
AN-18
A
7/96
12
largest wire size, is sufficient for a transformer design.  This size
of sleeving can then be used for all other wire sizes in the
transformer.  Sleeving is not required for triple insulated wire
designs.
Transformer Gapping , Primary Inductance Tolerance
In standard practice, transformer cores for flyback transformer
applications are gapped to a specified value of A
 rather than
a precise gap length.  The center value of A
 can be read from
cell (C47) of the spreadsheet.  A
 is customarily specified to a
tolerance of +/- 5-6%.  The gap length shown in cell (D 51) of
the spreadsheet is useful mainly for checking transformer peak
flux density and for determining the practicality of the design,
and should not be used in a transformer specification.
Transformer gaps smaller than 0.051 mm (0.002 in) should be
avoided, as it is difficult to maintain tolerance on this small a
gap.  Transformer primary inductance tolerance should  be
specified at +/- 10% to +/- 15%.  Tighter tolerances offer no
performance advantages, and can be unnecessarily costly.
For high volume transformer applications, the transformer core
is commonly gapped by grinding down the center leg of one of
the ferrite core halves to introduce a single air gap in the
magnetic path of the core.  An alternate technique for small
production runs and prototypes is to use non-conducting spacers
between the core halves.  If spacers are chosen rather than
grinding the core center leg, the spacer thickness should be half
the value used for the center leg gap, as the magnetic path is
divided twice by the spacers: once at the core center leg, and
once at the core outer legs.
Completion of Transformer Specification
Once the above information has been determined, there is
sufficient information to complete a specification for
construction of the transformer. The specification should contain
the following information:
 Transformer schematic, showing all windings, order of
  windings, pin assignments, dots indicating winding starts,
   turns of each winding, and wire types and sizes
 Transformer parts list, including:
Core part number and A
LG
Bobbin part number
All wire types and sizes used
All insulating tape types and widths
Insulating sleeving type and size (if used)
Varnish type (if used)
 Transformer specifications:
Primary inductance and tolerance
Primary leakage inductance and tolerance (determined
from prototype)
Applicable safety standards, or hipot test voltage and
minimum creepage distances
 Detailed construction drawing and instructions (optional)
Design Summary
1) Load Design Spreadsheet with Application Variables and
 TOPSwitch
 Variables per instructions in AN-16.
2) Choose a core from Appendix A, and determine core and
  bobbin    parameters    needed   for    spreadsheet    from
  manufacturer’s  catalog  data.   Load  these  values  into
  the spreadsheet.
3) Complete  spreadsheet  per AN-16  procedure and iterate
  until all parameters meet recommended design limits.
4) From  spreadsheet  values and  Appendix A  wire  table,
  calculate primary, secondary, and bias wire sizes.
5) Pick a transformer construction style depending on supply
   regulation scheme (primary or secondary) and  insulation
  type (margin wound or triple insulated).
6) Calculate tape widths needed for transformer insulation.
7) Pick insulation sleeving size (if necessary).
8) Complete  transformer  specification  using
 spreadsheet
  values and information from steps 4-7.