TRANSFORMER WINDING PRACTICES FOR SMPS

Many of us DIYers need to wind their own ferrite core transformers and when the need comes we
all try to put our hands in it. Some of these cores will be just carrying low voltages and the
insulation between windings will not have to be so important due to the low voltages involved and
does not have to be so specific.

However problems will arise when we deal with off line SMPS and care must be taken into
account when dealing with insulation between windings and mandatory spacing between windings
and bobbin cheeks. The reason for all this is due to the high voltages involved ranging in the
350volt region these normally having DC content in them.

We must understand that DC voltage tends to arc more readily as opposed to AC sine waves and
often DC square waves when powering inductive loads have also spikes in them and these tend to
rise quite considerably thus adding with the switching voltage itself.

Keeping all this in mind we must ensure that NO ARCING between windings will occur as these
tend to have a very high temperature and thus ruining the windings and hence also the transformer
itself. The risk of electric shock is also dangerous with the primary winding arcing with secondary
windings and is lethal.

We must also understand that these ferrite cores get hot during operation and care must be taken
that we use heat resisting materials in them.

The risk of things catching fire is also likely when arcing happens and I must Stress that care must
be taken at all times so these things will not happen. The EU regulation board have set a list of
mandatory rules regarding spacing and also type of materials used in the manufacture of these off
line smps cores. I am not going to state all the mandatory necessities here but will point out the
most important ones. Illustrations and pictures will help us understand more these procedures.

The most important mandatory regulations are as follows:-

1) All insulation materials are to be heat resisting up to a minimum of 150°C these are all tapes
used during manufacture including tapes between windings and also margin tapes. These
tapes have to be non shrinkable with with heat and maintain their properties during use and
will not deteriorate or deform with time. These tapes have to withstand high voltages of at
least 600volts. Multi layers may be applied to bring out the necessary thickness to achieve
the necessary voltage pressure resistance applied to it.
2) Margin clearance at the end of the bobbin is to be not less than 4mm. This however can be
divided in to two thus having 2mm at the ends of each winding sides. With minimum
clearance of 2mm has to be put in every winding including primary and secondary windings.
This will bring a total of 4mm to the end path with each winding

Half primary winding Margin tape Cross section of bobbin

Insulation tape (Maylar)

Path distance
2mm+2mm
= 4mm
Half primary winding

Secondary windings
2mm
3) There is also another way which windings can be put thus achieving the same clearance if
the secondary voltage is not high say below 100volts
Note:
The tape layers between
windings always cover the
whole width completely
including the margin tape
Secondary windings

Margin tape
Half primary winding

4mm
In the figure above it can be seen that the spacing is also kept to the minimum requirements thus
having a margin of 4mm. This method is rather suitable for smps using full bridge mode as the
number of turns needed are doubled for the higher voltage in the primary. This will enhance better
coupling between windings as the primary windings have more than one layer. The only
disadvantage is that the secondary winding is exceeding the width of the primary and a little loss
in coupling is present in this configuration, however if the secondary winding width is the same or
less than that of the primary better results will be achieved regarding leakage inductance.

4) The minimum requirement regarding the number of layers of tape between primary and
secondary windings is 3 layers and between each layer is 1 layer or nil, thus using a layer of
tape between windings will make your work more visible during winding. It is advisable
that the magnet copper wire used in off line smps is of the double coated type as this copper
wire have better insulation and lend it self better regarding safety. It is recommended that
used enamelled copper wire will be still in good condition as the insulation tends to crack
when twisted if the wire has been subjected to extreme heat.

