Transformers

Because of the unique Warpverter design, off the shelf transformers are generally not an option … hence some effort is required to find or make something to do the job.

If you've read the "How It Works" or "Waveforms" pages you will know that a Warpverter requires four transformers ... each one a third smaller (in power and voltage) than the previous one.

For anyone wanting to wind their own transformers, the guys on thebackshed forum have done a lot of ground work for us, with lots of research and experimentation on winding toroids during their work on the OzInverter … an earlier DIY inverter based around the Chinese Power Jack Inverters.

John Tulloch (Oztules) on the forum, was a leading force along with others including Leslie Bryan (Clockmanfr) … who eventually wrote an OzInverter instruction book and supplied circuit boards for people to build them. Our own Warpspeed and his Warpverter also feature in this book.

While Leslie no longer sells the boards, his book is still available.

The usual means of obtaining a suitable transformer back in those days was to find a written off or blown up Aerosharp grid tie inverter … and remove the toroidal transformer.

Aerosharp Inverters were available in 1.5kW, 2kW and 3kW versions … with the 3kW ones being the most highly prized. These toroids were carefully unwound so the wire could be reused … and great effort was made to straighten the wire and keep it in good shape so that the rewound transformer would be reliable long term.

Anyone building a higher output OzInverter, would stack two of the bare 3kW toroid cores together … and reinsulate them so they could be rewound to provide an inverter capable of 5 or 6kW output.

There were also the odd example of builders finding toroids from other equipment … or stacking multiple bare cores to build a suitable toroid.

While a Warpverter is quite different to an OzInverter, generally the same principles apply to building suitable toroidal transformers for them.

So one of the cheapest ways is to collect as many larger LF inverters that use large toroidal transformers as you can find and repurpose them.

We should also mention that while Tony's early prototypes used toroidal transformers, his final build, the 5kW Warpverter that runs his home ... uses traditional E&I type transformers ... so it is definitely possible to wind or have transformers wound in this style as well.

One problem with dismantling and rewinding an existing E&I transformer is that you will not know what quality steel was used ... and whether it will perform as required. It appears torroidal transformers tend to use good quality steel ... so there's a better chance of good results using them.

Some Random Photos

To see more detail right click and "Open image in new tab"

Putting the final layer of mylar tape on the "Medium" toroid. Helps hold all the windings in place

Stripping the enamel off the ends of the individual copper wires using a DF-8 electric wire stripper ... available from Amazon or aliexpress

Starting the final assembly

Bit heavy to lift at 57kg ... easier to roll into place.

Lor

Stripping the wire enamel off the "Small" toroid winding ends

Warpverter

Transformers

Some Random Photos

Tony's 5kW Warpverter EI Transformers