Austin transformer
An Austin transformer is a special type of an Isolation transformer used for feeding the aircraft warning lights and other devices on a mast radiator antenna insulated from ground. As the electrical potential difference between the antenna and ground is high (up to 300 kV[citation needed]), feeding the lamps directly is impossible. The transformer consists of two toroidal (ring-like) windings with a large air space between the winding and the magnetic core. The large spacing provides both isolation from high voltage and low inter-winding coupling capacitance.[1] A spark ball gap may be mounted across the transformer windings for protection against lightning strikes.[2]
The Austin transformer is named after its inventor, Arthur O. Austin, who graduated from Stanford University in 1903 and who obtained 225 patents in his career.[3]
References
- ^
Griffith, B. Whitfield (2000). Radio-electronic transmission fundamentals. Sci Tech Publishing. p. 367,. ISBN 1-884932-13-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ Mehla, Ishwar Singh (2018). AM Radio Tower Antennas. Chennai, India: Notion Press. Section 4.3.1(a). ISBN 978-1-64429-518-2.
- ^ Austin insulators history, retrieved 2010 Nov 1
External links
- Picture of an Austin transformer at a broadcast transmitter site, retrieved 2010 Nov 3