close
close

Reversal done right | Hackaday

Reversal done right | Hackaday

A common part used to create high voltage is the CRT flyback transformer, which has been a ubiquitous component of the junk heap. So many attempts at using them rely on brute force, with power transistors in simple feedback oscillators passing large currents into hand-wound primary windings, so it’s nice to see a much more nuanced approach from (Alex Lungu). Its flyback driver board drives the transformer the way it was designed to be used, in flyback mode, relying on the sudden collapse of the magnetic field to generate a pulse of output voltage, rather than simply trying to create as much field as possible. So it’s much more efficient than all those stand-alone generators.

On the printed circuit board there is a UC3844 switching power supply controller that controls a transformer with a frequency of about 25 kHz via IGBT. We’d be curious to know how closely the transformer’s performance relates to the frequency around 15 kHz at which it would operate in a typical TV, and therefore what frequency would be most efficient for it. The result, as far as we can see, is a stable and adjustable high voltage source without high current or overheating, which we approve of.

Want to learn more about free play and reverse play? Read on.