5) The margin tape will also have to be heat resisting (150°C) and has to be such that it has
good adhesion properties not to let the windings slip underneath it during the winding
process. Such tapes are not so readily available below 5mm but one can purchase a wider
width and cut the necessary width with a ruler and scalpel or blade. The margin tape in
practice has to be thicker as this, apart from keeping the distance from the edges also needs
to fill the height of the winding and being a bit thicker helps not to wind a lot of turns to get
to the right height. Cotton woven tape in conjunction with a layer of maylar tape can also be
used as a margin tape. I must stress here if you are using cotton woven tape due to the pores
being present in it must contain a layer of maylar tape between each layer of cotton tape
otherwise voltage can easily pass between the pores. The lengths needed are not so long and
one can make margin tape by sticking a piece of tape say half a meter on a flat smooth clean
surface such as glass or similar and applying a layer of mylar tape on top of it. The two
tapes can be cut simultaneously to the required width. The cut lengths can be wound on a
piece of small diameter plastic pipe each length side by side to be prepared for usage on the
trafo bobbin.
6) Bare toroidial cores if not already coated must also be coated prior to winding. This can also
be achieved with maylar tape in such a way that you cut strips of it around 5-8mm wide
depending on the size of your core. You then take a toothpick or matchstick and wind the
cut tape on it. Cut the remaining wood of the toothpick according to the tape width. Now
having the small tape coil you can easily wind through the hole of the toroid core and
overlapping turns in the process for good insulation. Other methods exist for instance you
can dip your core in epoxy resin thus having an even coat. The only problem here is how are
 you going to hang it to dry. In this case you can attach a toothpick to the outer edge with super-
glue thus now having a handle to dip the core with. After things dry up you can easily remove
the toothpick and finish the dent left to a smooth surface .
After you can touch up with epoxy resin. Another kind of tape Toothpick
you can use to wrap the bare toroid is PTFE tread tape. This can
be easily wound and overlapped and gives a good base to wrap
your windings on. However a coat of varnish is advisable
Toroid core
on top to seal it and not let it unwrap as this tape has no adhe-
sive.

Winding toroid cores for off line smps also brings the need for good insulation. The method
previously described regarding winding tape can be done to provide insulation and mandatory tape
layers should be used between primary and secondary. Regarding the ends these have to be
carefully sleeved with proper sleeve tubing which also need to be heat resisting PTE or glass fibre
material is suitable for this purpose.
Wire ends between primary and secondary windings leaving the toroid transformer need to be
separated at least 5mm from each other, these having an adequate heat resisting sleeve starting
within half a turn before the end of the winding turn. The sleeve should be long enough to arrive
within 5mm of the connection point.

Types of tape and sleeve materials

Maylar Tape
This tape is most suited for the job and can be found in various colours and sizes. It is most suited
as it has good adhesion properties, it is thin and rather strong. It does not shrink with heat. It does
not soften up with heat. It has a design working temperature of 150°C long term and 200°C short
term. The only drawback I find with this tape is that it is not flexible to the sides and if say you
want to overlap it without cutting it tends to wrinkle as you try to pitch it sideways while
wrapping. There are different forms of this tape and some of them can also withstand 250°C. The
one I found has a tan transparent colour and exists in various sizes. The cost for such tapes
mentioned is not much and can be easily found on E-Bay and Aliexpress.

Electricians PVC tape

I want to stress out that this tape is not good for this job it cannot withstand the heat and it will go
soft apart that it may also shrink, besides it is rather thick.

Celotape (Stationary transparent tape)

It looks good at a first glace but its no good at all when subjected to heat. This tape will go soft
and shrinks to about 60% of its original size.

Masking tape
This tape also looks good at a first glance but tests have shown that at the rated temperature
(150°C) changes colour although after an hour exposed to this temperature it remained supple but
after all it is not intended for the job. Heat will only accelerates its deterioration and finally it will
get brittle and cracks. This tape is meant to last a few hours till the paint is dry and then discarded.

Self amalgamating tape.

