over long
distances. Transformers act through electromagnetic induction; current in the primary coil induces
current in the secondary coil. The secondary voltage is calculated by multiplying the primary voltage by
the ratio of the number of turns in the secondary coil to that in the primary.

A device that is mostly used to change the voltage in an alternating current (AC);
however, it can also be used to maintain the same voltage but act as an electrical
isolator. The most common type is the laminated core transformer found in power
supplies. Made of steel laminations wrapped with two coils of wire, the ratio of
windings between the "primary" input coil and the "secondary" output coil
determines the voltage change.

For example, if the primary has 1,000 windings and the secondary 100, an input of
120 volts is changed to 12v.
A electrical device used to transfer an alternating current or voltage from one electric circuit to another
by means of electromagnetic induction. The simplest type of transformer consists of two coils of wire,
electrically insulated from one another and arranged so that a change in the current in one coil (the
primary) will produce a change in voltage in the other (the secondary). In many transformers the coils
are wound on a core made of a material with high magnetic permeability; this intensifies the magnetic
field induced by the current in the primary, increasing the transformer's efficiency. Neglecting power
losses (which are made small by careful design), the ratio of primary voltage to secondary voltage is the
same as the ratio of the number of turns in the primary coil to the number of turns in the secondary coil.
The primary and secondary currents are in inverse proportion to the number of turns in the coils. The
primary and secondary impedances are in the same ratio as the squares of the numbers of turns in the
primary and secondary coils. For example, if a 10-volt, 2-ampere alternating current were to flow
through a 10-turn primary of a transformer, theoretically a 20-turn secondary would exhibit a 20-volt, 1-
ampere alternating current, with the output impedance four times as great as the input impedance.
Transformers are frequently classified according to their uses; the details of construction depend on the
intended application. Power transformers are generally used to transmit power at a constant frequency.
Audio transformers are designed to operate over a wide range of frequencies with a nearly flat
response, i.e., a nearly constant ratio of input to output voltage

If a load is connected to the secondary, an electric current will flow in the secondary winding and
electrical energy will be transferred from the primary circuit through the transformer to the load. In an
ideal transformer, the induced voltage in the secondary winding (Vs) is in proportion to the primary
voltage (Vp), and is given by the ratio of the number of turns in the secondary (Ns) to the number of turns
in the primary (Np) as follows:

“By appropriate selection of the ratio of turns, a transformer thus allows an

alternating current (AC) voltage to be "stepped up" by making Ns greater than
Np, or "stepped down" by making Ns less than Np.”
An ideal transformer is shown in the adjacent figure. Current passing through the primary coil creates a
magnetic field. The primary and secondary coils are wrapped around a core of very high magnetic
permeability, such as iron, so that most of the magnetic flux passes through both the primary and
secondary coils.

Induction law

The voltage induced across the secondary coil may be calculated from Faraday's law of induction, which
states that:
where Vs is the instantaneous voltage, Ns is the number of turns in the secondary coil and Φ is the
magnetic flux through one turn of the coil. If the turns of the coil are oriented perpendicular to the
magnetic field lines, the flux is the product of the magnetic flux density B and the area A through which it
cuts. The area is constant, being equal to the cross-sectional area of the transformer core, whereas the
magnetic field varies with time according to the excitation of the primary. Since the same magnetic flux
passes through both the primary and secondary coils in an ideal transformer, the instantaneous voltage
across the primary winding equals

Taking the ratio of the two equations for Vs and Vp gives the basic equation for stepping up or stepping
down the voltage

***************************************************************