I have a few old PW ZW transformers that have held up good. The other day though one of them had a smoke come out the right side. Now the right side is dead but the left side still works. I am not really worried about repairing but wondering if anyone has a idea of the cause? It was only on for about 5-10 min and the core what super hot already.
Thanks,
Todd
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Todd; You have nothing to lose popping the cover off and taking a good look-see. The whistle rectifier disc comes to mind as a possible issue; also look for wiring with frayed insulation shorting against one another. The fact that one side is still alive says the core transformer is still working-you seem to have an issue getting output from one side which makes me say inspect all the wiring.
On my postwar ZW, the only thing that smoked was the original power cord where it entered the molded wall plug. Go take a detailed look at the internal wiring and you'll probably be able to fix your issue.
Pick up rollers on the controller legs became worn & sliced through the copper wire windings?
I doubt that the windings have ben cut through or else he would have no output at all. That does not mean they could not have been damaged. I suspect that he had a carbon roller give out or wear away and short out some of the windings. The resulting heat may have caused the arm to bend away thus causing the arm to stop working. In any case it is a simple thing to remove the cover and give a look see. I would not continue to use it until it got a good inspection.
Al
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