Coils and transformers are often custom or semi-custom parts -- they are,
after all, not much more than a whole lot of wire wound inside a core, and
most of the cost of such a beast is the actual work to put it together
rather than the tooling to build a particular type. Varying the size and
amount of wire is pretty easy, so a mass manufacturer isn't going to bother
with something off the shelf if he can save a few pennies on his overall
cost by having a custom one made.
So you're pretty much on your own. When I scavange a transformer from a
piece of equipment I make _sure_ to label all the connections, and inspect
the equipment to determine the ratings of the various windings (fuses are
very nice that way). Then I set it up on my bench and I measure the output
voltages. Then I write all my guesses down on the transformer, and I put it
away until I need it. Just ripping the thing out of the box looses you a
lot of valuable information.
Someone set a 23" Quasar TV beside the trash bin, so I removed the
back to see what was inside. This was an old TV, with rotary dial
tuners. Well, it didn't have a linear PS, it had a SMPS, which I
thought odd for such an old TV. The thing was so filthy with dust
that I didn't bother to scrounge anything. It'll probably get rained
on and end up in the trash bin soon.
If you _know_ which are the primary windings then you're probably safe
assuming it's both in parallel for 110 and series for 220. It sounds like
the switch is long gone so you don't know which way is which, but if you
have 12V or so of AC you can connect it to one of the primary windings and
check the other one for phasing. You can also check the other windings for
their approximate voltages, if you want. Be careful in your measurements --
if you don't get the primary winding right you can step that 12V right up to
lethal levels.
Beyond that you can estimate the power capability of the transformer by it's
size. Here in the states we can wander over to our local Radio Shack and
look at the transformers on the shelf to get a quick VA rating estimate --
I'm not sure if you have the equivalent there, but if you do use it! A good
second choice is to measure the size of the core, then look in a catalog
that gives dimensions for an approximate VA rating.
Have fun.
--
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###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 <at> hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it:
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
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