This tape is rubber or silicone based. Tests have shown that it gets very soft with heat and not
suited for the job. I got a sample of this tape from the electricity board which they use on cables to
seal water ingress to their joints
Cotton woven tape
This tape will lend itself well regarding temperatures involved in smps and cotton itself is quite
resistive at these temperatures. The combination of cotton and adhesive together makes this tape
usable for our requirements. The intention for this kind of tape is purely as a margin tape as it
lends itself well being a bit thick. However a layer of maylar tape has to be added to it as due to
the pores in it will not provide enough sealing properties regarding sparks.

Fibre glass Sheet

I came across a thin fibre glass lacquered woven sheet which was used in transformer construction.
This sheet was used between windings of normal transformers. Tests have shown that it lends
itself very well regarding heat resistance. It does not have any adhesive with it and often I use it as
double protection between primary and secondary windings in smps. I guess it can be purchased
from transformer winding shops.

Insulation paper
This paper I am describing having a bluish colour here is also used in transformer construction. It
is quite thick compared to maylar tape. This paper also have some kind of plastic sheeting
attached to it and the combination makes it a good insulator between windings. In the case of
SMPS its use is seldom needed due to it being thick apart from covering the finished winding for a
better look and also isolating the windings from the core material.

Sleeve tubing.

Silicone based semi hard tubing

These type of tubes I came across while dismantling old ATX smps transformers from old
computers. This type of tube is hard to come by and not readily available to us. I don’t really
know the technical name for this tube sleeve but home constructors know which type I am
referring to.
This tube is made in small diameters and widely used in smps transformer construction.
An alternative which I used is normal heat shrink tube. This however when I tested it at my
workshop came a bit soft with heat but retained its normal form after cool down. I would suggest
that when using this type of sleeve one can cover it with a piece of Maylar tape where it tends to
get under the windings. This will make it more robust and I think it will do its job as it should.

PTE tubing
This type of tube is also found in various sizes it is of the woven type and even found varnished.
This type of tubing is most suited for centre taps having multiple wires in them. It is also good for
wire ends but tends to fray when subjected to stress at the ends. This tube is rather thick and tends
to be cumbersome in some places, keeping in mind that space is rather limited in small transformer
construction.

Triple insulated magnet wire

This type of copper wire exists in various gauges and its triple insulated. This wire is
manufactured for smps winding proposes. Getting hold of this kind of wire and using it for
winding smps trafos eliminates the need for all the margin clearance mandatory tape layers etc
described earlier in this article. The advantages are that there will be more winding space on the
bobbin and one can squeeze his windings as much as he likes without worrying about mandatory
clearances. If one wishes to take a look at this kind of wire I am providing a link so that you can
take a look.

Link https://www.furukawa.co.jp/makisen/eng/product/texe_feature.htm
As one can see from the above illustrations triple insulated wire eliminates the need for further
insulation. It is very convenient and thus occupying less space on the bobbin. This also tends to
use a smaller core thus saving board space.

PCB design and mandatory clearances

When the need comes that we must design our own pcb for the use in SMPS a few safety factors
have to be considered. These will be discussed individually so one can understand more clearly
what to do and don’t do

Trace spacing regarding high voltage.

Here we can divide this section according to the voltage rating and also to the power involved in
the pcb itself. From what I observed looking at various types of SMPS low power and high power.
Please note that these are only observations and conclusions that I made during my research and
may not be so exact but we will be close enough.

I came to these conclusions as follows:-

1) Spacing between high voltage regarding the AC mains input (230v). This clearance did not
vary much in my observations and found a minimum of 3mm between live and neutral. A
slot of around 1.5mm between these terminals was also included when it was less than the
dimension stated above. These traces went with this margin of clearance till the common
mode choke/s and input series inductor up to the input of the mains bridge rectifier.

2) The high voltage DC bus now being around 350vdc the clearance was 4mm minimum and
again slots where used of around 1mm where the distance was not achieved.

