Re: An Economical Magnecharger (inductive charger)

[Lee Hart <leeahart@earthlink.net>]

Rich Rudman wrote:
> First I would find the Stock supplier of the Lam Es and Is.

Yes, we can do this for prototypes. Get standard parts, and cut to fit.

But once the design gets perfected, I'm sure we'll wind up with a
non-standard lamination. Not a problem if you want 1000; they can make
tooling and spread the cost. But not practical for a few samples.

> The PFC20s use a inductor, and 40Khz of switching. This makes for a
> LOT smaller inductor transformer.

Certainly a high frequency switcher is much smaller. But also much more
complicated and expensive. There is a market for a very good but
expensive charger; and also a market for a very simple but cheap
charger. You're looking out for the former (and doing a good job from
what I can see). I'm therefore looking at the other end of the market.

> I call Lams "Stacked Razzor blades".

Yes, they can be! But that's only a risk for the experimenter that is
stacking them up. Once built, it is no longer an issue.

> If a PFC20 control and power stage would help. Let me know. The concept
> is the Power stage has some pretty fast Vsat current limits, and feed
> backs for current limits and wave form generations. We could look at
> the PFC20 front end as the "Primary side driver".

The Magnecharger is a high frequency version of this idea. The
transformer is very complex and expensive. It is hard enough to get
tight coupling on a normal switchmode transformer. It becomes a hideous
problem if you also expect to remove the primary!

> Still the safeties and mode shifting abilities may be needed to pull
> off this concept even at 60 Hz.

Possibly; but electrically, what I expect is a plain old constant
voltage transformer type charger. Like a Lester, except a little smaller
and lighter overall, and with a little better regulation (sharper
current limit and voltage limiting.
-- 
Lee A. Hart                Ring the bells that still can ring
814 8th Ave. N.            Forget your perfect offering
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leeahart_at_earthlink.net  That's how the light gets in - Leonard Cohen