guitar speaker/tube challenge redux

[Martin Czech]

:::> >  If you do something wrong to a tube amp, either a cap or a transformer
:::> >  will blow, tubes die slowly (my own experience and that of my amateur
:::> >  radio collegues, perhaps radio tubes behave different from "audio"
:::> >  tubes?).
:::
:::Very dumb question - maybe I need to back up a few posts?
:::How does a transformer "blow"?  I mean, what happens to it?
:::
:::The word "saturate" that I have seen appear suggests that the core
:::material has an intrinsic maximum magnetization or field-strength through
:::it - is this right, and what happens to the material when it is exceeded?
:::
:::(I am slowly learning practical electronics but for now most of what I
:::know about electrons comes from Physics II E&M *grin*)
:::

Now you got me, I got no clue what I'm talking about ;->>

No, seriously, there are losses in the trafo core and windings (Joule heating,
eddy currents). This can waeken the winding insulation, thus leading to a short
winding somewhere. This short circuit will draw exessive current from the
magnetic flux, thus overheat: more winding damage, burnout.

If the core saturates, H and B are no longer proportional, not even
near to that. This means for AC applications, that the power stage
sees a smaller and smaller load, getting down towards a short (well
the copper resistance of the high voltage side is nearly a short).
Excess current -> winding damage, anode damage.

m.c.