engineering

Tap converter

Tap converter is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tap converter rather than just read about it. In short: The tap converter is a variation on the cycloconverter, invented in 1981 by New York City electrical engineer Melvin Sandler and significantly functionally enhanced in 1982 through 1984 by graduate students Mariusz Wrzesniewski, Bruce David Wilner, and Eddie Fung. Whereas the cycloconverter switches among a variety of staggered input phases to piece together an extremely jagged output signal, the tap converter synth…

Key takeaways

Tap converter belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tap converter to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tap converter from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The tap converter is a variation on the cycloconverter, invented in 1981 by New York City electrical engineer Melvin Sandler and significantly functionally enhanced in 1982 through 1984 by graduate students Mariusz Wrzesniewski, Bruce David Wilner, and Eddie Fung. Whereas the cycloconverter switches among a variety of staggered input phases to piece together an extremely jagged output signal, the tap converter synthesizes a much smoother signal by switching among a variety of (obviously synchronized) transformer output taps.

Tap positions Both linear spacing and power-of-two-style Vernier spacing can be employed in establishing the tap positions, e.g., a four-tap transformer can provide taps at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 (linear) or 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 (Vernier). (The limitations of the Vernier—in this case, that the maximum obtainable amplitude is 0.9375—are less discernible as more taps are added.)

Scott transformer By employing a Scott transformer input connection, in order to provide a quadrature phase, an even smoother output waveform can be obtained.

Prototypes Prototypes of the device were constructed and field-tested under a variety of conditions—nominally as a variable-speed constant-frequency (VSCF) power source for military aircraft—and ornate computer models were constructed for exploring more ornery considerations, such as flux leakage, hysteresis, and practical thyristor characteristics. All of this work was performed at New York's Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.

Applications As of 2007, the tap converter remains uncommercialized but is used in several military applications due to the minimal output harmonics.

See also Constant speed drive Electric motor Variable-frequency drive

References Sandler, M.; Wilner, B. D., "A Comparison of the Tapconverter and the Cycloconverter", IEEE conference record of 1984 Sixteenth Power Modulator Symposium (16th 1984 Arlington, Va.), New York, N.Y: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, OL 2876587M

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tap converter

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tap converter claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tap converter before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tap converter ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tap converter

In research: Tap converter appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tap converter in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tap converter is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electric power conversion, Electrical engineering, Electronic circuits, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tap converter outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tap converter in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tap converter means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tap converter out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tap converter in simple terms?

Why does Tap converter matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tap converter?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tap converter.