3) Clearance between high voltage and low voltage was the widest that I found and this ranged
with a minimum of 5mm going up to 8mm. It has to be kept in mind that the environment
that SMPS works in, varies from a place to another. Subjected to dust and dirt and also
humidity will make a nice path for high voltage to travel across these paths. The mandatory
spacing was made this way on purpose to eliminate these possibilities as much as possible.
I like also to mention that some boards where lacquered and others where not, the latter
having only the silk screen for protection
In this case it was observed that mandatory spacing varied between boards having low powers of a
few watts and those having 300 watts or more. The reason with my guessing was that spikes in
high power SMPS tend to be more high in voltage and it would be necessary for larger clearance.
Lacquer on the finished soldered board was applied to those SMPS that have to work in harsh
environment as previously described. This will keep dirt and moisture out thus covering also the
soldered joints besides the tracks themselves.

Not many of us DIYers have the facility to make a silk screen on the bottom of the pcb or we may
not elaborate so much in this case. As for myself I bought a tin of cellulose based spray clear
lacquer which costs around €4 and spray my PCBs with 2 or 3 coats. This will ensure a good seal
and also keeps the traces nice and shiny due to not letting them corrode. I personally will clean the
board with solvent or acetone using an old tooth brush to remove any solder debris and flux prior
to painting. I do not suggest using coloured paint as it will make it difficult to trace if the need
comes to fault finding.

Enhancing high current paths

Many a time comes the need to save board space and high current paths can be made narrower
than needed. This can be achieved in two basic ways.

1) Applying a solder to the trace to make it thicker so it can handle the current. Care must be
taken not to over do it especially where high frequency switching is involved. One has to
remember that high frequency tends to travel on the outer surface of a conductor and
exceeding maximum thickness will be useless. One has to assume the frequency used and
maximum skin depth.
2) The other method I often saw was soldering a piece of solid copper wire along the trace to
enable sufficient current handling, again this must not be thicker than the maximum skin
depth. Coming to the DC side where smooth DC paths are involved thickness to enhance
current can be thick as needed.

Grounding your input and output for safety

One of the often found grounding methods on off line SMPS was that the high voltage DC bus
negative side was capacitvely coupled to earth ground with 2X 2.2nf capacitors these being rated
at 1or 2 KV usually at 2 different points along the path. If something goes wrong it will trip the
RCCD in the home electrical installation. These capacitors also dump out any stray high
frequency noise present in the circuit.

On the low DC side it is good practice to ground the negative rail to earth ground. When having a
centre tapped output then the centre tap will be grounded instead. Heat sinks can also be earth
grounded for safety as if insulation behind the switching transistor breaks for any reason the risk of
getting electrocuted is minimised. I often see that separate heat sinks are used at times and the
heat sink carrying the high voltage switching transistors are coupled capacitively via the HV DC
bus ground. The other heat sink used on the output of the rectifier diodes is normally connected to
earth ground.
The reason for all this earth grounding is that if anything within the transformer windings go short
circuit and the primary winding leaks with the secondary, or not to forget a trace carrying high
voltage leaks with one carrying low voltage for a reason or another. It is most likely that the fuse
will blow or the RCCD in the home electrical installation trips. This will save you from being
electrocuted.
Lastly I will mention that all metal enclosures should be Earth grounded for safety reasons
mentioned above.
Conclusion
There are some more things that I did not mention in this article these are safety copper foil
screens that are put between primary and secondary windings, however these must not be mixed
with a Faraday screen that is there to block EMI.
If one needs to read further on about the subject of EMI and safety screens can do so. I am
providing a link leading to SMPS cook book by Marty Brown. This can be found on line and one
can also download it. I myself found it very informative.

https://archive.org/details/
Power_Supply_Cookbook_2nd_Edition_By_Marty_Brown_Newnes_2001_278pp

With this I conclude this article which was purely meant for the novice and un experienced helping
them with good advice for safety during winding and building their own off line SMPS
transformers I hope it will be informative to anyone who comes to this website.

Regards,

Silvio