[Milsurplus] Hig frequency power

[J. Forster]

Peter Gottlieb wrote:

> Really?  I never thought about that, nor did I ever get into AC motor design.
> Seems reasonable though.
>
> The power control unit I had was beefy for gyros, IIRC it had several
> distribution circuits of 20 amps 3 phase 120/208 and was very specifically rated
> at 1600 Hz.  That seemed so odd I remember it to this day.  I picked it up from
> some surplus place on Canal St in NYC probably around 1970.  Although my memory
> of details of it are sketchy, I believe it was for aircraft use.  1600 Hz would
> get you some very fast gyros.
>
> What else would such a power frequency be used for?  I would think it would be
> very annoying bleeding into any audio circuits.

Well, that's a LOT of power. In this case, it was most likely for a big radar or
transmitter. The weight savings by using 1600 rather than 400 Hz would be
considerable. (about 3/4 of the transformer weight for a given power) There would also
be weight savings in the PS filter capacitors.

BTW, the weight savings would also extend to motors used to drive antenna dishes and
fans. I vaguely remember having a Raytheon made electro-hydraulic dish servo for some
mid 1950s radar, but don't recall the specs.

-John